Poppy Ajudha Releases Single ‘Girl Next Door’
Multi-talented artist Poppy Ajudha has released brand new track ‘Girl Next Door’ (listen here), an infectious pop-driven song about queer love and exploring life outside of your comfort zone. Written by Poppy, ‘Girl Next Door’ was produced by Wes Singerman and Tyler Blake Dexter (Kendrick Lamar / Anderson Paak / Joji / Kehlani) and mixed by Mike Malichoff (Kanye West / King Princess). Last month, Poppy impressed crowds at Trafalgar Square as she performed on the main stage at London’s Pride Festival, following her headline sold-out show at Colours Hoxton.
Speaking of the new song, Poppy says: “This song was written around the time of wanting to escape from New Cross Gate, where I was from, to hopes of stardom in LA. I had done a few trips and realised I loved writing music there and loved the people I met. Due to the pandemic I couldn’t travel and so I made ‘Girl Next Door’ on Zoom with producers Wes & Tay, who I’d connected with when writing ‘Holiday From Reality’ on my last LA trip.
This song is about falling in love with a girl who moved in next door and after a very cute first date I got into bed and had the “girl next door” lyric and melody hook in my head. I sung it into my voice memos and the next morning went to the piano to try and develop the song.
The themes of the song are based in queer love, but also in chasing your dreams by getting out of your hometown, and how the presence of someone new in your life can inspire you to explore new heights, bigger than you thought you could. The relationship that this song was inspired by was the first time I was openly in a relationship with a woman and connected me to my queerness in a new way.”
‘Girl Next Door’ follows the arrival of hopeful single 'Ready' and unapologetic anthem 'My Future' which saw Poppy triumphantly return after a two year hiatus from releasing music. Poppy recently shared a stunning acoustic version of 'My Future', the video of which premiered on Rolling Stone UK. The singer songwriter’s music has garnered support and high praise from the likes of NME, Clash Magazine, MTV, The Face, The Fader, with support from Charli XCX and BBC Radio 1’s Greg James, Sian Eleri, Jack Saunders, Mollie King, and Nels Hylton. In May, ‘My Future’ was named Track of the Week on BBC Radio 1’s Future Alternative and Future Pop shows.
Poppy’s recent releases sit comfortably among her existing discography while also opening the door to a new era. As an independent artist with major ambitions, Poppy is known for using her creative output as a vessel to explore important themes and societal topics. Whilst this is still the case, Poppy’s new music offers an insight into her personal life and relationships, whilst also broadening her sound and direction.
With several headline tours under her belt and special performances at Glastonbury, SXSW, New York Jazz and beyond, there’s much more to come from Poppy. Aside from her incredible musical ability, Poppy’s creative talents thrive in the fashion and arts world. Poppy was invited by Naomi Campbell to perform at her ‘Fashion for Relief’ event, opened Virgil Abloh’s ‘Figures of Speech’ exhibition, and has worked alongside brands such as Dior, Delvaux, and Nike. In 2022, Poppy performed at the Venice Biennale as part of an exhibition by award-winning artist Sonia Boyce - the first black woman to represent Britain at the event. Poppy Ajudha’s new music continues to solidify her position as an essential voice within British music.