Am I a Girl? is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Poppy. It was released on October 31, 2018, by Mad Decent. Musically, it is primarily a dance-pop record that would later expand on the nu metal genre. The album was recorded with several producers and co-writers including Vaughn Oliver, Wax Motif, Fernando Garibay, Zakk Cervini and more.
| Am I a Girl? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 31, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | Mid-2017 – January 10, 2018,[1] October 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:28 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Poppy chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Am I a Girl? | ||||
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Before its release, Poppy had described the album as having a French, vaporwave and Kate Bush influence.[1][2] The album features guest appearances from Diplo, Garibay and vocals from Grimes.[3] It was supported by five singles, all of which featured a pop sound but later explored metal with the final single.
Composition
editAm I a Girl? has been labelled by critics as a dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop, and nu metal album.[4][5][6] The final tracks of the record, "Am I a Girl?", "Play Destroy", and "X" explore heavy metal.
Promotion
editSingles
edit"In a Minute" was released as the lead single from the album on July 27, 2018.[3] On August 10, the second single "Time Is Up" featuring Diplo was released alongside a music video.[7]
On October 12, 2018, Poppy released "Fashion After All" as the third single, followed by fourth single "Hard Feelings" on October 19. "X" was released as the fifth and final single from the album on October 25, 2018. The music video for "X" was released on November 5, 2018.[8][9]
On October 30, 2018, "Play Destroy", which features Canadian singer Grimes, was released early on Poppy's YouTube channel several hours before the album was out worldwide.[10] This track received critical attention for its blend of pop and heavy metal.[11][12][13] Despite not being featured on the album, "Immature Couture" was released as a promotional single in September using Am I a Girl?'s album artwork.[14]
Following the viral success of "Girls In Bikinis" on TikTok, Mad Decent intended to release an exclusive vinyl of "Girls In Bikinis" / "Fashion After All" on November 26, 2020 through Record Store Day's website. However, Poppy stated that she didn't consent to put out the vinyl and later said she's grateful that she left the record label. The vinyl was eventually not released.[15]
Tour
editIn late 2018 and early 2019, Poppy embarked on the Am I a Girl? Tour in support of the album.[16]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [17] |
| Highsnobiety | 3.0/5[18] |
Am I a Girl? received polarized reviews from music critics. Highsnobiety described Poppy as "intriguing if not wholly charismatic" and found that the album "is an enjoyable enough club record, but it fails to add anything new to the conversation".[18] AllMusic noted Poppy's sense of humor is evident during the record and remarked that while "not as cohesive as Poppy.Computer, Am I a Girl? definitely isn't stale, and it succeeds at expanding Poppy's sound and identity enough to keep fans listening and guessing."[17]
Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone described the album's shift into metal music in its latter half as a satisfying "critique of the mental whipsawing one has to do in order to survive in 2018",[19] and Poppy referred to the genre as "Poppymetal".[20]
Track listing
editCredits adapted from Tidal.[21]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In a Minute" | Dr. R | 2:53 | |
| 2. | "Fashion After All" |
| Wax Motif | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Iconic" |
|
| 2:52 |
| 4. | "Chic Chick" |
| Vaughn Oliver | 2:54 |
| 5. | "Interlude 1" | Poppy Chan | Dr. R | 0:47 |
| 6. | "Time Is Up" (featuring Diplo) |
|
| 3:29 |
| 7. | "Aristocrat" (featuring Garibay) |
|
| 3:21 |
| 8. | "Hard Feelings" |
|
| 3:39 |
| 9. | "Girls in Bikinis" |
| Oliver | 2:25 |
| 10. | "The Rapture Ball" |
| Aryay | 3:00 |
| 11. | "Interlude 2" | Poppy Chan | Dr. R | 1:06 |
| 12. | "Am I a Girl?" |
|
| 3:37 |
| 13. | "Play Destroy" (featuring Grimes) |
|
| 3:05 |
| 14. | "X" |
|
| 2:54 |
| Total length: | 39:28 | |||
Notes
- ^[a] signifies an additional producer
- "Interlude 1" and "Interlude 2" are each titled as "+" on the physical versions of the album.
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | October 31, 2018 |
|
[22] | |
| December 21, 2018 | [23][24] |
References
edit- ^ a b AWA公式 Youtube (January 12, 2018). "【AWA独占インタビュー】Poppy × AWA インタビュー". Retrieved September 30, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ Trendell, Andrew (July 30, 2018). "Youtube Sensation Poppy on Her New Album, Gender Fluidity, and Working with Grimes and Marilyn Manson". NME. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Whittum, Connor (2018-07-30). "Poppy Teases Collaborations With Diplo and Grimes". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ^ Neil Z. Yeung. "Poppy". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
the self-referential electro-pop of 2017's Poppy.Computer and the forays into nu-metal and dance-pop on the following year's Am I a Girl? further blurred the project's boundaries [...] On 2018's Am I a Girl?, Poppy worked with Diplo, Grimes and Lady Gaga collaborator Garibay on a set of songs that incorporated mainstream pop and nu-metal sounds and explored fame, fashion and identity
- ^ Bein, Kat (November 30, 2018). "Poppy Breaks Down New Album 'Am I A Girl?' And Says She Was 'Bullied' By Grimes". Billboard. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- ^ Shutler, Ali (January 10, 2020). "Poppy - 'I Disagree' review: a very modern pop star sheds her satirical skin". NME. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
The follow-up came a year later with 'Am I A Girl?'. An album in three acts, it questioned identity, celebrity and climate change while exploring the world of electro-pop [...]
- ^ Bein, Kat. "Poppy and Diplo Celebrate the Robot Takeover on 'Time Is Up': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Fair, Anna. "Poppy Continues Heavy Metal Domination with Bloody New Video". Alternative Press. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "Poppy Takes Out the Biggest WTF Moment This Week with Her Bloody Heavy Pop-Metal single 'X'". Wall of Sound. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston. "Listen to Grimes and Poppy's New Collaboration 'Play Destroy'". Spin. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Hannan, Devon. "Poppy May Be the Future of Heavy Metal with New Song 'Play Destroy'". Alternative Press. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Gaca, Anna. "Poppy and Grimes's 'Play Destroy' Is Spooky but Sweet". Spin. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (31 October 2018). "Poppy – 'Play Destroy' (Feat. Grimes)". Stereogum. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Immature Couture, 2018-10-05, retrieved 2024-03-27
- ^ "Poppy didn't give her former label consent to release this exclusive vinyl". Alternative Press. 2021-03-04. Archived from the original on 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ Kim, Michelle (August 22, 2018). "Poppy and Diplo Team Up for New Song 'Time Is Up': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Am I a Girl? – Poppy". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ a b Indiana, Jake (November 5, 2018). "'Am I a Girl?' Doesn't Offer Any Answers on Poppy's Pop Stardom". Highsnobiety. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ Johnston, Maura (2 November 2018). "13 New Albums to Stream Now: Pistol Annies, Rosalía and More Editors' Picks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Bruner, Raisa (20 November 2018). "Poppy Makes a Case for a New Kind of Artificial Pop Star". Time. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ "Am I a Girl? / Poppy – Tidal". Tidal. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Am I a Girl? by Poppy on Apple Music, 2018-10-31, retrieved 2024-11-12
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
HBwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Poppy - Am I a Girl? Limited 2XLP". Urban Outfitters. Retrieved 2024-11-11.