Poppy - ‘Lurking Beneath The Surface’
There is nothing quite as alluring as the enigma of Poppy. Drawing attention from her years of creative prowess, experimentation, and shifting identities, Poppy has become an entity of pure creative freedom and genre-dividing boundary-pushing. Upon the release of her latest album, Zig, we see her situated in a new music realm, exploring an enticing yet twisted dark, alt-pop fantasy.
We spoke to Poppy about Zig, the weight of her individualism, and the journey in which her creative choices lead her upon!
I'd like to start by talking about your latest single, ‘Motorbike’. It's this sensual exploration of femininity all upon this club-driven beat. It's this perfect mix of what they're calling this new kind of alt-girly pop. What were the influences for this track?
So for that song, I went into the studio more with just the concept of writing a song about falling in love with a girl on a motorcycle and how I tend to stare a little bit longer when I see one versus when I would see a guy on motorcycle. And Ali Payami, the producer, he started playing that bass line, and we knew what we had to do. It was very inspiring and it was very fun. We were having a very fun day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgiC_sdPVdg
Is definitely translated onto the track! Even with ‘Knockoff’, they heavily explore this kind of entrancing techno side of instrumentals and this somewhat haunting vibe. Is this acting as a representation of the entirety of Zig, do you think?
I think there are definitely dark undertones, but I feel across all Poppy projects. There's always a bit of that it comes out. I like that about music and art in general, when it appears very glossy and shiny, but there's a hint of something lurking beneath the surface.
Absolutely. I think that's what has been so enticing about your music. For me, there's always something you don't quite perceive on the first listen, but upon more and more listens, you start to catch something a little bit not quite right, but in the best way possible.
Well, thank you. I tend to gravitate myself towards music that offers me similar, I feel.
I mean, Zig, of course, is not your first rodeo. You've released a flurry of albums, even like the more recent I Disagree era, earning you a Grammy nomination. There are some clear differences in the sounds already, but have you taken anything artistically or methodically from albums like that into the production of Zig?
I feel that it's a progression for me as an artist. Well, it's a responsibility, I say this often, for the artist to reinvent and challenge themself. It's the artist's responsibility to challenge themselves and I feel do something that they haven't done before. And I don't think I really think much about what the next thing is until I'm doing it, until I'm in the room and I'm exploring at that point. And then I feel like I have to recognize what it wants to be like. It tells me and it's all a feeling.
I mean, in a lot of aspects, a lot of what you were and what you are doing is very new and very crafted. And putting yourself out there, is that a daunting thing to try and present this very new kind of sound to audiences?
I don't really think about it. I just do what I am interested in and what makes me scratch the itch. I guess you could say it has to be fun for me. And if it is not fun, then I don't want to do it. And I think music as a whole and art for me, the day that it becomes no longer fun is the day that I'll stop.
The entity of Poppy itself has gone through multiple changes. I remember the internet era where I would go to school and show my friends and they'd be a little bit creeped out. And then to the metal era of I Disagree where you were collaborating with artists like Fever 333. What pushes these changes? Is it just a matter of what feels right at the time? Or how does that come about?
Just exploration and leading with interest and wanting to learn from other people and just do something that I haven't done before. Every time.
If I just wanted to make the same exact album over and over again, that would bore me to death. I don't listen to outside sources when it comes to their preferences. For me, they're not me. They don't live in this body. I do.
And it's okay if people like a certain chapter, a certain era. It's a snapshot in time, and that's for them. But it won't ever be played out the same way again. It's there to be witnessed and enjoyed, but it's not something that I'm trying to do again or for a third time or a fourth time. It has to feel fresh to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izePLzAbc40
I was also going to ask, with these changes, how do you balance serving your own identity and then balancing that out to the old fans? But I guess you kind of answered it there where it's not a matter of serving anyone else. It's kind of an exploration of your own body and sound. And I think that's a really beautiful thing.
Well, thank you. Yeah, I feel there are other artists out there for people that want to do the same thing over and over again, and that's for them. But I can't do it. I would be deathly bored. And I know my attention span is very short and I have to constantly be moving and trying and experimenting. And historically, that's landed me in some predicaments in the past because I just want a new experience every time. It makes life a very unique course, but you have to find people that can run as fast as you can. And if people can't, then they get bored.
Has there been any particular era for you that stuck out the most? Or do you think you found your peak creatively in?
I feel like I'm still going, but every chapter and every album, every era is a timestamp and it's all significant, it's all a part of the bigger picture. And when I decide to no longer do what I'm doing, it'll be out there for people. But I like this job. It's fun for me right now, so I'm enjoying it.
That's all that matters, honestly.
It's all significant and it's all important to the bigger picture.
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In that sense in your artistry. I'm really intrigued by your song process so far in Zig as well. So many are so instrumentally driven, but then have this fundamental backbone on your vocals. What elements usually come first for you?
It really depends on, well, the song. Each song on Zig came about in its own unique journey, I guess you could say. And typically, if we're talking about my other albums, the overarch might be like a lyric that sparks an idea and we start there and the concept. But for Zig specific, I went in more so with the sonic mood board of what I wanted to play with. And we built tracks around that. I really liked getting to be in the room. I don't like when people, like producers, when I was really early on songwriting, they would say, “Let me send you a track”. I don't write to tracks. I think on pop music it's common to do that and I feel like it's like trying to write to a cinder block. Like it doesn't move. You can't do anything with it. It's just noise to me. It actually overwhelms me. I have to be able to get in there and move instruments around and sounds around and tones and change notes. So being there every step of the way and the process with Ali building the tracks was important.
Obviously that had sparked a lot of creativity because I read that Zig had over 40 potential songs. How daunting is this cut-off process? And what thoughts do you rely on to help you cut off the right tracks?
I feel like they tell me what they are and how they want to be grouped together when it comes to the decision making in the end. I mentioned before about in other interviews, viewing them as having companions or cousins. I feel like ‘Church Outfit’s cousin is ‘Knockoff’ whose distant cousin is ‘Flicker’. ‘The Attic’s’ cousin is ‘Prove It’. ‘Zig’ and ‘Motorbike’ are outliers to me, those ones I decided last minute to put on the album, even though ‘Zig’ was the title track. But I feel like they reveal themselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag3L1fBPo54
That's really interesting to think about, especially with what you're saying are the outliers. I'm very interested to see it as a whole body of work and make those connections for myself as a listener. I think one of the most enduring and intriguing feats of your music, especially for me, it's this dichotomous mix of your blazing screams and then your really delicate vocals. When did you start your journey towards the screaming and heavier side of things?
I think the first time I was in studio recording, I was working with Zach on I Disagree, and he was like, “Let me see if you can, can you do this for me”? And I tried it and we're like, oh, that sounds interesting, let's do more of that. But I think he was the first one that gave me the space to experiment with that.
With experimentation, I remember back when it was first released, I was absolutely obsessed with ‘Play Destroy’! Both artistically and industry-wise, you've had some pretty cool collaborations. What's been your favorite? Or is there anyone you'd want to collaborate with?
There are some collaborations I am working on right now that are interesting and exciting. So I would say to be determined! I would love to work with Andre 3000. I'm a big fan of Outkast.
Yeah, I could see that working perfectly! The last time you were in Australia was way back when for a slot for Good Things Festival 2019. Can we expect to see you back anytime soon?
Yeah, we are working on that. There are conversations. I love Australia. I had such a fun time when I was there. We got in a couple days early, from what I recall, and I just kind of walked around Melbourne by myself for like, three days, jet lagged. And I went thrift shopping and I bought a pair of boots and I bought a toucan lamp that I gave my friend.
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Photo Gallery by Luke Sutton Insta: @LukeaSutton
Honestly, Melbourne is the place to get stuff like that, so you were in a good spot!
Yeah, I forget the name of it, but it was the street that had a lot of different vintage stores on it. And I walked outside of my hotel and I asked the first person that I saw, where should I go for shopping? And they said, that street. And I walked over and it was awesome. It was really fun.
If we are expecting some shows, what can we expect from the shows following the release of Zig? Is anything in mind for the actual show itself?
Well, I definitely have some things in mind, but I don't really like to speak on them until they happen because I feel like if you speak on things ahead of time, they go differently. So I'd rather talk about them as they're being experienced.
Yeah, absolutely! My final question for you… to date, what has been the biggest solidification of your career in music? What has made you really relish in the fact this is the path you were meant to take?
That is a good question. I feel like there are more personal achievements as opposed to what somebody would see when they look at me or the project or any of my output. I feel like my biggest achievements have come from more mental balance that I've achieved in certain aspects. So it's what you can't see. And mental balance does not mean I have anything figured out at all. It maybe just means that I feel better in my body.
Interview by Georgia Haskins @ghaskins2002
Zig is out now - get it here
Poppy – Zig tracklisting
1. Church Outfit
2. Knockoff
3. Hard
4. What It Becomes
5. Flicker
6. 1s + 0s
7. Zig
8. Linger
9. The Attic
10. Motorbike
11. Prove It
