POPPY TALKS HER NEW ALBUM ‘ZIG’ - OUT EVERYWHERE NOW
US singer-songwriter Poppy is back today with new highly anticipated album ‘Zig’ reflecting on herself as an artist who has been in the public eye since her late teens coming into her own in her late 20’s as a woman who knows what she wants and who she is.
We got the honour of chatting to the talented artist about her new album which is available everywhere now.
Firstly, I want to go back to before you were known for your music. You mainly focused on art through dance and video. Tell us a little bit about you back then and what it was like delving into that side of your art.
“I started dancing when I was 4 and the first styling was tap, then I got into various other styles. I eventually stopped and started writing songs and then singing, but I dreamt of when the world would merge and that’s where we are with zig!”
Your track BLOODMONEY earned you a Grammy nomination, and if that wasn’t exciting enough, you were the first ever solo female artist who was nominated in the ‘Best Metal Performance’ category. What was your initial reaction to that nomination, and how important is it for more women to be recognised for their talent in the music industry especially alternative/metal.
“I was pleased to learn about the nomination, and being the first solo female is wonderful. Though I know there were many strong women that came before me, it’s nice to be recognized in that category. I don’t feel that it is important to be recognized for an award, I think if that’s your goal you are not aiming very high.”
In an interview with Revolver Magazine, you've said before that when you were younger, your biggest fear was your voice because you were afraid of people looking at you and thought what you had to say wasn’t important. How did you break through that barrier and combat that fear; and basically become the person you are today.
“I don’t recall saying that what I had to say “wasn’t important”. But I was nervous to sing in-front of people at first because I was a dancers prior, which didn’t require public speaking. I started performing and that was the way I moved past any nervousness, the very genesis of Poppy I was performing at gay clubs in LA. - it was a very warm atmosphere and I felt inspired and welcome.”
You initially wrote over 40 songs when working on the album. How hard was it for you to narrow it down to the 11 that are on the album, how did you decide that these were the perfect ones for it, andddd will we ever get to hear the other 29?
“I believe the songs tell you who they want to be paired up with and along the way you get a tipoff of which ones fit well together on a record. For me it was made obvious in the end. As far as hearing the songs that didn’t make it onto Zig - there’s a chance some might come back later.”
If Zig had an aura, what colour would represent it and why?
“I like this question because I do see my albums as colors, I’d say Zig is orange. I had to google what an orange Aura indicates, but after my findings/ readings I would still say Orange. :)”
Could you sum up Zig in one sentence as if you were describing it to someone who had never heard your music before.
“Empowerment and defiance in a tender tone.”
Your Australian fans haven’t been able to see you perform live for a while now due to covid and everything else going on in the world. Can fans here expect to see you hit our shores soon?
“I look forward to my visit. We are speaking about a tour soon.”
What is your favourite thing and your least favourite thing about touring?
“My favorite thing about touring is the shows and getting to be in the moment with the crowd.
My least favorite would probably be - not being able to cook or bake whenever I want.”
And lastly, what is your favourite thing about Australia when you visit?
“I love the thrift shopping and the little treasures I was able to find on my last trip. We arrived a few days early before the festival last time, and I walked around the city solo - walking into shops and buying gifts for my friends.”