Katy Perry can't seem to avoid controversy as she relaunches her singing career. Perry's upcoming album, "143," was supposed to mark her return to the top of the pop industry after her last two albums failed to resonate. But, fans and critics have mocked and derided Perry's offerings so far. Eric Schiffer, a PR expert and chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Business Insider last week that Perry is in "a career crisis" thanks to the negative attention she has received.
Here's a timeline of Perry's disastrous comeback.
On June 17, Perry teased "Woman's World," the first single off her new album, by releasing cover art and a snippet of the song. Fans mocked the song's lyrics on social media, saying they sounded dated and like AI had written them. Others criticized the cover art, accusing Perry of clumsily imitating the aesthetic of buzzy musicians like Charli XCX to appeal to Gen Z.
Soon after Perry released the teaser for "Woman's World," fans discovered that the controversial producer Dr. Luke cowrote and coproduced it. This was the first time Perry had worked with him since 2013, before her career slump. Kesha sued Dr. Luke in 2014, alleging sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Dr. Luke denied the claims, and the pair came to an undisclosed settlement in June 2023. Fans were disappointed by Perry's decision to work with him on her singles "Woman's World," which has feminist themes, and "Lifetimes." Perry has not addressed the criticism.
Perry released "Woman's World" and a music video for it on July 12. Fans and critics immediately criticized the full song and the chaotic music video, where Perry plays a hyper-sexualized version of WWII-era feminist character Rosie the Riveter. Perry's riveter gets crushed by an anvil and a sexy half-cyborg that drives around town in a monster truck. A day after the video was released, Perry released a behind-the-scenes clip on X in which she explained that the video was satirical, but fans were not buying it. As Business Insider's senior music reporter Callie Ahlgrim wrote in her review of the song last month: "Satire only works when it has something to say, and there isn't a shred of complexity, self-awareness, or cultural analysis in lyrics like, 'She's a flower, she's a thorn / Superhuman, No. 1 / She's a sister, she's a mother.'"
Perry powered through the backlash to "Woman's World" and released the second single and music video from "143," called "Lifetimes." In the video, Perry flies to the Spanish Balearic islands of Ibiza and Formentera to party. Fans said the song was better than "Woman's World" and should have been Perry's first single. But it still failed to generate much of a buzz. In a press release published on August 13, a representative for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment for the Balearic Islands said that Perry's production company did not get the correct authorization to film the "Lifetimes" video in Ses Salines Natural Park.
The park is a protected area, and permission is required to film there. The department also shut down rumors that they were investigating the production company for damaging the environment. On August 16, a spokesperson for Perry's label Capitol Records told Business Insider via email that its filming was on the basis of "verbal approval" from officials. The spokesperson said: "The local video production company assured us that all necessary permits for the video were secured. We have since learned that one permit was in process, although we were given verbal authority to go ahead. Our crew received verbal approval on July 26 to proceed with the filming on July 27," the statement said. But an official disputed that, writing in an email Monday that it never gave "verbal or written permission." A representative for Katy Perry did not immediately respond to a comment request from Business Insider.
Controversy Over Filming Locations
The controversy over the filming of the music video for "Lifetimes" is just the latest in a string of mishaps that have plagued Perry's album rollout. The government of Spain’s Balearic islands has said it is looking into how a Katy Perry video came to be filmed on a small, protected island without the necessary permissions. The environment department of the Balearic Islands issued a press release on Tuesday claiming that the video’s production company did not secure the proper authorization before filming the music video for her new single Lifetimes on the protected dunes of S’Espalmador. The Stillz-directed video for the track, released on 8 August, sees the 39-year-old singer frolicking on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, sunning on the beach by day and partying at the islands’ famous clubs by night. It includes shots of the dune system of S’Espalmador, one of the most ecologically rich areas of Formentera.
The department clarified that it was looking into potential damage of the prohibited area, which is marked by rope. According to the statement, the filming does not constitute a “crime against the environment” because video or photographic reports “can be authorized” upon request. S’Espalmador, an approximately 1.8-mile-long islet to the north of Formentera, has been part of the Ses Salines de Ibiza and Formentera natural park since 1980. The dunes on the small privately owned, uninhabited island make up the best-preserved dune system in the Balearic Islands and are of “great ecological value”, according to the regional government’s tourism website.
Katy Perry’s video crew had received “verbal approval” to film the singer’s “Lifetimes” clips on an environmentally protected beach in Spain, a rep for the singer’s label said late Wednesday after news broke that the crew was being investigated for allegedly failing to receive proper authorization for the shoot. When announcing the investigation, the Environmental Department of the Balearic Islands in Spain had said that the shoot did not constitute a “crime against the environment,” but rather that full authorization had not been obtained. "The local video production company assured us that all necessary permits for the video were secured," a Capitol Records spokesperson tells Variety. "We have since learned that one permit was in process, although we were given verbal authority to go ahead." "Our local crew on July 22 applied for a permit for this specific location with the Directorate-General for Coasts and Coastline," the rep continued. "Our crew received verbal approval on July 26 to proceed with the filming on July 27. We adhered to all regulations associated with filming in this area and have the utmost respect for this location and the officials tasked with protecting it."
The Disastrous Album Rollout
Amid the chaos of Perry's career comeback, the Video Music Awards named Perry as the latest star to receive MTV's Video Vanguard Award. This is a lifetime achievement award given to legendary artists such as David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Beyoncé. Perry is due to be given the award during the VMAs on September 11 and perform a medley of her biggest hits at the event. This could be the last opportunity for Perry to win over fans before "143" is released.
The controversy was just the latest in the snafu-plagued launch of Perry’s upcoming album “143,” which is due on Sept. 20. The singer, who has not released an album in four years, is aiming straight for the pop market she’d dominated for much of the 2010s, although there have been controversies at every turn. The video for her lead single “Woman’s World” was criticized for depicting cliché feminist stereotypes that Perry later said it was intending to parody; it did not help that the single was produced by her longtime collaborator Dr. Luke, who was accused of sexual misconduct by his former protégé Kesha, although he maintained his innocence throughout the entire decade-long legal proceedings and the case was ultimately settled with no admission of guilt.
Katy Perry's team is hitting back at criticism over her latest music video’s being shot on protected sand dunes on a Spanish island, saying the production company was given "full permission to film." The government of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago off eastern Spain, said it launched a preliminary investigation into the filming of Perry’s “LIFETIMES” music video, which authorities claim was not authorized. The video, which premiered last week, shows Perry dancing and partying with friends on the beach. The Balearic Islands’ Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment said in a release Tuesday that it was looking into alleged violations by the music video's production company, WeOwnTheCity, as the company did not request authorization from the ministry before filming.
The ministry said that the video was filmed at Ses Salines Nature Park, which spans several Spanish islands. The BBC reported the video includes shots of the dune system on the island of S’Espalmador, an islet north of Formentera. The dunes are of “great ecological value,” according to the government’s tourism website.
The ministry clarified that “in no case would it be a crime for environmental infringement,” as the act of filming is not prohibited on the island — as long as the videographer has obtained permission from environmental authorities. Capitol Records is defending the video, saying the production company was given the green light. A label spokesperson said in a statement that the production company “assured us that all necessary permits for the video were secured.” "We have since learned that one permit was in process, although we were given verbal authority to go ahead," the spokesperson said. "Our local crew on July 22 applied for a permit for this specific location with the Directorate-General For Coasts And Coastline. Our crew received verbal approval on July 26 to proceed with the filming on July 27." The spokesperson said the production company it “adhered to all regulations associated with filming in this area and have the utmost respect for this location and the officials tasked with protecting it.” WeOwnTheCity did not respond to a request for comment.
The Struggle for Chart Success
Released a month after "Woman's World," "LIFETIMES" is Perry's second single for her coming seventh studio album, "143." She has said the dance-pop song is inspired by her daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom. "Every night, before we go to sleep, I say, ‘I love you,' and then I ask, 'Will you find me in every lifetime?' and she says, 'Yes,'" she told People last month.
Katy Perry is facing a rough rollout for her forthcoming seventh album, “143,” with latest single “Lifetimes” struggling to rack up streams while she faces complaints for her music video shoot—just weeks after the first single released from the album, “Woman’s World,” debuted to negative reviews, similar chart woes and controversy over Perry’s producer. Perry released her second single from “143,” “Lifetimes,” on Friday alongside a music video filmed in the Balearic Islands, including Ibiza, in Spain. Days after the video premiere, the Balearic Islands’ environmental department announced it would open an investigation into the video shoot, alleging Perry’s production company did not obtain proper authorization to film on the island and that it would monitor for possible damage from the shoot. The investigation concerned certain protected sand dunes believed to have been included in Perry’s video shoot, including dunes on the S'Espalmador island which have “great ecological value,” BBC reported.
“Lifetimes” has also struggled to chart: It only logged one day on the U.S. Spotify daily top 200 chart, peaking at No. 198 on its release day and falling off the chart afterward. The single fared slightly better on the global Spotify chart, ranking No. 145 on its release day, but similarly fell off the chart the following day. Lead single “Woman’s World,” which has a feminist message, released on July 11 to both negative reviews and a poor performance on the charts. The Guardian gave the song just one star out of five, calling it a “dated attempt at writing a feminist anthem” that suffers from “mixed messaging,” stating it fails to fully deliver on the satire it attempts. In another negative review, Pitchfork called the song a “monumental catastrophe” whose feminist message read like the “top half of the first page of Google.” The song failed to make a dent in the charts: It peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted for just one week, making it the weakest performance for a Perry lead single to date. Days after the video release, Perry posted behind-the-scenes footage to Instagram in which she calls the concept “satire” and acknowledges it is “sarcastic” and “very on the nose.”
The Dr. Luke Controversy
Both “Lifetimes” and “Woman’s World” were produced by Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, a controversial producer known for facing a now-dismissed lawsuit from the singer Kesha, who alleged the producer raped and emotionally abused her. The producer denied the allegations, and Dr. Luke and Kesha released a statement last year announcing they had reached a settlement. Dr. Luke had previously worked on Perry’s first two albums, “One of the Boys” and “Teenage Dream.” Perry’s decision to work with Dr. Luke on “143” faced criticism from media outlets and some celebrities, including Abigail Breslin, who seemingly slammed Perry on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Working with known abusers in any industry just contributes to the narrative that men can do abhorrent shit and get away with it,” Breslin posted the day before “Woman’s World” released, encouraging her followers to “stream Kesha.”
Perry's Declining Chart Success
“143” is Perry’s followup to her 2020 album, “Smile,” which also failed to reach the chart success of her previous albums. “Smile” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, becoming her first release since “One of the Boys” in 2008 to not hit No. 1. Only one song from “Smile” charted on the Billboard Hot 100—lead single “Daisies,” which peaked at No. 40. Perry previously had a record-breaking string of hit singles in the early 2010s. Her album “Teenage Dream” was the first album since Michael Jackson’s “Bad” in 1987 to have five No. 1 hit singles in the United States, including some of her best-known songs like “Firework” and “California Gurls.”
The Future of Perry's Career
Whether “143” will be a success on the charts remains to be seen. The album will release Sept. 20 and features collaborations with Kim Petras, 21 Savage, Doechii and J.I.D.
It's clear that Perry is struggling to recapture the magic of her early career. Her music is no longer resonating with fans, and she's facing increasing scrutiny for her choices, both professionally and personally. It's possible that Perry will be able to turn things around, but she'll need to make some significant changes if she wants to remain relevant in the music industry.
