Interview with Poppy Jean Crawford on Los Angeles, and Gothic Drama

Transmission 443: Interview with Poppy Jean Crawford

Poppy Jean Crawford is an artist and songwriter who has quietly emerged as one of the most compelling voices in modern alternative rock, weaving together darkwave moodiness, grunge-goth heaviness, and Old Hollywood elegance. Her sound moves fluidly between indie rock, glam-tinged pop, and darker, cinematic textures.

Crawford initially picked up the guitar simply to accompany her haunting melodies. What began as a fiercely intuitive approach soon evolved into a distinctive sound defined by wall-of-sound distortion and cinematic vulnerability. Known for her emotionally charged songwriting and instinct-driven creative process, she crafts songs that feel both intimate and expansive, often balancing raw vulnerability with a striking sense of drama and atmosphere.

Across her releases and live performances, Crawford has cultivated a reputation for artistic defiance and a distinctive visual identity, drawing on the tension between glamour and grit that runs throughout her music. There is a particular kind of magic in approaching an instrument entirely on one’s own terms. For Crawford, the absence of formal boundaries has given rise to a sound that is as heavy as it is hypnotic. Her music is constantly in motion, shifting between moods, eras, and emotional landscapes without ever settling into easy categorisation.

Her music draws on the raw, cathartic intensity of ’90s grunge and the elegant, spectral darkness of classic gothic and darkwave, and it feels dangerously volatile and deeply intimate at the same time. Five-time Grammy-winning producer Danger Mouse (Black Keys/Gnarls Barkley) signed her to his label 30th Century Records when she was just 19 years old. Following her JeanJeanie EP, Crawford gained recognition from indie Angel Olsen, who featured her on the curated compilation Cosmic Waves Volume 1. The project highlighted her distinctive, abrasive guitar sound and further cemented her status as a rising voice in contemporary guitar music.

She has toured with acts such as Starcrawler and Placebo, which sharpened a live style built on intensity and immersion. For her, the stage is an extension of the music and not a separate space. Throughout her work, she stays committed to instinct, emotional honesty and the freedom to follow a song wherever it leads.

She has just released the official music video for her latest track, “I Feel a Way About You”, a new look at her ever-evolving artistic vision.

Poppy Jean Crawford ‘s Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp

Featured image @ candice lawler

I’ve been told it’s like the devil playing guitar and an angel singing.”

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—Poppy Jean Crawford

Growing up wrapped up in L.A. from an early age, how did that environment influence your relationship to art and music, and what are your best childhood memories of these? Specifically, how did the guitar become your choice, and how did it enter your life to create such a unique connection?:

L.A. shapes a kid like no other city could, and it has blessed me with many beautiful, albeit strange, stories.

I’m also lucky to have had the juxtaposition of going between L.A. and Bakersfield, knowing my experiences were worth more than gold. I would say living at The Brewery Artist Lofts from first grade to fourth grade shaped a lot of my creativity. Everyone was an artist, and the other kids who lived there were my best friends. We’d dress up mannequins and live in a fantasy world of make-believe.

I was always drawn to art and music. I started writing songs at a very young age with the encouragement of my family. My dad would have me sing on tracks he was working on with the vocals muted, and I would create my own songs. In high school, I started going to shows at The Smell and seeing bands like Cherry Glazerr, Sloppy Jane, and Billy Changer, which really opened my eyes to the music world.

I knew I’d need an instrument to help me with songwriting, so I decided on guitar. I was gifted my first electric guitar, an LTD, by a family friend, and the rest was history. My first songs acted as a diary for my teenage heartbreak.

There’s a tension between glamour and decay: sensuality and dark edge are strong elements in your music. They appear part of your natural essence.

Poppy Jean Crawford is an architect of beautiful friction, her music can swing from dancey and glamorous to raw and gothic. 

How has creating your own music helped you overcome challenges and sharpen your skills? What kind of sacrifices do you think come with truly pursuing your passion and identity? 

There’s so much you have to overcome when pursuing a passion: rejection, low self-esteem, pride, ego, and your relationship with society as a whole. I really threw myself into the music scene at a young age, and I had to learn on the fly. Being so young, you’re really just trying to learn how to be a person, and doing that in a somewhat business-oriented environment brought me many challenges.

I didn’t understand all the nuances of business and made a lot of mistakes. I had to learn how to take accountability and show up no matter what. I learned how to respect the people in my life and show up for them as much as, if not more than, I expected them to show up for me.

I’m still learning and overcoming. It’s all very similar to learning a new language: you can’t just practice in your head; you have to immerse yourself in it and surround yourself with people who are fluent.

What did you learn about yourself when you made your stage debut that wasn’t immediately obvious when you were playing in the studio? Is there a version of yourself you only access while performing?

I would say the two aren’t that different for me. In both settings, it’s really just an experience of opening your channel to God and giving yourself fully to the moment. I access my most powerful and confident self when I’m on stage and in the studio because I’m doing the thing I was put on this earth to do.

On one hand, you have celebrity, wealth, and sunshine. On the other hand, you have Homelessness, Poverty, and Pollution. I don’t pretend one reality exists without the other, and that comes through in my music.”

—Poppy Jean Crawford

At the age of fifteen, she joined her first band, Crosseyed and Pantyless. Playing Experimental Folk Punk in the nude. At sixteen, Poppy published her debut single, “Dead Girl” .

Your music often balances highly distorted, raw grunge guitars with a melodic vocal delivery. When you play with your Rickenbacker, how do you manage the friction between wanting a song to sound harmonious versus wanting it to sound gritty? Can you tell us more about your creative process?

 I’ve been told it’s like the devil playing guitar and an angel singing.

My creative process differs depending on the approach. When I’m in the studio with someone else, it allows me to be a little more free and off the cuff. They lay a beat down, I mess around on the guitar, and the song just flows, adding piece by piece as we go.

If it’s more of an emotional experience, it’s similar: I’m in my room playing around with some chords, and then I pour my heart out. I usually come up with a verse and then build off that until I have a song. Sometimes, if I’m really in a flow state, I’ll get on Logic and build a whole song. I’ll get out my MicroKORG, get a beat going, layer a million harmonies, and do that for a couple of days.

I’ve never thought too deeply about what my guitar does beneath me. I kind of take a jazz approach and use it as a vessel to deliver unseen energy. I like to play with dynamics for dramatic effect.

You’ve described yourself more as “a songwriter” since you go through different inspirations, and you naturally make stuff, than someone tied to one genre. Do you ever worry that the industry still wants artists to be easily categorized?

I always use Björk as a reference point. If you look at her album Debut, it plays with genres so effortlessly. You have jazz, trip-hop, world music, and more, but the thread keeping it all together is Björk: her voice, her presence. I’d like to be seen in a similar vein.

I also believe that when you see my live show, it all really makes sense together, and there’s a consistent through line.

My overall mission is to transmit beauty, love, and magic.”

—Poppy Jean Crawford

Weird melodies, and a raw, visceral guitar approach highlight her strong singing, which can only be characterized as both beautiful and wild

Angel Olsen explicitly praised your “magnetic growl and guitar-god heaviness,” stating that hearing your early demos gave her “hope that guitar music will come back.” Do you feel a certain pressure carrying that torch in the modern  landscape, or do you view the future of guitar music as wide-open territory that you are eager to explore?

I’m not worried about guitars in the slightest. Everyone loves a guitar solo! I’m happy to help carry the torch in any way I can. No pressure here, just gratitude and a little R&R attitude.

“Glamorous,” leans heavily into a dark, scratch-and-scrawl alt-rock aesthetic. What specific tonal experimentation drove the evolution to this heavier sonic palette?

A: That was a pretty wild experience, and it was my first time in a professional studio. I had played some songs for Ross Robinson, and he immediately wanted to get in the studio together. To my luck, Dave Lombardo’s band had canceled their sessions, which left an open space for me.

Ross got together a super band to back me, featuring Dave Lombardo (read our interview with Dave Lombardo), Michael Crain, and Justin Pearson. They definitely shifted my sound into a more metal landscape, which at first was a little intimidating for me, but I found my stride. It was definitely a collaboration. The guys ended up going on to start the band Dead Cross, with Mike Patton joining as the lead singer.

I’m not worried about guitars in the slightest. Everyone loves a guitar solo!”

—Poppy Jean Crawford

Your live shows feel very physical and emotionally exposed. What do you feel before performing on stage? Do you have any good luck charms or rituals before concerts? When leaving the stage do you feel energized?

I just connect with the source and let the performance flow out of me. Nothing is overly calculated or planned other than the outfit and setlist. I get a little nervous before I play, but it’s more of a feeling of excitement. I’m always peeking to see if anyone showed up!

I would say my cherry red Rickenbacker is my ultimate good luck charm on stage. I always try to pray and meditate before playing a show or doing anything important.

Sometimes I leave the stage completely wiped out; it takes everything out of me. Other times, I’m ready to run around and party. I’m not sure why it varies so much, but it’s good to go easy on yourself no matter what.

Sensuality and dark edge are strong elements in your music.  There’s a tension between glamour and decay. What fascinates you about that contrast? Where does that underlying rage stem from for you? Is it therapeutic or cathartic to channel it into your music tracks?

That fascination stems from many things, but I can boil it down to two examples.

One: being a woman. We have to live with that in our bodies. We have to be beautiful, be nice, be strong — but not too strong. Be classy, be elegant, be perfect. But we also have to live with the reality that there’s no such thing. There’s always going to be something that isn’t good enough, and on top of that, we have to be on alert at all times to protect ourselves and stay alive.

Two: it ties back to growing up in Los Angeles. On one hand, you have celebrity, wealth, and sunshine. On the other hand, you have Homelessness, Poverty, and Pollution. I don’t pretend one reality exists without the other, and that comes through in my music.

You’ve worked and toured with bands like Placebo, L.A. Witch (read our interview with L.A. Witch), and The Black Lips (read our interview with The Black Lips). Could you share a significant backstage anecdote or a meaningful story that made those collaborations or tours special for you?

Every tour has been a transformative experience. You learn so much about yourself and others throughout the process. I also learn so much about being a musician from all these people, picking up little tips and tricks along the way. I love every band who has given me the opportunity to join them.

Music also creates awareness and imagines a more progressive world than reality. Having recently toured with Temples, what do you hope your music has brought to the audiences you’ve performed for?

My overall mission is to transmit beauty, love, and magic. 

Photos courtesy of © Poppy Jean Crawford