Persbericht, woensdag 16 maart 2022
Poppy Ajudha deelde eerder al de singles LONDON’S BURNING en HOLIDAY FROM REALITY naar aanloop van haar langverwachte debuutalbum THE POWER IN US (22/04/2022). Het album telt een indrukwekkende lijst samenwerkingen. Poppy strikte Brits jazzicoon Nubya Garcia voor een feature en met Wyn Bennett (Goldlink, Haim), Karma Kid (Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks, shygirl) en Wesley Singerman (Anderson .Paak, Kendrick Lamar) werken er verschillende grote producers mee aan haar plaat.
De artieste uit Zuid-Londen heeft een talent voor verhalen vertellen en brengt dit op een rauwe, soulvolle manier. Poppy Ajudha komt op voor waar ze in gelooft en kaart eigentijdse thema’s aan als kolonialisme, gender en immigratie. Allemaal sociale thema’s waarmee ze opgroeide en die ze in de diepte bestudeerde. Met de single PLAYGOD geeft Poppy ons nog een laatste glimp van haar eerste full album. Het nummer toont opnieuw haar grote talent, zowel muzikaal als in de teksten. PLAYGOD is haar reactie op de abortuswet in Alabama: “This song is an act of resistance to those who try to control that which is not theirs to be in control”
Poppy Ajudha speelt de komende dagen vier shows op SXSW en passeert op donderdag 21 april in Melkweg.
After teasing fans with previous singles LONDON’S BURNING and HOLIDAY FROM REALITY ahead of her highly anticipated debut album THE POWER IN US, Poppy Adjudha gives us another slice of what we can expect from the project with a brand new single. Titled PLAYGOD, the powerful track once again showcases her incredible talent, both sonically and lyrically. The track was inspired by the Alabama abortion bill and is a passionate call to arms questioning the often weaponized God complex men hold. “Sister stand up, for what you believe…” “Brother stand up. Admit to what you do…”
“Abortion is still illegal in many countries around the world and is shamed in even more. I wrote this song when a group of men tried to pass an anti abortion bill in the state of Alabama, America. I was angry at how in every corner of culture and society across every inch of the earth, men try to play God, again and again. But I am amazed at how humans are built with so much resistance and resilience for good when we know something is wrong and will always fight against it. This song is an act of resistance to those who try to control that which is not theirs to be in control of,” says Poppy.
With a debut album, four performances at Austin’s renowned SXSW Festival and a headline tour on the way, Poppy truly owns 2022 and is destined to take over with her outstandingly mesmerizing vocals and her profound pen game. On streaming platforms alone, Poppy has over 100 million worldwide streams across all platforms. Portraying a social commentary on themes such as the impact and importance of immigration on British Culture and beyond, Poppy is unafraid to stand up for what she believes in and addresses feminism, colonialism, gender politics, and other current social issues that she studied and grew up with. The album will feature an impressive range of musical collaborators, including vocals from British Jazz icon Nubya Garcia and production credits from the likes of Wyn Bennett (Janelle Monae, Goldlink, Haim) Karma Kid (Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks, Shygirl), Wesley Singerman (Anderson .Paak, Kendrick lamar, Pink Sweat$), Grammy nominated Itai Shapira and Taylor Dexter (Joji, Ray Blk).
Speaking on THE POWER IN US, Poppy says: “This album is made up of all the things swimming in my mind, from women’s rights, to the right to cross borders, to the power of young people to inspire and be unafraid to rock the boat in the name of progress. Women don’t have to be just what they are taught to be, there is so much more to us than Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Girlfriends and our relation to men. I want men to engage more heavily in feminism and really see how their defiance against it only holds both women and men back. There are so many boxes we put ourselves in; I want us all to break out of them. We are in an era of so much information and I feel the weight that young people take on because we are the generation bombarded with global politics and a million causes that need fighting for. This calls for better understanding around mental health and a society that nurtures us rather than demands of us everything we have until all that is left is our Demons. Every song on this album touches on these issues because they are all I think about everyday, all I see around me in my friends and my family. I hope it flips a switch in your mind, like it did for mine.”
