Moriah Rose Pereira (born January 1, 1995), known professionally as Poppy and formerly as That Poppy, is an American singer, songwriter, YouTuber, and performance artist. In 2014, she gained viral fame by starring in surreal

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

videos on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

as an uncanny valley-like android who commented on and satirised

internet culture Internet culture is a culture based on the many way people have used computer networks and their use for communication, entertainment, business, and recreation. Some features of Internet culture include online communities, gaming, and social medi ...

and modern society. She signed a recording contract with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anothe ...

in 2015 and released her debut

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

EP '' Bubblebath'' in 2016. In 2017, Poppy signed a deal with

Mad Decent Mad Decent is an American record label founded by Diplo. The label has helped introduce Brazilian baile funk and Angolan kuduro to clubs around the world. Recently, it has popularized moombahton, a genre of electronic dance music created by D ...

and released her debut studio album '' Poppy.Computer'', which consisted of

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

and

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...

songs. To promote the album, she embarked on the Poppy.Computer Tour. In 2018, she released the pilot for the proposed

surreal comedy Surreal humour (also called surreal comedy, absurdist humour, or absurdist comedy) is a form of humour predicated on deliberate violations of causal reasoning, thus producing events and behaviours that are obviously illogical. Portrayals of surre ...

online series ''

I'm Poppy ''I'm Poppy'' is a surreal comedy pilot starring American singer and YouTube personality Poppy. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2018, and is available exclusively on YouTube Premium. At the time, the producer expect ...

'' on

YouTube Premium YouTube Premium (formerly Music Key and YouTube Red) is a subscription service offered by the video platform YouTube. The service provides ad-free access to content across the service, as well as access to premium YouTube Originals programming ...

. She also released her second studio album '' Am I a Girl?'' In stark contrast to her previous style, the second half of ''Am I a Girl?'' began to show a heavy

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

influence. In 2020, Poppy signed to

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.I Disagree'', incorporating heavy metal and

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten ...

. Continuing the stylistic shift that started with her second album, ''I Disagree'' featured lyrical themes and music videos which some critics described as "disturbing", "violent", and "macabre". In 2021, as part of her long-time collaboration with professional wrestling promotion WWE and its

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

brand, she released the

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...

EP '' Eat (NXT Soundtrack)''. Her fourth studio album, ''

Flux Flux describes any effect that appears to pass or travel (whether it actually moves or not) through a surface or substance. Flux is a concept in applied mathematics and vector calculus which has many applications to physics. For transport ...

'', was released three months later to critical acclaim and featured a less harsh and more stripped-down sound than her previous works. Poppy's song "Bloodmoney" received a nomination for the

Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...

in 2021, making her the first and currently only female artist to be nominated in a metal category.

Early life

Moriah Rose Pereira was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, on January 1, 1995. She lived in the nearby suburb of Whitman for part of her youth, but moved with her family to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

at age 14. She recalls wanting to be a Rockette as a child, and took dance lessons for 11 years until deciding to be a musician. She was bullied at school for being skinny and quiet, leading her to complete the latter half of her studies via

homeschooling Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

. She moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

at the age of 18.

Career

2011–2014: Moriah Poppy and ThatPoppyTV

Poppy had her first performance at IndieCove in August 2011, where she covered an

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with two ...

song. She made two YouTube channels: "Moriah Poppy", which has been deleted, and "Poppy", her current channel. Prior to 2014, she performed at

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...

festivals, including

VidCon VidCon is an annual convention for fans, creators, executives, and online brands. The event primarily features prominent video stars from across the internet. In October 2020, VidCon Now relaunched as an ongoing, free digital offering. Vetera ...

in June 2012 and DigiTour in June 2013.

2015–2016: YouTube partnership, ''Bubblebath'', and ''3:36 (Music to Sleep To)''

Poppy moved to Los Angeles in 2013 to pursue her musical career. There she teamed up with director Corey Michael Mixter, known by his stage name

Titanic Sinclair Corey Michael Mixter (born February 12, 1987) known professionally under his pseudonym Titanic Sinclair, is an American director, producer, singer-songwriter and internet personality. He was previously one-half of the indie pop duo Mars Argo an ...

, to make a series of abstract promotional videos on a YouTube channel originally titled "thatPoppyTV". Though her partnership with Sinclair dissolved in 2019, as of April 2022, the channel is actively uploading videos and has attracted a large audience. In 2015, she signed to

under the name That Poppy and released her debut song, "Everybody Wants to Be Poppy", in June of that year. She performed at the Corona Capital Festival in November 2015. She released the song, " Lowlife", a month after releasing her first single "

Everybody Wants to Be Poppy The discography of American singer and songwriter Poppy consists of five studio albums, three soundtrack albums, six extended plays (EPs), 40 singles (including three as a featured artist), and 32 music videos. Signed to Island Records in 201 ...

" and released her first EP, a four-track pop record called '' Bubblebath'', on

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

in 2016. The EP consists of four songs; "Lowlife", "Money", "Altar", and "American Kids". In August 2016, she released a series of advertisements for the shoe company Steve Madden on her channel as a part of its ''Steve Madden Music'' program. On October 17, 2016, Poppy released an

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It ...

album called '' 3:36 (Music to Sleep To)'', composed by Titanic Sinclair and herself, with assistance from polysomnographists from the

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

School of Medicine. In November 2016, she became the face of Japanese retailer

Sanrio is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the '' kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are so ...

's first "Hello Sanrio" collection.

2017–2018: ''Poppy.Computer'', Poppy.Church, and ''Am I a Girl?''

In February 2017, Poppy starred in a series of videos for Comedy Central called "Internet Famous with Poppy". That September, they won a Streamy award in the category 'Breakthrough Artist'. Poppy's debut studio album, '' Poppy.Computer'', was released on October 6, 2017, by

. Her first concert tour, the Poppy.Computer Tour, started on October 19, 2017, in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

. In November, Poppy announced that their second studio album was "almost ready", and that they were going to Japan again to finish it. Poppy made her ''

YouTube Rewind ''YouTube Rewind'' (stylized as ''YouTube ЯEWIND'') was an annual video series produced and created by YouTube and Portal A Interactive from 2010 to 2019. The videos were an overview and a recap of each year's viral videos, events, trends, an ...

'' debut in 2017, and was one of the few content creators to get their own lines. In March 2018, Poppy performed at the Japanese pop music festival, Popspring. Poppy 10 31 2018 -28 (46548657641)

On April 17, 2018, Sinclair's former partner Mars Argo filed a 44-page lawsuit in Central California court against Sinclair and Poppy alleging copyright infringement, stating that Sinclair based Poppy's online persona on theirs, as well as emotional and physical abuse Sinclair had allegedly subjected them to in the period after their separation and the subsequent abandonment of the project. On May 7, Poppy made a public statement about the "frivolous" lawsuit, saying Argo was attempting to manipulate them psychologically. They called the suit a "publicity campaign" and a "desperate grab for fame". The Sinclair case was settled out of court on September 14 "with no money exchanging hands" The copyright case against Poppy was dismissed. In 2018, Poppy released a cover of

Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...

's song "

Metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...

" as a single on all digital platforms. On July 27, 2018, she released the first single for the album '' Am I a Girl?'' titled "In a Minute". She released the album's second single "

Time Is Up ''Time Is Up'' is the second full-length album recorded by the thrash metal band Havok. It was released through Candlelight Records in 2011. Background In the pre-conception of the album, the band was going through many lineup changes, and as ...

", which features American DJ

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD wit ...

, on August 22, 2018. She released "Fashion After All" on October 12, 2018. "Hard Feelings" was released on October 19 and "X" was released on October 25, 2018. The album also featured the song "Play Destroy", a collaboration with Canadian singer Grimes. Shortly after the release of the album, Poppy revealed that Grimes bullyed her during the making of "Play Destroy" stating: In 2018, Poppy began to drop hints about a new project and website called Poppy.Church. The website is no longer active. Poppy attended the

2018 American Music Awards The 46th Annual American Music Awards were held on October 9, 2018, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. It aired live on ABC and was hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross. Cardi B and Drake led the list of nominations with eight mentions ea ...

. After winning the Breakthrough Artist in 2017, Poppy returned to the

Streamy Awards The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The forma ...

in 2018 as a presenter. Her cover of "Metal" was featured in the video game '' WWE 2K20''.

2019–2020: ''Choke'', ''Genesis 1'', ''I Disagree'', and ''Poppy's Inferno''

On January 8, 2019, Poppy announced a graphic novel through Z2 Comics entitled ''Genesis 1'', which was released to comic book stores on July 10. The graphic novel tells the origin of Poppy. The description on Z2 Comics' website reads "Is she a girl? Is she a machine? Is she humanity's redemption, or its damnation? Don't be scared – either way, she is Poppy… and you love Poppy. Witness the genesis of the internet phenomenon in this original graphic novel, bundled with an exclusive brand new album." It was co-written by Poppy, Sinclair and Ryan Cady, with art by Masa Minoura and Ian McGinty. She elaborated in an interview with ''

Gigwise ''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England. History Gigwise was launched in 2001 ...

'' that the album released with the graphic novel, titled ''I C U: Music to Read To'', is an ambient music album meant to be listened to while reading. On January 23, 2019, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' announced Poppy would star in the

augmented-reality Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be def ...

experience ''A Jester's Tale'' created and directed by Asad J. Malik. It was produced by RYOT and 1RIC, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the New Frontier program. The storyline "transports viewers inside a child's bedroom to meet a cast of character holograms". After attending the iHeartRadio awards in 2016, she returned in 2019 wearing a dress designed by

Viktor & Rolf Viktor & Rolf is a Dutch avant-garde luxury fashion house founded in 1993 by Viktor Horsting (born 1969, Geldrop) and Rolf Snoeren (born 1969, Dongen). For more than twenty years, Viktor & Rolf have sought to challenge preconceptions of fashion an ...

, and sat front row at their fashion show. In 2019, Poppy revealed plans for a movie and her own

music streaming A music streaming service is a type of streaming media service that focuses primarily on music, and sometimes other forms of digital audio content such as podcasts. These services are usually subscription-based services allowing users to stream d ...

service. She attended the ''Billboard'' Music Awards. Her song "Scary Mask" was released on May 29, and featured American rock band Fever 333. The song was included on her second EP, ''Choke'', which was on released on June 28, 2019. The title track was released as the second single from the album (following "Concrete" in August) on October 4 alongside the album pre-order. The album continues the

metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...

sound featured on her 2019 EP ''Choke'' and the latter half of ''Am I a Girl?'' "Bloodmoney" was released as the third single from the album on November 6, 2019, and "Fill the Crown" was released as the fourth single from the album on December 11, 2019. The final single from the album, "Anything Like Me", was released alongside the album and the music video for the track on January 10, 2020. '' I Disagree'' was released on January 10, 2020, through

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen. She accused him of glamorizing suicide and using this to manipulate her. Responding to the fan speculations that some of her videos were "secret cries for help", Poppy noted that while it was not intentional, the videos projected a facet of reality and "people online sensed it a lot sooner than I did". Poppy has never publicly retracted her initial statements regarding Mars Argo's accusations and insists she was "never controlled" by Mixter. On January 28, 2020, Poppy announced her second graphic novel, titled ''Poppy's Inferno,'' illustrated by Zoe Thorogood and Amilcar Pinna and co-written by Ryan Cady. After numerous delays due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, it was published on October 20 alongside a soundtrack album, '' Music to Scream To''. On June 3, 2020, Poppy released a cover of the 2002 t.A.T.u. hit, " All the Things She Said". Shortly after, the song "Khaos x4" was released, along with the announcement of the deluxe version of ''I Disagree'', titled ''I Disagree (more)'', later released on August 14, 2020. On December 1, 2020, Sumerian released her Christmas EP, ''A Very Poppy Christmas''.

2020–2022: ''Eat,'' ''Flux,'' and ''Stagger''

On December 29, 2020, Poppy announced that she had been working on the follow-up album to ''I Disagree'', and said it will have "a completely different sonic vibe" to its predecessor. On March 14, 2021, Poppy's song "Bloodmoney" earned a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for

Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...

, making her the first solo female artist to be nominated in the category. She also performed a new song titled "Eat". On April 21, 2021, her song "Say Cheese" was made the official theme song for professional wrestling show ''

WWE NXT ''WWE NXT'', also known as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show currentl ...

'', following her performance at the aforementioned event on April 9, 2021. Both "Eat" and "Say Cheese" were included on her fourth EP, a surprise release titled '' Eat (NXT Soundtrack)''. On June 30, 2021, she released a new song titled "Her" as the first single from her fourth studio album ''

''. On July 29, 2021, she announced that ''Flux'' would be released on September 24, 2021 and released the title track as the second single from the album. On August 25, 2021, she released "So Mean" as the third single from ''Flux'' with an accompanying music video. On September 24, 2021, she released the rest of the studio album. Poppy and Sumerian Records teamed up with ''

Roblox ''Roblox'' () is an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation that allows users to program games and play games created by other users. Created by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 2004 and released i ...

'' for its first-ever listening party upon release of the album, streaming ''Flux'' on the gaming platform. Music from the album was integrated throughout nine ''Roblox'' games, starting on September 24 and ending on September 26, 2021. On January 11, 2022, Poppy released a new song titled "3.14". She also announced the Never Find My Place Tour, which started on March 8 in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, and is slated to end on November 30 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. On August 27, 2022, Poppy premiered a new song at the Reading Festival called "FYB", an acronym for "Fuck You Back". On the same day, she announced her EP ''Stagger'', which was released on October 14, 2022. The song "FYB" was released as the EP's lead single on September 23, 2022. It was also announced that the ''Stagger'' EP would be her debut on

Republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

and Lava Records. A music video for the title track was released on the same day as the EP's release.

2022–present: Fifth studio album

In December 2022, Poppy confirmed that she's working on fifth studio album.

YouTube

Poppy's YouTube channel was created on October 6, 2011, under the name ThatPoppyTV, alongside another channel, Moriah Poppy, and posted covers and vlogs, but in 2014, all of these videos were deleted, alongside the Moriah Poppy Channel. A few months later, her earliest currently public video (an abstract skit called ''Poppy Eats Cotton Candy'', directed by

) was uploaded on November 4, 2014, The videos are described by their producer Sinclair as "a combination of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

's pop accessibility,

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

's creepiness, and

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

's zany comedic tone". The channel has been discussed by other YouTubers, including

PewDiePie Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg ( , ; born 24 October 1989), better known as PewDiePie ( ), is a Swedish YouTuber known for his Let's Play videos and comedic formatted videos and shows. Kjellberg's popularity on YouTube and extensive media coverage ...

Social Repose Richard Mclean Giese (born February 9, 1990), known professionally as Social Repose, is an American singer-songwriter and YouTube personality. YouTube channel and artistry Richie Giese began his YouTube channel, Social Repose, in April 2011, ...

, Night Mind, the

Film Theorists A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

, Reaction Time, and the Fine Brothers on their ''

React REACT or React may refer to: Science and technology * REACT (telescope), a telescope at Fenton Hill Observatory, New Mexico, US Computing * React (JavaScript library) , a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, from Facebook ** React Nat ...

'' series. She starred in an episode in which she reacts to children reacting to her videos. She has also appeared in an episode of the web series ''

Good Mythical Morning ''Good Mythical Morning'' (abbreviated as ''GMM'') is an American comedy, talk and variety YouTube series created by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal. The show first aired on YouTube on January 9, 2012, and continues to be uploaded every weekd ...

''. Sinclair alluded in an interview that Poppy's character in the promotional videos presented itself to him as an android and how some of the concept relates to the uncanny valley hypothesis. Poppy has stated that her YouTube videos tell a story. Aside from her abstract promotional videos, Poppy's channel features her original music, various covers, and acoustic versions of her songs. Poppy's friend Charlotte, a celebrity-interviewing

mannequin A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. ...

with a synthetic voice, is a recurring character. She usually appears interacting with Poppy but also on her own. She appears to have developed a drug and jealousy problem after Poppy became famous, which strains their relationship, although Charlotte became Poppy's opening act for her 2017–2018 Poppy.Computer Tour. Other characters include Charlotte's son, a boy mannequin who has taken the brunt of abuse at the hands of his mother during a drugged stupor; Plant (voiced by Sinclair), a potted basil plant who is one of Poppy's closest friends and biggest supporter; and Skeleton (also voiced by Sinclair), a plastic model skeleton who is revealed as Charlotte's drug dealer. The channel also has an animated promotional

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

called ''Everybody Wants to Be Poppy'', directed by Titanic Sinclair and illustrated by Melanie Foreman, which stars Poppy as herself, Titanic Sinclair as Rex, actor Matt Bennett as Pho, Canadian singer-songwriter

Simon Wilcox Simon Wilcox is a Canadian songwriter based in Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the ...

as Phoebe, and Los Angeles-based photographer Sam McGuire as Wyatt. The series documents Poppy and Rex's journey as they attempt to find a "magical

kale Kale (), or leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars grown for their edible leaves, although some are used as ornamentals. Kale plants have green or purple leaves, and the central leaves do not form a hea ...

shake". ''

'', a short film and the first episode of a proposed television series of the same name written and directed by Titanic Sinclair, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. In it, Poppy leaves the Internet for the real world and confronts the pitfalls of fame, including cults, deranged fans, Satan, and her bitter rival Charlotte.

Artistry

Poppy's musical style has been described as

, heavy metal, rock, electronic, industrial, and

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...

. More specifically, her music has covered various other genres including

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...

pop-metal Pop metal (sometimes conflated with or used interchangeably with glam metal) is an umbrella term for commercial heavy metal and hard rock styles which feature prominent pop music elements such as catchy hooks and anthemic choruses. It became ...

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

experimental pop Experimental pop is pop music that cannot be categorized within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas. It may incorporate experimental techniques such as musique concrète, a ...

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

, avant-garde pop,

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...

, ambient,

alternative pop Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine ...

, and

. Poppy has been compared to artists such as Grimes,

Icona Pop Icona Pop ( ) is a Swedish electropop duo which formed in 2009, with electro house and indie pop music influences. Its two members, Caroline Hjelt (born 8 November 1987) and Aino Jawo (born 7 July 1986), grew up in Stockholm and create what the ...

, Melanie Martinez, and

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...

. Poppy has described herself as a "

kawaii ''Kawaii'' is the culture of cuteness in Japan. It can refer to items, humans and non-humans that are charming, vulnerable, shy and childlike.Kerr, Hui-Ying (23 November 2016)"What is kawaii – and why did the world fall for the ‘cult of c ...

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...

child". She has described her music style as "music

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

makes you want to rule the world." Poppy states that she drew inspiration from genres such as

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...

and

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, go ...

, as well as

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

. She recalls beginning to write music in 2012. She told ''

Tiger Beat ''Tiger Beat'' is an American internet teen fan magazine originally published by The Laufer Company, and marketed primarily to adolescent girls. The magazine had a paper edition that was sold at stores until December 2018. History and profile ...

'' her musical inspirations are

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

s and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

. She is a fan of

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They ...

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, ...

, Norma Jean, Blondie,

, Of Montreal, and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Public persona

Overview

Poppy has said that her stage name originated as a nickname given to her by a friend. A natural brunette, she has dyed her hair many colors, usually to match the aesthetic of each of her albums' respective eras. In April 2017, Poppy began selling a book on her website for called ''The Gospel of Poppy'', described as "a book of wisdom". Poppy's identity was initially kept guarded. She explained in 2016, "I don't want people to talk about how old I am; I want them to talk about what I'm making. ..People, especially nowadays, are so obsessed with knowing everything. They'll have to invest their time in finding it." In 2018, she

tweeted Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that she had kept her identity guarded due to being a survivor of past abuse.

Reception

Critics have both praised the catchiness of Poppy's music and described her persona as distant from reality. ''Racked'' called her "sweet, but alien" and "brightly addictive". In a review of '' I Disagree,'' Neil Z. Yeung of ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

'' called it "a metallic storm, informed by pulsing beats, thrashing riffs, and crushing breakdowns. That fury is punctuated by atmospheric electronics and sugary vocals that support her deceptively confrontational lyrics." David Mogendorff, who works in artist content and services for YouTube and Google Play Music, said she has "a strong J- and K-pop influence". Poppy's YouTube channel is often regarded as a commentary on social media. ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

'' described the tone of the channel, saying, "If you have the patience to work your way through all the videos on this channel, certain trends start to emerge. The most obvious is Poppy's fixation with the internet and social media culture, which she claims to love. But far more interesting is the general tone of the videos, which have gotten progressively darker over the last two years." Gita Jackson of ''

Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. Histor ...

'' suggested the videos are a commentary on the experience of being online, writing, "In a way, she's made every YouTube video, ever. Her channel is an index of every insincere apology, desperate bid for views and assurance that they couldn't do it without her fans you'll ever see. That Poppy is not only skewering the absurdity of people who make a living as public figures on the internet—she has it out for the entire experience of being online." Mogendorff said the videos are "like social commentary... touch ngon the anxieties of modern life" and "a really interesting way of communicating, personal but strange". ''V'' magazine listed Poppy as part of the new generation of music, saying that "her hatched-from-an-egg, Glinda the Good Witch vibes have inspired labels from 'human

ASMR Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation that usually begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. A pleasant form of paresthesia, it has been compared with auditory-tactile synesthesia a ...

' to a one-woman 'digital rabbit hole', none of which seem to stick". ''

Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distribu ...

'' magazine also listed Poppy as one of the 100 women revolutionizing pop music, noting that "no matter what Poppy does, we can learn to expect the unexpected". '' Alternative Press'' cited Poppy in their list of 20 artists who defined the sound of nu-metal.

Personal life

Poppy's potential gender questioning was one of the main themes of '' Am I a Girl?''. In a 2019 interview, she stated that she identified as a woman and that she believes "everyone should be able to identify with whatever they choose". In October 2019, Poppy began dating rapper Ghostemane. In July 2020, she announced on social media that the two were engaged. The couple separated and called off their engagement in late 2021. In April 2020, Poppy began to post stylized make-up tutorials on her YouTube channel. She

to explain, "My ex-boyfriend would always tell me I looked ugly without make-up on, and I should never been seen without it." She also claimed that the same ex-boyfriend was leaking her unreleased videos, photographs of her without make-up, and "very personal demos that only he has" such as a cover of the ''Pokémon'' theme song. In response to the alleged leak, she posted the cover of the ''Pokémon'' theme song herself. Poppy shares a friendship with singer

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

Filmography

Films

Television

Web

Discography

Studio albums * '' Poppy.Computer'' (2017) * '' Am I a Girl?'' (2018) * '' I Disagree'' (2020) * ''

'' (2021)

Bibliography

* ''The Gospel of Poppy'' (2017) * ''Genesis 1'' (2019) * ''Poppy's Inferno'' (2020)

Tours

Headlining * Poppy.Computer Tour (2017–2018) * Am I a Girl? Tour (2018–2019) * I Disagree Tour (2020) * Never Find My Place Tour (2022) Co-headlining * Threesome Tour (2019; with

Bring Me the Horizon Bring Me the Horizon (often abbreviated as BMTH) are a British rock band formed in Sheffield in 2004. The group consists of lead vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls and keyboardist Jordan Fis ...

and Sleeping with Sirens) Supporting *

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Ar ...

- Spirits on Fire Tour (2022)

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* *
''Business Insider'' article, December 5, 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poppy 1995 births 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Ambient composers Ambient musicians American women rock singers American women pop singers American YouTubers Electropop musicians Music YouTubers Island Records artists Living people Mad Decent artists Sumerian Records artists American women in electronic music American women heavy metal singers American women singer-songwriters Nu metal singers Kawaii metal musicians Hispanic and Latino American singers Hispanic and Latino American musicians Hispanic and Latino American actresses Shorty Award winners Art pop musicians American singer-songwriters