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Allison Ponthier

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Allison Ponthier
Ponthier in May 2023
Ponthier in May 2023
Background information
Birth nameAllison Faith Ponthier
BornAllen, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • guitarist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
Years active2020–present
LabelsInterscope
Websitewww.allisonponthier.com

Allison Ponthier (born c. 1997) is an American indie folk singer-songwriter. Her debut EP Faking My Own Death was released in 2021, and her second EP Shaking Hands With Elvis was released in 2022.

Early life and education

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Ponthier was born and raised in the town of Allen,[1] a suburb of Dallas, Texas, and studied jazz at the University of North Texas before moving to Brooklyn, New York in 2017 at age 20.[2][3][4] In New York, she worked for the Museum of Natural History Snapchat stories program,[4] tried modeling, sold jewelry she made, and drew commissioned pet portraits.[5][6]

In 2019, Ponthier began posting to TikTok, with her work including song covers, songs adapted with what Billboard describes as "queer-themed lyrics", stop motion animation,[7] and duets.[8] She was signed to Interscope Records in 2020.[7]

Career

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In August 2021, Ponthier released her debut EP Faking My Own Death.[5][2][9] The debut single from the EP, "Cowboy", was named one of the "25 Best Songs By LGBTQ Artists of 2021 (So Far)" by Billboard on June 29, 2021.[10]

Ponthier wrote "Cowboy" in 2017 after moving to New York,[1] but delayed its release, explaining to The Guardian in 2021, "because I was a little teen hipster rebel I was like: 'I don’t need country music, I don’t want to make that.' But I was so wrong, because it was an amazing way to express myself."[4] She told American Songwriter she wrote "Cowboy" after she met her girlfriend and while she was processing what she described as the "culture shock" of her move to New York and her need to come out about her sexual orientation,[1] and told Atwood Magazine, "I guess it was time to live my truth as a gay cowboy."[11] For the "Cowboy" video, Ponthier has cited Death Becomes Her, The Witches, and Troll 2 as some of the many films that served as inspiration for her work with director Jordan Bahat on the creative direction of the video.[12][4]

The second single released from the EP was "Harshest Critic"[13] in May 2021, which she co-wrote with Adam Melchor.[11] Ponthier wrote the song "Hell is a Crowded Room" with Rick Nowels,[1][14] and in a review of the song for NPR Music, Ann Powers writes, "Ponthier invokes Chris Isaak invoking Roy Orbison, Cat Power invoking Peggy Lee, Lana Del Rey invoking every singer David Lynch ever ushered onto the stage of Twin Peaks's Bang Bang Bar."[15]

She is also a featured vocalist on the track "I Lied" on Lord Huron's 2021 Long Lost album,[11][6][16] performed with Lord Huron on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in May 2021, and toured with Lord Huron in September 2021.[3][2] Following the tour, she performed at Texas's Austin City Limits Music Festival.[17]

In January 2022 Jack Antonoff announced that Ponthier would be joining him for Bleachers' 2022 tour.[18]

In June 2022, Ponthier released her second EP Shaking Hands With Elvis.[19][20] According to Billboard, "Half the songs on the 6-track project sound like sonic cousins of her previous work [...] But the other half of the songs, including standout single “Autopilot” and the high-camp fantasy “Hollywood Forever Cemetery,” sees the singer getting more experimental and dreamy with her sound".[21]

In May 2024, Ponthier released her third EP Breaking the Fourth Wall.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Benitez-Eves, Tina (July 2021). "Allison Ponthier Opens and Shuts New Cycle on 'Faking My Own Death'". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Manzella, Sam (August 6, 2021). "Allison Ponthier Will No Longer Be Faking Her Own Death". NewNowNext. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Arrieta, Vincent (August 9, 2021). "Allison Ponthier Is a Model Texan in Brooklyn". Dallas Observer. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Cooper, Leonie (April 16, 2021). "Allison Ponthier: 'I've started making sculptures of little alien people'". The Guardian. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Lanham, Tom (August 13, 2021). "Allison Ponthier on Finding Her Place and Faking My Own Death". Paste. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Hilleary, Mike (August 4, 2021). "A Small-Scale Introduction to Allison Ponthier". Flood Magazine. Retrieved September 26, 2021. A beautiful collection of country songs that evoke the rainbow-colored pop of Kacey Musgraves and Lana Del Rey's cinematic glamor, the songs' confessional conviction are poised to make Ponthier a regularly mispronounced name this year (for the record, it's "pon-tee-ay").
  7. ^ a b Daw, Stephen (June 3, 2021). "LGBTQ+ Songwriters Are Leveling Up on TikTok — And Putting Queer Stories Front and Center". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Hernandez, Patricia (September 27, 2019). "Millions are watching the next generation of queer stories on TikTok". Polygon. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  9. ^ Dziri, Red (August 6, 2021). "EP Review: Allison Ponthier // Faking My Own Death". Riot Magazine. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  10. ^ "The 25 Best Songs By LGBTQ Artists of 2021 (So Far)". Billboard. June 29, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Mosk, Mitch (June 7, 2021). "Interview: Singer/Songwriter Allison Ponthier Is an Intimate, Heartfelt, & Captivating Artist-to-Watch". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Bell, Keaton (March 8, 2021). "Allison Ponthier's "Cowboy" Video is a Campy Tribute to Her Texan Roots". Vogue. MSN. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  13. ^ Dodson, P. Claire (May 14, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo's "good 4 u," Plus New Nicki Minaj, NCT Dream, and More". Teen Vogue. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  14. ^ Sanders, Wren; Carey, Emma; Espinoza, Katixa; Velasquez, Juan; Retta, Mary (July 23, 2021). "Syd, Yves Tumor, Tinashe: 9 Best New Songs by Queer Artists". Them. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  15. ^ Powers, Ann (July 8, 2021). "Allison Ponthier, 'Hell Is A Crowded Room'". NPR Music. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  16. ^ Lawless, Connor (September 22, 2021). "Lord Huron isn't cowboying around with latest album 'Long Lost'". The Quinnipac Chronicle. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  17. ^ Hicks, Tyer (October 6, 2021). "Mushrooms, Moms, and "Manifesting" Greatness: Three Days at a Mid-Pandemic ACL Fest". Texas Monthly. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  18. ^ "Bleachers Announce 2022 Tour". Consequence Of Sound. January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  19. ^ Mier, Tomás (June 10, 2022). "Allison Ponthier Steps Into the Afterlife for 'Hollywood Forever Cemetery'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  20. ^ Brody, Caitlin (June 10, 2022). "Meet Allison Ponthier, Pop Music's Next Great Singer-Songwriter". Glamour. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  21. ^ Daw, Stephen (June 10, 2022). "First Out: New Music From Demi Lovato, Halsey, Sam Smith & More". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  22. ^ Mier, Tomás (May 3, 2024). "Allison Ponthier Found a 'Renewed Love for Music' With Her New EP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
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