Am I a Girl?

Last updated
Am I a Girl?
AmIAGirlPoppy.jpeg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 31, 2018 (2018-10-31)
RecordedMid-2017 – January 10, 2018, [1] October 2018
Genre
Length39:28
Label
Producer
Poppy chronology
Poppy.Remixes
(2018)
Am I a Girl?
(2018)
Choke
(2019)
Singles from Am I a Girl?
  1. "In a Minute"
    Released: July 27, 2018
  2. "Time Is Up"
    Released: August 22, 2018
  3. "Fashion After All"
    Released: October 12, 2018
  4. "Hard Feelings"
    Released: October 19, 2018
  5. "X"
    Released: October 25, 2018

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[ when? ] expand on the nu metal genre.[ clarification needed ] The album was recorded with several producers and co-writers including Vaughn Oliver, Wax Motif, Fernando Garibay, Zakk Cervini and more.

Contents

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

Am 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

Singles

"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

In late 2018 and early 2019, Poppy embarked on the Am I a Girl? Tour in support of the album. [16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [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

Credits adapted from Tidal. [21]

Am I a Girl? track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."In a Minute"Dr. R2:53
2."Fashion After All"
Wax Motif 3:23
3."Iconic"
  • Poppy Chan
  • Sinclair
  • Wilcox
2:52
4."Chic Chick"
  • Poppy Chan
  • Sinclair
  • Wilcox
  • English
Vaughn Oliver 2:54
5."Interlude 1"Poppy ChanDr. R0:47
6."Time Is Up" (featuring Diplo)
  • Diplo
  • Alvaro
  • Helsloot
  • Oliver
3:29
7."Aristocrat" (featuring Garibay)
  • Poppy Chan
  • Sinclair
  • Wilcox
  • Garibay
  • Garibay
  • D. Padilla
  • R. Padilla
3:21
8."Hard Feelings"
  • Poppy Chan
  • Sinclair
  • Wilcox
  • Chris Greatti
  • Garibay
  • Garibay
  • D. Padilla
  • R. Padilla
3:39
9."Girls in Bikinis"
  • Poppy Chan
  • Sinclair
  • Wilcox
Oliver2:25
10."The Rapture Ball"
  • Poppy Chan
  • Sinclair
  • Wilcox
  • English
Aryay3:00
11."Interlude 2"Poppy ChanDr. R1:06
12."Am I a Girl?"
  • Poppy Chan
  • Sinclair
  • Wilcox
3:37
13."Play Destroy" (featuring Grimes)
  • Greatti
  • Authentic Producer
  • Grimes [a]
3:05
14."X"
  • Poppy Chan
  • Sinclair
  • Greatti
  • Cervini
  • Cervini
  • Greatti
2:54
Total length:39:28

Notes

Release history

Release dates and formats for Am I a Girl?
RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
VariousOctober 31, 2018
[22]
December 21, 2018 [23] [24]

Related Research Articles

Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique, and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated. Nu metal guitarists typically use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. Vocal styles are often rhythmic and influenced by hip hop, and include singing, rapping, screaming and sometimes growling. DJs are occasionally featured to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic background music. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rap metal</span> Music genre

Rap metal is a fusion genre that combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grimes</span> Canadian musician (born 1988)

Claire Elise Boucher, known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elaborate and sometimes have fantasy themes. She has released five studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide Squeeze Records</span> US record label

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">RL Grime</span> Musical artist

Henry Alfred Steinway, better known by his stage name RL Grime, is an American record producer and DJ. RL Grime specializes in trap and bass music and is a member of the Los Angeles electronic music collective WeDidIt. His debut Grapes EP was released in April 2012 on WeDidIt. RL Grime premiered a popular Halloween mix in October 2012, which have continued to be released annually through 2023. His follow-up EP High Beams was released in July 2013 on Fool's Gold Records, which debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and No. 1 on the iTunes Electronic Chart. RL Grime has produced remixes for Benny Benassi, Chief Keef, Jamie Lidell, and Shlohmo. His second studio album, Nova, was released in 2018. In February 2019, RL Grime announced the founding of his record label Sable Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poppy (singer)</span> American singer and YouTuber (born 1995)

Moriah Rose Pereira, known professionally as Poppy and formerly as That Poppy, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and YouTuber. She first earned recognition for starring in surreal performance art videos on YouTube as an uncanny valley-like android who commented on and satirized internet culture and modern society. She is known for her experimentality and versatility with her artistry and music.

<i>Poppy.Computer</i> 2017 album by Poppy

Poppy.Computer is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Poppy. It was released on October 6, 2017, by Mad Decent. The album's songs were recorded with Simon Wilcox, Titanic Sinclair, Chris Greatti and Ryosuke Sakai. It is heavily influenced by Japanese music and culture and is an art pop record. The album was included in Rolling Stone's list of best pop albums in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poppy discography</span> Artist discography

The discography of American singer Poppy consists of six studio albums, one reissue, three soundtrack albums, six extended plays (EPs), 36 singles, nine promotional singles, and 38 music videos. Signed to Island Records in 2014, she would release her debut single "Everybody Wants to Be Poppy" in June 2015. Her debut EP, Bubblebath, would go on to be released in February 2016, and included the critically acclaimed single "Lowlife".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genius (LSD song)</span> Single by LSD

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<i>Nova</i> (RL Grime album) 2018 studio album by RL Grime

Nova is the second studio album by American trap music producer RL Grime, who is also known as Henry Steinway. It was released by American record label WeDidIt on July 27, 2018. The album consists of 15 songs, which include collaborations with Miguel, Julia Michaels, Chief Keef, Ty Dolla Sign, 24HRS and Joji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time Is Up (song)</span> 2018 single by Poppy featuring Diplo

"Time Is Up" is a song by American singer Poppy, featuring American music producer Diplo. It was released by Mad Decent on August 22, 2018 as the second single from Poppy's second studio album Am I a Girl? (2018). It was written by Poppy, Simon Wilcox, Titanic Sinclair, Tommy English and its producers Diplo, Jasper Helderman, Thomas Helsloot and Vaughn Oliver.

"Play Destroy" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Poppy featuring Canadian musician Grimes from the former's second studio album Am I a Girl? (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X (Poppy song)</span> 2018 single by Poppy

"X" is a song by American singer Poppy. It was released on October 25, 2018 by Mad Decent as the fifth and final single from her second studio album Am I a Girl? (2018). The song was written by Poppy, Titanic Sinclair, Chris Greatti and the producer Zakk Cervini. Musically, the song explores heavy metal, a musical departure for Poppy at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Appreciate Power</span> 2018 single by Grimes featuring Hana

"We Appreciate Power" is a song by Canadian musician Grimes, featuring American musician Hana. It was released on November 29, 2018, billed as the lead single from her fifth studio album Miss Anthropocene, however it is only available on the Japanese and deluxe releases. The song was written and produced by Grimes, Poppy (originally), Hana and Chris Greatti.

<i>I Disagree</i> 2020 studio album by Poppy

I Disagree is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Poppy. it was released on January 10, 2020, as her first album with Sumerian Records following her departure from Mad Decent, as well as her final collaborative project with Titanic Sinclair before the end of their creative partnership in 2019.

<i>Miss Anthropocene</i> 2020 studio album by Grimes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">STFU!</span> 2019 single by Rina Sawayama

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cry (Ashnikko song)</span> 2020 single by Ashnikko featuring Grimes

"Cry" is a song by American singer and rapper Ashnikko featuring vocals from Canadian singer-songwriter Grimes. It was released on June 17, 2020 through Parlophone Records as the lead single from Ashnikko's debut mixtape, Demidevil. It was produced by Ebenezer and written by Ashnikko, Grimes, Ebenezer, and Faangs. A nu metal, rap rock, and hyperpop track, its lyrics are dedicated to Ashnikko's ex-best friend who had sex with her ex-boyfriend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wargasm</span> British electronic rock duo

Wargasm (stylised in all caps and sometimes known as Wargasm (UK)) are a British electronic rock duo from London. The band formed in 2018 by Sam Matlock, who had previously performed as part of Dead!, and Milkie Way, who had previously photographed their concerts and played bass for Barns Courtney. The band released several standalone singles before making headlines in 2021 over incidents at that year's Heavy Music Awards and after a performance at Scala. Their 2022 mixtape Explicit: The Mixxxtape charted at No. 19 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart and appeared on Loudwire's "Best Rock + Metal Debut Albums of 2022", while their 2023 album Venom charted at No. 88 in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Flux</i> (Poppy album) 2021 studio album by Poppy

Flux is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Poppy. It was released on September 24, 2021, through Sumerian Records. The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen and features a more organic sound in comparison to her previous album, I Disagree. The album received positive reviews.

References

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  4. 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
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  6. 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 [...]
  7. Bein, Kat. "Poppy and Diplo Celebrate the Robot Takeover on 'Time Is Up': Watch". Billboard . Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  8. Fair, Anna. "Poppy Continues Heavy Metal Domination with Bloody New Video". Alternative Press . Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  9. "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.
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  11. Hannan, Devon. "Poppy May Be the Future of Heavy Metal with New Song 'Play Destroy'". Alternative Press . Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  12. Gaca, Anna. "Poppy and Grimes's 'Play Destroy' Is Spooky but Sweet". Spin . Retrieved November 13, 2018.
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  14. Immature Couture, 2018-10-05, retrieved 2024-03-27
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  19. Johnston, Maura (2 November 2018). "13 New Albums to Stream Now: Pistol Annies, Rosalía and More Editors' Picks". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 13, 2018.
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