Crush didn’t necessarily expect to talk about hummus poppy As I talked about last week, that’s what we worked on. When we spoke to the Boston-born singer, she was in Cologne preparing to open for Virginia metalcore outfits Bad Omens, who she’s supporting on a European tour. She was able to join me on Zoom in the afternoon, sandwiched between sound check and set.
Well, what happened?
“It’s been fun so far,” Poppy told me. “This is my first time playing a full-fledged show in Europe and I’m really excited.
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Just a few days before our chat, Bad Omens and Poppy released the song “VAN” together, which made its live debut in Berlin two nights before, and Poppy performed again during Bad Omens’ set. He appeared and joined Bad Omens. She describes the song as her favorite song to perform live and a “great moment” in her set.
She enjoys the experience of collaborating with other artists and touring. “I think it’s because we do similar work that we can form new friendships,” she says. “And I’ve always liked the idea of making new friends. I didn’t have many when I was younger, but now I feel like I have some of the best.”
In fact, Poppy has toured with some of the biggest names, including Bring Me the Horizon, Sleeping with Sirens, Puvliss, Smashing Pumpkins, and now Bad Omens. After the latter’s support slot ends, Poppy will return to the UK for a headline tour with Wargasm, culminating with two nights at London’s KOKO. She’s been here for “a minute,” as she puts it, and this month’s show will be her first in the UK since November 2022.
She is also excited to meet Wargasm and feels they are the perfect support act, combining elements of nu metal, hardcore and electronic. “I just heard their music recently and I thought it was very interesting. They seem like very kind people. I’ve heard good things about them,” Poppy told me.
Poppy has amassed a sizeable fan base in the UK, which has grown over the years through her transition from YouTube sensation to bona fide rock star, and we’re excited to be back. “I’m really honored that some people seem to like what I’m doing,” she says of her UK fan base.
And he said what fans can expect from the setlist: “There will definitely be some new songs, and that’s a lot of fun for me.” Bad Omens support her slot, her songs 2020 album “I Disugly” It’s no surprise considering this is one of her heavier albums, but her own tour could feature more of Zig, which was released last October.
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Crash asks Poppy if she’s seen these beaches often, and she says she’s been to Stonehenge.
“That’s all I know,” Poppy continues. “There’s not a lot of food you can eat there. There’s not a whole lot that’s in my food pyramid.” She says when we joke that maybe the British aren’t really known for the rich cuisine here. says he sometimes nibbles on lettuce leaves or goes for hummus. She also points out that we often spell hummus with an “ou.” This isn’t actually how I imagined the conversation to go, I mean it as a serious hummus (sorry, humorous) Stan, I’m here for that.
“Zig” has been described as Poppy’s return to pop music, and seems to be well-received by critics and fans alike, whether you’re a metalhead or into pop music. But that’s not what Poppy cares about. “To be honest, I haven’t really paid attention to any reactions because I’ve been working on other things, but people probably like it. If they do, that’s great, but if they don’t, I don’t really care,” she explains.
And what led her to pursue a more electronic, dance-influenced sound? “Zig” is the song that inspired Taylor Swift’s Grammy-winning “1989” and Produced by Ali Payami, who has worked with pop royalty such as The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, and Katy Perry.
“With ‘Zig,’ I wanted to make some dance music videos, so I worked backwards. It wasn’t like there was a song first and then a video. I knew I wanted to dance. The music had to reflect that,” she says. Will Poppy, who describes her stage presence as “interpretive”, be dancing more on stage this tour?
“Not on this tour, not on stage, but maybe in the future.”
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However, we don’t know exactly what will happen in the future. Poppy and her work are often described as “post-genre,” which makes sense as a description. Her work has been expressed in a variety of ways, from pop, metal, and industrial, to elements of punk, ska, folk, and noise, and it is no exaggeration to say that she is a mysterious figure. Probably.
When asked if Clash would go back to a heavier sound for his next album, he explained that it depends on how he feels in the studio. When she makes music, she first starts by writing in her diary. “Then she makes a collage and finds the words to go with the music, or vice versa, and in the end it comes out exactly as she feels it,” she continues.
“Yeah, [my process] It has always evolved. It depends on where I am. Maybe in the early days it started with just music and tracks, but now I feel that writing only on tracks is like writing on bricks that don’t move. So that’s not what I want to do anymore. Sometimes it would start with me and an acoustic guitar, but this time I started with the idea that I wanted to dance and went for it. It changes with each album. ”
Poppy also plays more guitar and bass on this album than before. Since she has always played an instrument in her home, she thought it was time to bring it closer to the forefront of her career. She explains that it gives her the opportunity to do something on stage.
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Her biggest influence, both on stage and in the studio, was David Bowie, and she says she would love to support him if he were still alive, but she wouldn’t want to support Hologram. He was to tour again after his death. He has influenced her “in many ways throughout her years,” she says. “And he went into every chapter without question and he just said what he was doing living it.”
We tried to see if she saw any similarities between herself and Bowie, but she doesn’t think she’s the “right person” to comment. Well, this writer certainly does – instantly comparing her evolution from album to album to Bowie’s various eras. “I think artists have a responsibility to constantly reinvent themselves,” she says, and she agrees.
Poppy is often juxtaposed and compared to other artists who produce creative, avant-garde pop music, such as Grimes, Charli XCX, Ally Do you feel like you are? “I feel like I’ve always been a lone ranger, and that’s okay,” she explains.
In terms of how she portrays herself these days, she became famous on YouTube, after all. Them She says the surreal video sent her straight into the uncanny valley. That doesn’t mean you’re not real. You are just the version of yourself you want to show to someone else. ”
So what does Poppy want to gift her British fans?
“Entertainment. Just entertainment.”
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Poppy begins a UK tour this week.
February
14 manchester O2 Academy
15 glasgow Barrowland Ballroom
16 liverpool O2 Academy
18 bristol O2 Academy
20 London Here
twenty one London Here
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words: adam england
Main photo: Luthrie Eye
Inset photo: Angelo Crictos
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