Preview: Poppy at Brighton Music Hall

By Amanda Butcher.Moriah Rose Pereira rose to fame on YouTube after making a series of unsettling yet mesmerizing videos, which each earned several million views. The enigmatic character Moriah had created, “Poppy,” quickly gained a cult following of viewers who worshipped her for her peculiarity yet couldn’t quite seem to understand her, further adding to her intrigue. Her most viewed video, “I’m Poppy,” has 23 million views, and consists of 10 minutes of her saying “I’m Poppy” from different angles in a high-pitched, cartoon-like voice.Soon after her internet breakout, Poppy started making music. She initially went by “That Poppy,” and released her first EP in 2016, which included the hit “bubble bath.” However, her label wanted her to play into the traditional pop star trope and stop making the unsettling videos, which she continued to make along with her co-producer Titanic. The following year, she released her debut album “Poppy.Computer”. Unhappy with her label, she then signed to Diplo’s label Mad Decent, releasing the album “Am I A Girl?” in 2018. This album began to stray from her style of cheerful pop music, and included a mix of upbeat pop songs with songs with heavy guitars and dark lyrics. Throughout her music career, she has continued to cultivate her cryptic online persona, remaining in character for interviews and appearances and even earning herself the coveted label of “religious leader” on Wikipedia.  Her most recent album, “I Disagree,” was released in 2020 with the label Sumerian Records, known for its roster of progressive metal bands. “I Disagree” is Poppy’s most captivating work to date, blending jarring influences of nu-metal with her familiar pop sound to create a unique marriage of pop and metal. The overarching theme of this album is a rebellion against authority, referencing her own break free from the constraints and expectations of her previous record labels.  Finally, Poppy could create the music she wants to and escape the “pop-star” persona she was pressured to emulate. Catch Poppy at Brighton Music Hall in Boston on February 4th and 5th!