Today we’d like to introduce you to Poppy Teez.
Hi Poppy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Trigger warning, my story isn’t sunshine and rainbows, it’s real.
And like my poetry, I plan to be as transparent as possible. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Growing up in the small town of Jackson, TN; writing was my escape. I remember at age 8, I started writing imaginative stories that would feature me in a faraway land, living happy and free.
Which, was the complete opposite of the life I was experiencing. I spent a lot of time alone as a child, probably too much time alone. My parents worked a lot, on top of that add in a substance abuse problem, I pretty much raised myself.
While my parents were preoccupied at home, I was being severely bullied at school for being dark-skinned, a nerd, and for having bad eczema. It got so bad, that after school, I would go inside my closet and put a belt around my neck and literally pull it as tight as I could.
See, this moment in time is important. It’s my first attempt at suicide. I’m so passionate about mental health and suicide prevention because of this moment. An 8-year-old child, should not want to take their life. It wouldn’t be the first time either. Numerous attempts between the ages of 8 and 18 lead me to the closest visit to death yet.
A week after my 18th birthday, I tried to commit suicide and ended up in the hospital after a potential overdose. It was at this moment, that I realized I needed help. So, I got help, and through my healing, the one thing that has always been constant was writing. So, I wrote, and wrote, and wrote. Some days I would write till my fingers curled up in pain. It was my therapy.
Then one day, someone said, “How can your talent be a gift, if you’re not sharing it.” A gift is meant for other people, how selfish am I to be holding a handbook of advocacy for mental health, but yet keep it for myself. I wanted a way to get my poetry out without having to step outside my comfort zone. So, I started to write Floetry. (poetry over contemporary beats).
I released a project during Quarantine called “Where do all the lonely hearts go”. It did really well, with over 50k streams collectively. From there I created an animated IGTV series called “Writing to Resurrect”. It gained so much attention, it opened doors for other things.
Like entrepreneurship, my fiancé and I were able to create a business for QPOC (Queer people of color) Artists to be able to perform in front of QPOC audiences, I took a year off from Floetry to work on it. Then, at the beginning of 2022. I started performing at open mics. The people loved me; people were crying at my words. Then the bookings started, I’ve been booked for so many shows and performances.
I’ve traveled to different states and met thousands of people all because of a gift I’ve always had, but was too afraid to share. My story isn’t sad, it’s one of triumph. My goal/motto is to Heal the world. My art possesses transparency and realness for a topic that my community has always overlooked or denied. Mental health is sexy. cherishing life despite the obstacles is hard, but necessary.
We have to heal our 8-year-old selves, in order to be free. Feel it. Heal it. Fix it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No road is ever smooth, if it is you might just be ignoring the potholes.
My biggest struggle was my own mental health. But there were others like being Queer and a Black woman. More specifically a masculine-presenting woman.
But those struggles fuel my creativity, and my ability to impact others. I consider them tools, not struggles.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Known for the Moniker “Poppy Teez”, I am a writer, poet, spoken word artist, flocist, and mental health advocate. My work is a personal account for mental health awareness for POC and QPOC.
The transparency and vulnerability displayed in art, have helped numerous people overcome and heal from trauma. Floetry (poetry laid over contemporary beats) being her highest-grossing claim to fame, her First project “Where do All the Lonely Hearts Go” released Valentine’s Day 2021 has reached over 50K streams collectively.
What sets me apart aside from the genre I create in (which is an underrated one) is how real my work is. I mean from the first syllable you’d be transported into an emotional state of being. We have to do the work to heal. We can heal if we don’t feel. So, my job is to make you feel it.
What do you think about happiness?
Love makes me happy. My partner makes me happy. Being able to live life unapologetically as me, makes me happy. Being alive makes me happy. My art makes me happy.
Being able to heal those who listen to me makes me happy.
Contact Info:
- Email: Gayshxtent@gmail.com
- Website: https://music.apple.com/us/album/dipped-in-red-feat-autumn-lewis/1553724108?i=1553724307
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/poppy.teez?utm_medium=copy_link
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrinecole.youu
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCfGi2g3EHvWxY8VjnZqBbdQ
