Poppy Is the 2020 Artist of the Year

Poppy is Loudwire’s pick for the 2020 Artist of the Year. We got the artist herself to break down her year, beginning with her magnificent post-genre album, I Disagree.

As 2019 came to a close, Poppy announced her split from creative partner Titanic Sinclair, which was met by an outpouring of support for the musician. “I was trapped in a mess that I needed to dig my way out of — and like I always do, I figured out a way to handle it,” Poppy shared in an official statement. “I encourage those of you who feel trapped in a situation, whether it be similar to my previous one or not — to take the first step because that is the most difficult one. This is not a request for sympathy and I am not a weak victim, but this is me setting the record straight. I am happier than I have ever been and I am excited to move forward.”

After months of hype — driven by the experimental 2019 singles “Concrete,” “I Disagree” and “Bloodmoney” — Poppy forcefully planted her flag into 2020 with the release of I Disagree on Jan. 10. Poppy directed her own visual feasts for “Anything Like Me” and “Sit/Stay” as the year progressed, while I Disagree broke the Top 5 of Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart along with the Top 15 of the Rock Albums chart and Independent Albums chart.

Poppy also embarked on a successful headlining tour in early 2020 and returned to NXT for an arena performance at Takeover: Portland before COVID-19 shut down the world.

“For the first two months of 2020, I got to tour, but I had to cut my tour short because of the… oh, you know… situation,” Poppy tells Loudwire. “The whole world became dark and grey and miserable, but I made the best of my 2020 by keeping my chin up and carrying on, even when I was contemplating ending it all. I can’t wait until I can go back on tour and see my fans. They mean everything to me.”

In the months following lockdown in the U.S., Poppy lent her support to the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd. Originally meant for a Pride Month release, Poppy released her cover of t.A.T.u.’s “All the Things She Said” in solidarity with BLM, sharing a rare message written as Moriah.

“While we are still fighting for equality in the lgbtq+ community, we still have a long way to go, and there still remains an absurd amount of injustice for minorities in America,” she wrote. “I cannot adequately express my distain for how our government, and above all, our president is reacting to what’s happening in America right now. I encourage you to educate yourself, go out and protest, donate, and raise your voice to speak out against this injustice. I’ll also be sharing a few links to donate to if you have the means to do so. I stand with you in love. – Moriah”

After rescheduling her tour with Deftones and Gojira, Poppy unleashed a deluxe version of I Disagree featuring brand new songs, along with a Christmas EP led by the single, “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas.” Those releases, along with her own graphic novel, Damnation: Poppy’s Inferno, made Poppy one of the most prolific artists of 2020. Poppy even received her first Grammy nomination this year for “Bloodmoney.”

“2020 was unforgettable, but I’m glad it’s over. See you in 2021. I’m Poppy. See you out there,” the enigmatic musician concludes.

Congrats to Poppy for her incredible 2020! Watch Poppy recap her year in the video below.