Am I a Girl? (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, with some songs incorporating elements of the nu metal genre. The album was recorded with several producers and co-writers including Vaughn Oliver, Wax Motif, Fernando Garibay, Zakk Cervini and more.

Before its release, Poppy had described the album as having a French, vaporwave and Kate Bush influence. The album features guest appearances from Diplo, Garibay and vocals from Grimes. 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. 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. On August 10, the second single "Time Is Up" featuring Diplo was released alongside a music video.

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.

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. This track received critical attention for its blend of pop and heavy metal. 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.

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.

Tour

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

Critical reception

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". 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."

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", and Poppy referred to the genre as "Poppymetal".