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Katy Perry's return to pop music is nigh...
On Monday, pop music superstar Katy Perry announced her upcoming single "Woman's World," but is the world ready for this woman?
The song will be the first single off her upcoming sixth studio album, and the cover art is giving fans just a taste of what to expect. Perry rocks a white bikini with animatronic legs.
"GET READY TO POP OFF," she wrote in the announcement on social media.
The song won't be released until July 11, but it has already kicked up a flurry of discourse on social media.
Before diving into said drama, here are a couple reasons why we're excited for her return!
She's fresh off her Las Vegas 'Play' residency and 'American Idol' gigs
Perry concluded her run as a judge on American Idol earlier this year as well as her campy Vegas residency, Play. The downtime she's had since her last album in 2020, living and breathing music in other avenues, as well as her time raising her daughter has potentially given her a fresh perspective and a new message to deliver to the world.
Perry always delivers stunning visuals
The singer followed up the announcement with a snippet of the new single.
"Sexy, confident," she sings. "So intelligent/She is heaven-sent/So soft, so strong."
Surrounding her in the clip is the scene of a car accident. If we had to guess, Perry seems to take on the role of a superhero in music video.
Throughout her sixteen-year pop career, Perry has delivered iconic visuals with each and every single she's put out. Who can forget "California Gurls," "Hot N Cold, " or even "Swish Swish"? The bar is high, but Perry seems primed to top it once again.
The official music video premieres Friday, July 12.
Even when she "flops," she soars.
Perry's career reached catastrophic heights with the release of her first three albums One of the Boys, Teenage Dream, and Prism. The singer snagged 9 number ones across the records, including five No. 1s on one album, making her the second artist in history to accomplish the feat alongside Michael Jackson. Her cultural impact is undeniable, even if the following albums, Witness and Smile, took a dive in sales.
Witness went No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release and produced iconic songs like "Chained to the Rhythm" and "Swish Swish." Her following underrated record, Smile, also produced the commercial hits "Never Really Over" and "Harleys in Hawaii," which gained traction on TikTok two years after its release.
In the days following the single announcement, Perry has trended on X (formerly known as Twitter) every day. Even when she stirs up a lil dust storm, her cultural relevancy is undeniable.
She's going back to her dance pop roots
Rolling Stone reports that Perry reconnected with Teenage Dream producers Dr. Luke and Max Martin for her upcoming album. "Katy knew exactly the album she wanted to make and put together the team to make it happen," said a source. She's also working with producers who have recently worked with her modern pop peers, Kim Petras and Charli XCX.
Depending on who you ask, this alleged move could be good or bad. For fans of Perry's 2010 sound, the reunion sounds like a good idea at first glance. But Dr. Luke has been embroiled in his own controversy over the last decade after "Tik Tok" singer Kesha accused him of abusing her "sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally." Kesha took Dr. Luke to court in 2013 in an effort to be released from her record label contract, but the case was dismissed in 2016 over jurisdiction and statute-of-limitation issues. A "Free Kesha" movement then garnered attention as Dr. Luke countersued for defamation, and that case was only settled between the two in 2023.
Perry's involvement in the case is messy at best. Kesha and Perry both worked with Dr. Luke early in their early careers and were friends in the late 2000s, even starring in each other's music videos. But after Kesha took Dr. Luke to court, his attorneys released texts between Kesha and Lady Gaga where the two called Perry "mean" and the former claimed Perry had also been raped by Dr. Luke. Perry was then subpoenaed in court and took the stand to deny the allegation. Her deposition has been sealed, and Kesha and Gaga later clarified that they heard the rumor from an industry executive.
Though Gaga and Perry seemingly repaired their relationship following the drama, it's unclear if Kesha and Perry's relationship survived. Following the alleged news that Perry was reuniting with Dr. Luke in the studio, Kesha simply posted "lol" on social media.
Perry last worked with Dr. Luke on her 2013 Prism. In 2017, she said it was because she "had to leave the nest." While Perry's new song initially credited production to Dr. Luke on platforms like Genius, those credits have since disappeared and Perry's team has not confirmed or denied their alleged collaboration.
It's worth pointing out that many musicians have recently worked and continue to work with Dr. Luke including Nicki Minaj, Kim Petras, Doja Cat, and Saweetie, though his direct involvement is unclear.
