Poppy: “There’s self-development, reflection, and messages that I have held close to me that have rung true”

After a zig, there usually comes a zag, a jerking turn in a radically different direction. Those sorts of shifts are exactly Poppy’s trademark. Last year’s fifth album Zig was shinier and more pop-oriented (but not without grit) than she had been before, but that era’s now over. The next one is considerably heavier.

“I just do whatever I feel compelled to do in the moment,” Poppy tells us from Los Angeles. “There’s not a grand epiphany that happens. Just in that specific moment, I’m feeling compelled to explore a certain area of music or something speaks to me, and then I go after it. Each album that I’ve released so far varies greatly, but it’s still definitive of a period in my life. Some of my favourite artists released many different albums over their careers, and they’re very defining of that particular moment. I think as a songwriter, it’s really amazing to be able to catalogue your experiences in such a way.”

The album bookends a monumental year for the genre-hopping polymath, following two gigantic collaborations in the form of Suffocate with Knocked Loose and V.A.N. with Bad Omens. Next year’s got the potential to be just as huge, least of all because she’s tackling The O2 with BABYMETAL and Bambie Thug. In the present tense, however, she’s still striving to break new ground.

Kerrang! caught up with Poppy to find out what to expect from Negative Spaces, what producers Jordan Fish and Stephen Harrison brought to the table, and whether she or Stephen is better at bowling…

How and when did you start work on Negative Spaces?
“I would say maybe about late last year. But it’s hard to give a definitive time period, because I think I’m always just cataloguing, but Jordan and Steve and I wrote New Way Out, I think, in February, and then we just kept going.”

How did you first encounter them both?
“In two very different ways. Jordan, I met in the studio in Los Angeles a number of years ago, and then we did a tour together and crossed paths a couple times over the years, and stayed in touch on Instagram. Steve, I met initially when we were working on Scary Mask, he came into the studio, I think that was 2018 or 2019, and ran into him a couple times at festivals over the years. Then we met up to hang out and would go bowling. Then when it was time to work on something, I wanted to see what would happen if we got in the room together.”

Who’s better at bowling, you or Steve?
“Steve’s definitely better at bowling!”

Good to know. Jordan stepping into a production role was obviously a big moment, and we’re just starting to see what he’s capable of in that regard. How does his approach match up with yours?
“Jordan’s an incredible producer. He knows and is very well versed in many styles. His taste is very eclectic, and he always impresses me, so I think from a songwriting standpoint, we have a similar approach. I feel when we all get in a room together it’s just friends that are challenging each other and having fun.”

Lyrically and thematically speaking, how is Negative Spaces reflective of the time you were living through when you were making it?
“As with all of my records, there’s a lot of self-development, there’s a lot of reflection, and I think there’s a lot of messages that I have held close to me that have rung true. When I sing them, I’m singing them as a reminder to myself sometimes, and I like that. There’s a lot of broader reaching issues that I have with the state of the world. There’s confessionals, there’s optimism, there’s pessimism, there’s nihilism, there’s frustration…”

The next single from that album, the center’s falling out, sounds a touch like your much-hyped single with Knocked Loose. Was that collaboration a direct inspiration for what you ended up doing on that song?
“I’m sure it had some influence, certainly, but I remember when we were working on that one in the studio, Steve had a riff, and I had this concept, and I knew I wanted to scream that day. It was purely based on the emotion I was going into the studio with – that’s how that song came to be. I like to imagine myself singing it live, and it’s definitely freeing for me, I think because there’s the unknown with heavy music, and that song’s a bit more raw on the record. I can hear myself smiling and frowning and gritting my teeth in that performance that we ended up using for the eventual take. It makes me chuckle a little bit, because I feel like I’m hitting all of my internal markers.”

You previously said that pop still remains an important part of your essence. Why is that important for you to retain?
“I love pop music, but I like doing it on my own terms. I like catchy songs that are saccharine, and I think, to counter the intensity, I have to play with the light as well. It feels more balanced that way.”

You’ve built on the visual side of your artistry really strongly with the new Improbably Poppy series on Veeps. What made you want to do that?
“It’s been on my list for years, and then to see it finally come to life was very exciting. We shot it last December, so a little bit ago now, but it came together quite quickly. I’ve just wanted to elaborate more on the world that is Poppy and that was my first foray into doing so. I’ve been a fan of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Nathan For You, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Blue’s Clues, The Big Comfy Couch and Pee-wee Herman, all of those things are great influences to me. I’ve always wanted to know what it would be like for Poppy to have her own variety show.”

On top of all that, you’re playing The O2 next year with BABYMETAL. What made you want to jump on board that tour package?
“I think BABYMETAL is great, and they were really inspiring to me when they started all those years ago. Before I released my I Disagree record, they were very influential to me, and I think what they’re doing is really great. The visual aesthetic and their approach is really unique – I think everybody can objectively recognise what they’re doing is unique. I am honoured to be asked to do such a tour. ”

Negative Spaces is due out on November 15 via Sumerian. Get your tickets to see Poppy play The O2 with BABYMETAL here.

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