Metal star Poppy on taking risks, Grammy interview and 'Improbably Poppy' ahead of Pittsburgh show

As Poppy’s star continues to rise in the world of heavy metal, the genre-blurring singer isn’t abandoning her past as a subversive performance artist.

Far from it, actually.

After gaining cult status with Andy Warhol-esque YouTube videos like “Poppy Eats Cotton Candy” in 2014, the 30-year-old has released a half dozen EPs and six albums, with the most recent, “Negative Spaces,” dropping in November. The new album is filled with glossy metalcore punctuated by raw, powerful screams (“They’re All Around Us” and “The Center’s Falling Out”), juxtaposed with electronic techno-rock (“Have You Had Enough”), synth-driven songs (“Crystallized”) and trippy interludes (“Hey There.”)

Poppy will bring her They’re All Around Us tour — which already has sold out several dates — to the Roxian Theatre on March 22 with kumo 99 opening the show.

The self-described “nu metal indietronica” artist has been nominated for a pair of Grammys, including becoming the first female solo nominee for Best Metal Performance for “Bloodmoney” in 2021. Her collaboration with hardcore darlings Knocked Loose on “Suffocate” earned her second Grammy nomination, as well as headlines for a viral performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” She returned to Kimmel on Monday with her band for a performance of “The Cost of Giving Up.”

The Grammys also generated some headlines, when Spiritbox singer Courtney LaPlante was mistaken for Poppy in an interview and gamely went along with it.

On the abstract end, Poppy has returned to her video roots with “Improbably Poppy,” a video series that debuted last year on the live-streaming platform Veeps, with four of the six episodes now available on YouTube.

The subversive series features puppets, faux interviews, comedy and performances with themes like “Taking Risks,” “Free Will” and “Hygiene.” According to a release announcing the show: “An air of transcendence only further stirs the swirl of ambiguity — is Poppy real? Is she a NPC? Do the puppets really die? Those that tune in will be the first to know. Or will they?”

In an email interview this week with TribLive, Poppy discussed “Improbably Poppy,” taking risks, the Grammy interview and more:

Why is everything so crazy lately?

I think everybody’s running from something.

How does “Improbably Poppy” allow you to provide social commentary or explore different areas than your music?

I would say it feels like the possibilities are limitless.

In the second episode of “Improbably Poppy,” you say “you’re in my world now” – how should people feel about that?

Like they are in my world now.

From a creative evolution standpoint, how important is it for you to take risks?

If you are not taking risks, are you really alive?

Are there any musical regrets from your past? Or can you turn everything into an educational moment?

I think every moment is an educational moment and it always has a time and a place. Even if it’s something I’m not currently drawn to that I made in the past, it still had relevance to me at that time.

How would you describe your musical journey? Is it everything you expected it to be?

It’s been entirely unexpected with lots of twists and turns, erratic shake-ups also at times very slippery inclines and always marvelously unexpected.

What keeps pulling you back to making heavy music?

I feel like pulling back implies I am returning to something, when I really am just moving forward. The possibilities are endless.

Was it intentional to have such a diversity of sounds — from “they’re all around us” to “crystalized” — on the “Negative Spaces” album?

Yes it was intentional. I did it.

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What do you look for when it comes to a musical collaboration (like with Knocked Loose or Bad Omens)?

A great song, one that makes me excited and also if the artist is at the helm of their own creative vision.

Have you talked to Courtney LaPlante from Spiritbox since she was confused for you at the Grammys? Did she do a good job in your place?

Yes, I have spoken to Courtney she told me that she did an interview as me right after it happened and she asked if it was okay — and I said “I can’t wait to see it.” I would say she did a good job.

Any favorite Pittsburgh memories/stories? (playing at the Club at Stage AE, touring with Pvris or opening for Smashing Pumpkins or Avenged Sevenfold)

I had a day off in Pittsburgh one time and it was quite memorable. I loved the Andy Warhol Museum and the nature of Pittsburgh.