The Weird, Wild World of Poppy (two shows in Boston next week)
Look, it’s 2020, most of the original ideas for music projects have been done, re-done, and done a third time. So when something truly unique comes along, it’s worth paying attention. Internet sensation Poppy, who is described on her Wikipedia page as “singer, songwriter, actress, fashion model, YouTuber, author, and religious leader,” however, is onto something original.
The 25-year-old rose to fame via her YouTube channel, which currently has over 2.5 million subscribers. Her earliest videos feel like something out of a fever dream, like THIS video, which consists simply of her repeating the phrase “I’m Poppy” for 10 minutes. That video currently sits at over 23 million views.
For a little while, people were pretty sure she was a robot, a rumor since debunked. Later on, she tried to launch her own religion via a website called Poppy.Church. The website allowed users to fill out a profile, create an avatar, and pledge their allegiance to Poppy. After creating a profile, users were then given access to a digital hub that featured chat rooms, message boards, and other various features.
When she began to experiment as a musician and record her own original songs, they were mostly pop oriented. But her latest record, I Disagree, which just dropped on January 10th, delves into the world of heavy metal.
At this point, it still isn’t really clear what direction Poppy is going in with her art, but that is the part that is so enthralling. The entire act, the videos, the music, her book “The Gospel of Poppy,” it’s all mesmerizing and electrifying. If one aspect of it alone isn’t enough to hold your attention, the composite character of Poppy will at least keep you interested until you can understand what’s going on here. She is original and interesting, someone that taps into our innate curiosity and desire to learn more.
Poppy will play Brighton Music Hall in Boston, MA next week on February 4th + 5th at 7 pm both nights.
Tickets for night one are sold out, but a select amount of resale tickets are available for the performance on February 5th, you can purchase those HERE.
