That Poppy's (the stage name for Nashville-born, LA-based Moriah Pereira) artistic output consists of her first four-song EP Bubblebath (2016) and a slew of conceptual YouTube videos on her YouTube channel - the result of her collaboration with producer and musician Titanic Sinclair. Sinclair has described the videos as "a combination of Andy Warhol's pop accessibility, David Lynch's creepiness, and Tim Burton's "zany comedic tone"". Pereira, who resembles a young and blonde Winona Ryder, consistently appears in "kawaii Barbie princess" outfits against pastel pink or purple backdrops, spouting monologues that appear to parody and mock the Instagram generation, stereotypes of middle class femininity, and the artificial construction of a pop star. There's always a hint of eeriness beneath the manufactured kawaii plastic doll persona - That Poppy appears to be devilishly Machievallian and a puppet of a grand mind control scheme at the same time.
There are so many levels of meanings at play here, which is why That Poppy reminds me of many things: Japanese idol culture and aesthetics, Marina and the Diamonds' ability to mix catchy pop with social commentary, PC Music's cultist vibes and transparency about its commercial ambitions, Marilyn Monroe and Madonna's self-reflexive and self-conscious strive for upward mobility via performativity.
But can the music stand apart from That Poppy's brilliantly-crafted online persona? The lyrics are insightful enough and the choruses are bright and catchy, but her sonic output can't keep up with the ingenuity of the entire concept. "Lowlife" blends in more reggae influences and makes for a relatively interesting listen, but "Money"'s brand of middling electro-pop does little to make it stand out. Part of the problem lies in how duplicitious/ironic and how honest/truthful Perreira wants to appear in her meta songs about the ambition for stardom, fame and fortune via pop and performativity. By opting out of the PC Music penchant for robotic, plastic-sounding vocals in favour of vocals that seem organic and human, That Poppy stumbles in creating a full-blown sonic representation of her multi-layered and intriguing concept. But there's plenty of promise and potential for her eventual full-length album, which just might prove to be a bold gamechanger in the crowded market for radio-friendly pop.
