{"id":35711,"date":"2023-05-11T10:40:44","date_gmt":"2023-05-11T06:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/?post_type=articles&p=228879"},"modified":"2023-05-11T10:46:24","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T06:46:24","slug":"poppy-interview","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/poppy-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Poppy: A Meeting Of Worlds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HORIZONTAL TULLE GOWN, VIKTOR&ROLF COUTURE, DISCOVER THE COLLECTION<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With 2.95 million subscribers, Poppy is best known for the cult hysteria which follows her robotic and one-dimensional internet persona. Poppy began sharing her phygital universe on YouTube when she was only 19, and since, theories of her being an AI machine started emerging and circulating across the internet; her doll-like glassy eyes, porcelain skin, sleek platinum hair, robotic high frequency voice all adding to the enigma.<\/p>\n

What may come across as peculiar to some, is simply an expressive and even addictive art form to others. (Poppy has starred as a real-life gynoid in her videos, creating outlandish and intriguing content and repeats the words \u201cI\u2019m Poppy\u201d for over 10 minutes in a video of the same name.) The proof of her success, however, is the millions of views each of her videos have garnered. The oldest video on her YouTube channel involves her eating cotton candy for one minute and 23 seconds and has been viewed 4.5 million times.<\/p>\n

She also often performs with her friend, Charlotte, who is a mannequin with a synthetic voice. Artificial intelligence, ASMR trends, and digital art have existed for years but haven\u2019t been utilised by artists until more recently, and yet Poppy began experimenting and exploring these spaces when they were still in uncharted territories.<\/p>\n

As robotic as her digital persona may be perceived by the masses, there\u2019s no doubt that Poppy is far more human than people may realise. The artist has undoubtedly been misrepresented in mainstream media and has been stamped with labels that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. After just one conversation, it was clear that Poppy is complex, three-dimensional and engulfed with emotion.<\/p>\n

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SEA NETTLE PADDED JELLYFISH CAPE DRESS, RAHUL MISHRA COUTURE, SHOP NOW<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been obviously a great deal of progress in digital art, even since I first began making the videos on YouTube,\u201d Poppy shares over a Zoom call. \u201cAnd I think what\u2019s intriguing to me, using the internet as a medium, is that there\u2019s infinite possibilities, you can go on forever, you can reach people and other countries and places that you might never go to. And I think that is the most magical thing to me as a creator. I hope to meet people that love my work. But I think it\u2019s really wonderful that you don\u2019t know who\u2019s watching. It\u2019s inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that the internet can certainly be a rabbit hole, and yet it\u2019s allowed Poppy to connect with people that were like-minded. So, it would be only natural to think that that she\u2019d be undoubtedly obsessed with the internet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we\u2019re very much in an era where everybody is competing with each other to be exactly the same, and to be the most relatable. And I think that\u2019s very boring,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n

Poppy\u2019s not wrong at all. The internet can start to smell like desperation when everyone becomes a replica of one another. Whether it\u2019s the pressure to have flawless skin or recycling the same socio-political threads, the chances of coming off as tone-deaf or simply ordinary have tremendously grown since the internet was invented.<\/p>\n

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TOP WITH RUFFLES, SLEEVELESS COAT, LEATHER GLOVES, VALENTINO COUTURE, DISCOVER THE COLLECTION<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And yet in an ocean of people that look and sound the same, there in her own element exists Poppy. A refreshing surprise whose best quality is her ability to be her full self. Born Moriah Rose Pereira, Poppy was raised between Boston and Nashville before settling in Los Angeles. She speaks of her past as something she almost had to escape.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat influenced me is the desire to get out of where I was from, and leave it in the past,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Poppy claims that the instability of her childhood is also what led her to pursue a career that she considers just as fickle.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic and art are not stable pursuits. But it seemed more stable than home,\u201d she continues.<\/p>\n

As for her favourite habitat, it\u2019s when she\u2019s in front of the camera or performing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say that I just go to another place in my head. And it\u2019s one that\u2019s almost more in tune with how I was when I was small. And I was in awe when I first discovered performance,\u201d says Poppy. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like a childlike wonder, you know, it\u2019s a bit of the unknown. I do like a thrill. And it\u2019s not entirely safe in the sense of, you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen, because there\u2019s people watching you, and you\u2019re forced to be in the moment. It\u2019s almost a bit like riding a motorcycle, you have to be present for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether she enjoys heart-racing rollercoasters or the mere thrill of watching her fans sing along to every word of her songs is unknown. What is certain, however, is that Poppy is an adrenaline junkie. The artist released her first single \u201cEveryone Wants To Be Poppy\u201d in 2015, and she has been proving that very statement one accolade at a time. With several albums, a graphic novel, a viral YouTube platform, tours around the world and now a cover on GRAZIA under her belt, there\u2019s simply no stopping Poppy. Even when she faced road bumps along the way, such as disputes with not one, but two of her previous record labels, she never stopped chasing her dream.<\/p>\n

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HORIZONTAL TULLE GOWN, VIKTOR&ROLF COUTURE, DISCOVER THE COLLECTION<\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ironically, Poppy seems to detest the notion of virality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting to say or to talk about going \u2018viral\u2019 because it seems such like a fleeting thing. And I feel like it almost undercuts the works that I\u2019ve put out. I think that what I do is a lot more multifaceted,\u201d she clarifies. \u201cI think the touring career that I\u2019ve been able to have, was only made possible by the fact that people are able to come back and grow with me. And I think it started with the videos, but the fans and followers of mine come back, they understand that it\u2019s more than just the videos.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the growth of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, these days it doesn\u2019t seem to take much to become an internet sensation overnight. There\u2019s no denying that these platforms can help emerging artists and talents grow a platform and ultimately get that little blue check next to their names. Just take a look at Dixie D\u2019Amelio, who started off as an influencer on TikTok until she got signed by a major record label. Or Jordanian singer Issam Najjar, who overnight went from posting covers on TikTok to getting scouted by Universal Arabic Music, owned by The Weeknd\u2019s manager Wassim \u2018Sal\u2019 Sleiby. Then there\u2019s Addison Rae, possibly the platform\u2019s biggest example of a person going from \u2018rags to riches,\u2019 as she amassed a huge following after posting dancing videos on TikTok in 2019. Since then, she\u2019s released a song, starred in a Netflix film, and even appeared in Keeping Up With The Kardashians<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Whilst social media has helped budding artists make their way to the Billboard Hot 100, it\u2019s also made it rather too easy for everyone to find success and can be unsettling for artists like Poppy, who has been creating short form performance videos long before there was a dedicated platform for it. The artist admits that she was pressured to grow a platform on TikTok by her last record label, and was hesitant to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were trying to force me to make TikTok videos, which comes as no surprise, but I think that it\u2019s really strange that that has become such a large part of forcing people to create these short form videos,\u201d she says. \u201cI feel very conflicted because I was creating short form videos on YouTube years back, and I feel like it would be redundant of me to try and do that now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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GOWN WITH PLEATED SCULPTURAL COLLAR, GEORGES CHAKRA COUTURE, DISCOVER THE COLLECTION<\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI think TikTok creates very lazy art,\u201d Poppy asserts.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s definitely some truth to it. To compare the high-quality production, costumes, lighting and intent behind Poppy\u2019s performance art videos to a teenager dancing to the latest trending song on TikTok would be redundant. Nevertheless, the artist does feel gratitude for the opportunities she\u2019s been dealt because of social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very thankful for it at the beginning of my career. Without it, you wouldn\u2019t know that I exist,\u201d says Poppy. \u201cI love using it to get my message and my work out there. I love that I get to tour the world, and people that understand me get to come to my shows and it feels very united and like a union.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like you can only really maintain the level of interaction with social media if you\u2019re willing to be a very mentally unhealthy person,\u201d she continues. \u201cI think I\u2019m just really bored of social media. We\u2019ve lived long enough at this point to see a lot of darkness in it \u2013 there\u2019s been a lot of suicides because of it. People should definitely pay attention to the fact that this can be really bad for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mental health is a topic Poppy is particularly sensitive about. Perhaps it\u2019s because of her own life experiences and some of the unfortunate cards that she\u2019s been dealt. Even without seeing her facial expressions or prolifically opening up about her past, it\u2019s clear from the tone of her voice that she hasn\u2019t lived an easy life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think people are always born as happy people. The ones that smile the most tend to have a greater darkness,\u201d she says melancholically, right before losing her train of thought and admitting that she was making toast during the call. Hearing Poppy\u2019s demeanour interchange throughout the conversation made it clear that she herself can sometimes put up a brave face. It also eludes that Poppy\u2019s personality seems to be as multi-faceted as her career; cheerful and bubbly one second, wise and emotional the next. What\u2019s also interesting to note is how Poppy often refers to herself in the third person, almost as if the artist Poppy and the person on the other side of the line were two separate identities.<\/p>\n

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EMBROIDERED DRESS & MATCHING HEADPIECE, ZUHAIR MURAD COUTURE, DISCOVER THE COLLECTION<\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Watching her videos, everything from her early performance art all the way through to her most recent music videos shows a clear juxtaposition from humorous, light-hearted and colourful atmospheres to darker, nightmarish and profoundly emotional ones. There\u2019s clearly a deeper message behind everything that Poppy creates, yet the artist and performer prefers not to spell it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what\u2019s great about art is that it\u2019s subjective, and whoever is witnessing the art that\u2019s being made can apply their own meaning,\u201d says Poppy. \u201cOf course I have my own deeper meaning. But I wouldn\u2019t want to cloud that for you by telling you what it means to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think that more people should leave things open to interpretation. I\u2019m not really a fan of those interviews that they make musicians do or, like Rap Genius, where they explain every lyric, I think it\u2019s very low brow… they defeat the purpose of art.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, Poppy is more interested in creating long form videos and focusing on her music. The artist has a new song \u201cChurch Outfit\u201d set for release at the end of March, and an album soon after.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new chapter of Poppy in this new album, and the visual media, it started because I wanted to have videos that incorporated my dance background,\u201d she says.\u00a0 \u201cSo, we worked almost backwards in a way, and there are certain aesthetic elements that I wanted to include and we made the music around that idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Poppy\"
ONE SHOULDER TOP, JEAN PAUL GAULTIER COUTURE BY HAIDER ACKERMANN, DISCOVER THE COLLECTION<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the teaser of the music video, Poppy appears in a coffin, singing \u201cthis is the outfit I want to be buried in.\u201d When asked what she would actually like to be buried in, Poppy didn\u2019t hesitate to provide her clearly considered answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething custom. Something Schiaparelli,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

EXPLORE THE FULL FASHION SHOOT WITH POPPY HERE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

CREATIVE DIRECTION:<\/strong> DAN\u00c9 STOJANOVIC<\/span>
\nPHOTOGRAPHY:<\/strong> KRISTIAN SCHULLER<\/span>
\nPHOTOGRAPHY CREATIVE DIRECTION:<\/strong> PEGGY SCHULLER<\/span>
\nFASHION DIRECTION:<\/strong> ANNA CASTAN<\/span>
\nEXECUTIVE PRODUCER:<\/strong> JEAN-MARC MONDELET<\/span>
\nHAIR:<\/strong> BEN MIGNOT<\/span>
\nMAKEUP:<\/strong> RUBY MAZUEL<\/span>
\nDIGITAL OPERATOR:<\/strong> CHEYENNE HOCH<\/span>
\nSET DESIGN:<\/strong> KATHLEEN ALISCH<\/span>
\nSET DESIGN ASSISTANT:<\/strong> KATHERINA TELOO<\/span>
\nFASHION ASSISTANT:<\/strong> GABRIELA CAMBERO<\/span>
\nTALENT:<\/strong> POPPY<\/span>
\nWORDS:<\/strong> LEEN AL SAADI<\/span><\/p>\n

THIS FEATURE IS PUBLISHED IN THE 5TH EDITION OF GRAZIA MIDDLE EAST. DISCOVER MORE HERE.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

TOP BANNER IMAGE:<\/em> TULLE GOWN WITH BOAT NECKLINE & RUFFLES, GIAMBATTISTA VALLI COUTURE, DISCOVER THE COLLECTION<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30736,"featured_media":35712,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[65,35],"yoast_head":"\nPoppy: A Meeting Of Worlds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As fashion enters the phygital space, what does the future look like? Performance artist and Youtuber Poppy talks to GRAZIA.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/poppy-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Poppy: A Meeting Of Worlds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As fashion enters the phygital space, what does the future look like? 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