Poppy (singer)
That Poppy | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Singer |
Years active | 2014–present |
Musical career | |
Genres | Pop, bubblegum pop |
Instruments |
|
Labels | Island Records |
Website | http://www.thatpoppy.com/ |
That Poppy (also simply known as Poppy)[1] is an American singer and songwriter best known for her musical project That Poppy and for her YouTube channel of the same name. She grew up in Nashville, Tennessee[2] and moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue her musical career,[3] teaming up with director[2] and musician[4] Titanic Sinclair to make a series of abstract promotional videos on YouTube.
Early life
She recalls wanting to be a Rockette as a child and grew up dancing,[5] which she did for 11 years.[6] Her father was a drummer in a band,[3] the name of which remains unknown, and she recalls watching his band play when she was very young.[4][7]
Poppy's real name and identity is kept guarded, with That Poppy explaining, "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."[8]
Music career
In 2015, Poppy signed to Island Records, and released her debut single, "Lowlife", on July 24, 2015.[2][9] PopularTV has described the track as one that "will make you want to break out your old checkered Vans and hang with the skater boys."[10] Lowlife was later featured on the compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 58 in the United States. A remix of the Lowlife track was released in April 2016.[11] and has received airplay on BBC Radio.[12] She released her first EP, Bubblebath on February 12, 2016, a four-track pop record on Island.[13] A track from the EP, titled "Money", was used in the television show Scream during the debut episode of the second season, "I Know What You Did Last Summer",[14] and was also used for the video game The Sims 4, on the "Tween Pop" radio station for the Kids Room Stuff pack.
Poppy has described herself as a "kawaii Barbie Child",[4][15] and has said that her style is inspired by that of J-pop artists.[16] She has described her music style as "music [that] makes you want to rule the world."[2] Poppy recalls beginning to write music in 2012. She has said before that a large inspiration of hers, along with her favorite artist, is Cyndi Lauper.[2][7][16] She has also cited Elvis Presley as a musical inspiration.[16]
Reception
Although many have praised the catchiness of her music, many have also discussed her persona of Poppy as being distant from reality. Racked described That Poppy as being "sweet [and] cute, but alien [and] bizarre" and also "brightly addictive".[3] PopularTV said of her music: "Paralleling Gwen Stefani in the No Doubt era, That Poppy mixes punk with ska-pop and makes you want to get up and dance." The UQ Music Blog described Poppy as "Electra Heart meets Princess Peach".[17]
YouTube
Poppy's YouTube channel was created on October 6, 2011, and she uploaded her first video in November 2014, an abstract skit called Poppy Eats Cotton Candy, directed by Titanic Sinclair. Since then she has released over 90 further videos and as of November 2016 the channel has over 22 million views. The videos are described by their producer Sinclair as "a combination of Andy Warhol's pop accessibility, David Lynch's creepiness, and Tim Burton's zany comedic tone".[3]
Aside from her abstract promotional videos, Poppy's channel has various covers and acoustic versions of her songs, including a cover of Mac DeMarco's "My Kind of Woman" and acoustic versions of her songs "Everybody Wants to Be Poppy" and "Lowlife". That Poppy also has her own Vevo channel, which has amassed over 7 million views.
Discography
Singles:
- "Everybody Wants To Be Poppy"[18]
- "Lowlife" (2015)
- "Lowlife" (Slushii Remix) (2016)
- "Lowlife" (Featuring Travis Mills) (2015)
- "Money"[19]
- "Adored" (2016)
EP:
- Bubblebath (2016)
- 3:36 (Music To Sleep To) (2016)
References
- ^ Vinaixa, Josep (October 15, 2015). "that Poppy "Lowlife" (featuring Travis Mills) [Single Premiere]". Josep Vinaixa. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Mastrogiannis, Nicole (March 3, 2016). "INTERVIEW: Who Is That Poppy?". iHeartRadio. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Brooke, Eliza (April 11, 2016). "Parsing the Aesthetics of That Poppy, Pop Singer and Internet Enigma". Racked. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Getting to Know the Imaginative Vision behind THAT POPPY". Next2Shine. March 15, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ "That Poppy Talks 'Princesses, Unicorns, and Real Life Experiences' with Niko". 92.3 AMP Radio. March 1, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ Elyachar, Jacob (July 7, 2015). "The Five Question Challenge with That Poppy". Jake's Take. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Llewellyn, Mallory (July 29, 2015). "Meet The Doe-Eyed Singer Who Made Thrifting An Art Project: That Poppy". Galore Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ http://www.racked.com/2016/4/11/11394848/that-poppy-interview
- ^ http://www.iheart.com/artist/that-poppy-30883258/
- ^ Kaplan, Ilana. "EP PREMIERE : THAT POPPY". PopularTV. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ "Island Records". www.islandrecords.com. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ "That Poppy – New Songs, Playlists, Videos & Tours – BBC Music". BBC. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ That Poppy, Bubblebath, retrieved July 2, 2016
- ^ Jantz, Ryan. "Music from Scream: SEASON 2 PREMIERE". MTV. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ Hardy, Alyssa. "SUGAR AND SPICE: A CUTE CHAT WITH THAT POPPY!". Ladygunn. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c Chesky, Allison. "Fashion, Music and Prom According to Pop Sensation That Poppy". Tiger Beat. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ Peterson, Tyler. "That Poppy – Bubblebath EP". UQ Music Blog. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ "THAT POPPY RELEASES "EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE POPPY"". www.islandrecords.com. June 23, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ Wass, Mike (July 29, 2016). "That Poppy's Cute & Colorful "Money" Video: Premiere". Idolator. Retrieved September 21, 2016.