Giovanna: An independent artist taking the creative reins on her newest release, Poppy Fields
Earlier this month, I was contacted by an independent artist for the first time, asking if I’d like to write about her newest release.
Now this may be a good time to admit that although I write a blog about music, I’m not much of a writer. My knowledge about music comes from years of being a fan, rather than official training or professional exposure.
So although this request caught me off guard, and I will admit I’m a little nervous, I see this as a really good opportunity to share some inspiration for music fans looking for something new, and other indie artists building their own brand.
Giovanna is an artist I’ve only known about for the past month or so, but she really stood out to me due her dedication to her craft. There’s a real attention to detail across every aspect of her creative process, from music itself, to the visuals and even the marketing campaigns that takes parts of the fan experience offline.
I spent some time diving into her previous releases, and I found myself being pulled into a world that is rich with stories and cinematic visuals. I lost track of time getting lost in the imagination of it all, and I think this a huge feat for a small artist working with limited budget.
As a creative myself,, I do want to take a minute to discuss Giovanna’s visual storytelling as I believe there’s a lot of inspiration to be taken from the way she works.
I really admire the time and effort being put into her music videos and more recently, even creating her own animated lyric videos. I know a few indie artists may be reading this, and if you’re one of them, I’d like to direct you to one of Giovanna’s articles about how she created her own DIY music video.
a small group of people made a room into a red yarned mess
Giovanna seems to have a very curious mind, and this had lead her down some really interesting routes for inspiration. She details going to the local mall with the director, doing a lot of online research for visual ideas, all the while she’s thinking about the themes of her music and how relevant her ideas are to the story she’s telling.
As creatives, it’s easy to become frustrated when we face limitations, whether they be financial, time or resource related. But as Giovanna has shown us, we can utilise our limitations in ways that an unlimited budget could never achieve.
Working with less forces us to explore deeper in what’s already around us. Suddenly, your local meadow is an outdoor photo studio, your leftover candy wrappers are art materials and, if you’re anything like Giovanna, your old CD collection becomes a backdrop.
If I was to recommend Giovanna to anyone, I’d describe her music as sitting somewhere between Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. Her performance style and lyrics have a type of playfulness to them that makes the song feel much more relatable. She’s found a wonderful balance between poetic storytelling without taking herself too seriously.
Poppy Fields is no different in that respect but unlike her previous releases, she strips everything back to just her vocals, lyrics and guitars. I am excited to see Giovanna further experimenting with different types of storytelling, as with each genre she dips into, a new layer of her is revealed.
For me, Poppy Fields is a wonderful showcase of her vocals, and her ability to guide an audience through the track with her performance alone. The emotion coming through, especially nearer the end, is extremely captivating.
Giovanna’s music is for listeners who are looking to be taken on a narrative journey, listeners who like a bit of poetry and to interpret art through their own lens as well as the artist’s. The sort of music you can listen to over and over, but somehow get something different from it with each listen. She’s an artist you will feel rewarded for following, as you’ll truly be a part of her journey and you’ll watch her evolve in real time with every release.
If you have a spare 5 minutes, I highly recommend you to listen to Poppy Fields and consider following Giovanna on her journey. She’s a great source of inspiration but also writes some thought-provoking essays on Substack - one of my favourites is linked below.
the myth of the "tortured artist"
🍏 Need help putting together some visuals for your release? Get in touch below and see how I can help turn your ideas into music videos, lyric videos, short‑form visuals, and release‑ready content.
