Powerhouse and subversive performance artist Poppy is on the cusp of releasing her new album Empty Hands via Sumerian Records on January 23, with a special run of Australian dates just before.
Empty Hands marks Poppy’s seventh studio album, and with each new release, she crystallises her identity as a true visionary unconcerned with genre. The album draws from eclectic influences, with industrial elements, pop sensibilities, and moments that call back to Poppy’s surrealist roots with her signature uncanny, machine-like voice.
To prepare for her new chapter, Poppy closed out the second leg of her They’re All Around Us tour, continuing a nearly year-long celebration of her critically acclaimed album Negative Spaces. This was followed by several dates as support for Linkin Park on their South American tour. Next, she plans to visit Australia and Europe on her 2026 Constantly Nowhere tour and took time out from her busy schedule to chat with HEAVY about what will just be the start of a massive 2026 for the artist.
We start by asking how she feels with Empty Hands almost set free for global consumption.
“I feel calm,” she replied. “Releasing EMPTY HANDS feels like opening my palms and letting gravity decide what stays.”
We ask Poppy to dive deeper into the musical side of Empty Hands.
“Musically, it’s subtraction and overload at the same time,” she measured. “I wanted things to feel overfilled and soft. Heavy things collapse into soft things. Soft things bite back. It’s about letting the wrong sound be the right one.”
Empty Hands opens with the mesmerizing track Public Domain, featuring a short intro passage showcasing tribal sounding drums, electronics and massively heavy industrial riffs before launching into a more pop style track. It’s such a contrasting of styles that draws you in straight away, especially for those new to Poppy’s sonic adventures.
“That opening is intentional,” she offered. “I like it when people don’t know what room they’re in yet (laughs). PUBLIC DOMAIN is a doorway that keeps changing shape while you’re standing in it.”
Soundscapes and samples feature heavily through Empty Hands, leading HEAVY to ask Poppy if she handles that side of the music herself.
“Yes. And no,” she answered cryptically. “I create, manipulate, destroy, and reassemble sounds until they stop behaving the way they were supposed to. Sometimes they feel like mine. Sometimes they feel like they belong to everyone.”
While we patiently wait for the album release, Poppy has drip-fed a number of singles, including Bruised Sky and Guardian. While both songs stand out for their own reasons, we question Poppy if they represent Empty Hands sonically or if they are more pawns in the bigger picture.
“They’re honest fragments,” she measured. “BRUISED SKY and GUARDIAN show the emotional extremes, but the album lives in the spaces between them where things don’t resolve and aren’t meant to.”
Over the course of seven albums, Poppy has mastered a myriad of styles, genres, and influences in her music. The amalgamation seems haphazard and eclectic, but despite the contrasting of styles and emotions, the off-kilter sonic marriage comes together beautifully.
“There’s a structure, but it isn’t rigid,” she advances, seemingly aware already of where this line of questioning is going. “If something feels too safe, I push it until it breaks. If it breaks beautifully, it stays. Balance comes from intention. Noise without purpose is just volume. Chaos has rules. I just don’t announce them.”
We ask Poppy if her continued musical growth is likely to plateau any time soon.
“Growth doesn’t stop, it mutates,” she shrugged. “POPPY isn’t finished unless I decide to be still, and I don’t like being still (laughs).”
The other big news is Poppy is hitting Australia as well for a run of shows starting in Brisbane on January 20, then heading to Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide before finishing in Fremantle on January 26. As an artist, Poppy is universally known for her dynamic live performances, so we ask her what it is that makes a Poppy live show special.
“A live show is controlled instability,” she replied. “Precision and collapse. Sweetness next to violence. You’ll recognize the songs, and they might recognize you back.“
We close off by asking Poppy if she has any messages for her legion of Australian fans.
“Thank you for waiting,” she answered with genuine warmth. “Thank you for listening. Hold on to nothing. I’ll see you soon.”
Get your copy of Empty Hands HERE
LIVE NATION AND TRIPLE J PRESENTS POPPY CONSTANTLY NOWHERE
AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2026
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS OCEAN GROVE AND INERTIA
Tuesday 20 Jan, 2026 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
Wednesday 21 Jan, 2026 – Roundhouse, Sydney
Thursday 22 Jan, 2026 – Forum, Melbourne
Saturday 24 Jan, 2026 – Hindley St. Music Hall, Adelaide
Monday 26 Jan, 2026 – Metropolis, Fremantle
Tix: https://impoppy.com/
