Am I a Girl?
Am I a Girl? is the second studio album by American singer and YouTube personality Poppy. It was released on October 31, 2018, by her own label I'm Poppy and Mad Decent.[5] The Am I a Girl? Tour was performed throughout late 2018 and early 2019.[6]
Am I a Girl? | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 31, 2018 | |||
Recorded | Mid-2017 – January 10, 2018,[1] October 2018 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 39:32 | |||
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][7] Along with Diplo, it also includes collaborations with Fernando Garibay and Grimes.[7]
Singles
"In a Minute" was released as the first single from the album on July 27, 2018.[8] On August 10, the music video premiered alongside the release of second single "Time Is Up" featuring Diplo.[9]
On October 12, 2018, Poppy released "Fashion After All" as the third single from the album, followed by fourth single "Hard Feelings" on October 19. "X" was released as the fifth single from the album on October 25, 2018.[10] The music video for "X" was released on November 5, 2018.[11][12]
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.[13] This track received critical attention for its blend of pop and heavy metal.[14][15][16] 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",[17] and Poppy referred to the genre as "Poppymetal".[18]
Promotional singles
The album received two promotional singles that were not included on the album: a cover of Gary Numan's "Metal", which Poppy had stated in a tweet would not be on the album, and "Immature Couture".
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [19] |
Highsnobiety | 3.0/5[20] |
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".[20] 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."[19]
Track listing
Credits adapted from Tidal.[21]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "In a Minute" | Ryosuke "Dr. R" Sakai | 2:53 | |
2. | "Fashion After All" |
| Wax Motif | 3:23 |
3. | "Iconic" |
|
| 2:52 |
4. | "Chic Chick" |
| Vaughn Oliver | 2:54 |
5. | "Interlude 1" | Pereira | Sakai | 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" | Pereira | Sakai | 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
- "Interlude 1" and "Interlude 2" are each titled as "+" on the physical versions of the album.
References
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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 [...]
- Engelman, Nicole. "Poppy's 'Am I a Girl?' Album Is Here, Featuring Grimes collaboration 'Play Destroy'". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- Kim, Michelle (August 22, 2018). "Poppy and Diplo Team Up for New Song 'Time Is Up': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- 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.
- "Poppy on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- Bein, Kat. "Poppy and Diplo Celebrate the Robot Takeover on 'Time Is Up': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- "Poppy on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved October 25, 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. "Poppy – 'Play Destroy' (Feat. Grimes)". Stereogum. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- Johnston, Maura. "13 New Albums to Stream Now: Pistol Annies, Rosalía and More Editors' Picks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- Bruner, Raisa. "Poppy Makes a Case for a New Kind of Artificial Pop Star". Time. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- Phares, Heather. "Am I a Girl? – Poppy". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- Indiana, Jake (November 5, 2018). "'Am I a Girl?' Doesn't Offer Any Answers on Poppy's Pop Stardom". Highsnobiety. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- "Am I a Girl? / Poppy – Tidal". Tidal. Retrieved November 6, 2018.