Poppy’s career has been defined by twists and turns. Internet character turned enigmatic dark-pop trailblazer, the artist born Moriah Rose Pereira has shifted genre time after time – from the bubblegum pop of 2018’s ‘Am I A Girl?’ through to 2020’s industrial stomper ‘I Disagree’ and last year’s ‘Zig’, which was produced by Ali Payami (Taylor Swift, The Weeknd).
Just one year later, arguably the busiest woman in rock and metal – a scene where she’s always had admirers (and a Grammy nomination) – returns with ‘Negative Spaces’, an album which could propel her into another stratosphere. At times, it veers towards brutal and bone-crushing metal, from the monstrous ‘They’re All Around Us’ to the Slipknot-esque ‘The Center’s Falling Out’, where Poppy fully unleashes those screams she’s teased in the past.
“I feel this record is some of the heaviest [work] that I’ve done, but it’s also the most saccharine and sweet,” she tells NME – with a chuckle – via Zoom. Can those things all coexist together? In Poppy’s world, of course they can. “There’s a feeling I get, when I’m sitting amongst the extremes, that feels very whole to me.”
It’s perhaps unsurprising to see Poppy finally nosedive into the heaviness, after playing a part in two of 2024’s biggest rock songs: Bad Omens’ industrial creeper ‘V.A.N.’ and Knocked Loose’s devastating ‘Suffocate’, which first went viral for its reggaeton-infused breakdown and has since been nominated for a Grammy. “Energy is at an all-time high for a Knocked Loose show. People have come to leave it all on the floor,” she explains, having joined both bands on stage at various festivals throughout the year. “It’s hard to not smile when you’re met with that energy on the front line
She’s also found time to hit the road with Avenged Sevenfold and Thirty Seconds To Mars. More recently, she joined Spiritbox to crush ‘Soft Spine’ at Louder Than Life Festival – just for fun (“I wrote the lyrics on my hand really quickly”). In a global rock community that seems more tight-knit than ever before, Poppy finds herself at the centre of attention: she’s become the scene’s most in-demand collaborator.
“I would sit and daydream about the day when I had friends,” she remembers. “When I was younger and in school, the music I would listen to wasn’t accepted by people that were around me at that time. It’s nice to have friends – I didn’t have many.” There’s two particular individuals, however, that she’s proud to call her “best friends.”
Producer Jordan Fish, formerly of Bring Me The Horizon, and co-writer Stephen Harrison (House Of Protection, ex-Fever 333) helped Poppy bring ‘Negative Spaces’ to life. Tying down Fish – whose production capabilities have been in high demand since leaving BMTH – and Harrison (who launched House Of Protection earlier this year) around Poppy’s obscenely busy schedule was something she was determined to do.
“I’ve always had an aversion to the industry as a whole… I don’t think it matters [what anyone else thinks]. Nobody really knows what’s going on.”
“I really enjoy spending consistent, fixed time in the album process… versus ‘here and there’ creation – so you can hyperfixate on what you want to be doing,” she explains. “I would say that we [became] closer. We got to go on adventures, as well – I think the time spent away from the studio can be just as informative.” What did such bonding time look like? “Escape rooms, bowling, nerf guns. On Jordan’s birthday, we all bounced on the trampoline.”
Though Poppy reveals Fish’s questionable bowling abilities (“Jordan was the worst – do you guys even have bowling [in the UK]?”), there’s no doubt he has a golden touch in the studio. “He’s such a creative force. Jordan is very good at tracking performance,” she explains. “We both have an appreciation for heavy music and more saccharine pop music. I think the commonalities in our tastes unite for this record.”
“The beginning of an album process is micro-experiments that I want to conduct, to see where they take us,” she continues. “I came up with a moodboard. I wanted a song that was pretty relentless, through and through. I wanted a more dance-oriented ’80s synth-pop song, and I knew I wanted a balls-to-the-wall, never-ceasing song. Beyond that, it wrote itself.”
Although writing alone still serves its purpose for her, Poppy reflects fondly on the collaborative approach behind ‘Negative Spaces’. “With other people in the room, there’s an energy there that propels the process forward,” she says, looking back on taking Fish and Harrison with her on the journey. “The feedback in the moment is important… [having] people that you not only trust, but trust their taste. I much prefer it. I think [Jordan and I] have a lot left to explore.”
The phrase ‘creative machine’ would barely do Poppy justice as she gears up for her third album in four years. Her new variety show on Veeps, Improbably Poppy, is just the latest manifestation of her never-ending torrent of ingenuity. “I think coming up with ideas is one of my favourite things about being alive,” she grins. “The projects that I’m involved in, I have always wanted to go after them. The world is expanding, and that’s exciting for me.”
You’d be forgiven for assuming such frequent creative output is emblematic of the pressures of the modern-day music industry, where ‘content’ is king and artists feel obliged to remain constantly active. That couldn’t be further from the truth for Poppy. Her every move stems from this innate desire to excite herself creatively, something that has existed since her Nashville childhood, which we still know precious little about. “Becoming in touch with the feeling that I get when [something] excites me… it’s an indescribable feeling,” she beams. “But I know that it’s special.”
With the release of each jaw-dropping single in the build-up to ‘Negative Spaces’, there’s an increasing sense that Poppy’s stock is about to skyrocket. The artist who once emerged with her softly spoken, confusing AI-tinted character – and was not always taken seriously – is gaining an added level of credibility that her ingenuity has always deserved, particularly from the notoriously hard-to-please rock and metal community.
“It all goes back to what I want to see from myself – at its purest form – and not letting it filter in from any other direction,” she says of blocking out her surroundings. “I’ve always had an aversion to the industry as a whole… I don’t think it matters [what anyone else thinks]. Nobody really knows what’s going on, so you have to listen to yourself and silence the noise outside. We’re spinning in space on a rock.”
“People that I once regarded as heroes disappointed me,” she concludes, possibly referring to the themes of betrayal touched upon in the album’s second single ‘They’re All Around Us’ (“When your spirit’s black and blue / And the heroes all desert you”). “Then I realised that you should [live] based on your own internal intuition.”
Shattering expectations has become ordinary in her world. Poppy will no doubt have her next curveball at the ready before you’ve had a chance to fully process the 15-track collection of ‘Negative Spaces.’ And she has some advice on that front. “The best [way] to listen would be full volume, outside. Maybe pour yourself a sparkling water, and if you feel compelled, dance along.”
Poppy’s sixth album ‘Negative Spaces’ is out November 15 via Sumerian Records