Katy Perry’s new single is here — but some fans are not on board with the pop star’s latest era.
Since the 2020 release of “Smile,” Perry’s fans have been posting across social media, awaiting her return to the spotlight. But the promotion around Perry’s latest single, “Woman’s World,” which dropped Thursday, has been fraught.
The track has been touted as a women’s empowerment anthem, with visuals that pay homage to Rosie the Riveter and lyrics like “It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to be living in it.” In the music video, Perry is also seen holding a vibrator, a bedazzled power tool and a bottle labeled “whiskey for women.” Controversial influencer Trisha Paytas makes a cameo in the video and is seen driving Perry around in a monster truck.
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Many “KatyCats” — as Perry’s fans call themselves — showered the artist with praise in comments following the music video’s release. But amid her promotion of the single and upcoming album in the last month, Perry’s own politics and her industry relationships have been the focus of scrutiny online.
The former “American Idol” judge has previously seized on women’s empowerment in her hits like “Roar,” but some have noted that the pop artist’s message feels hollow at a time when women’s rights in the U.S. continue to be threatened.
Some expressed outrage after it was revealed that record producer Łukasz Gottwald, known as Dr. Luke, was credited on the single. Perry co-wrote the single with songwriter Chloe Angelides and producers Dr. Luke, Vaughn Oliver, Aaron Joseph and Rocco Valdes, according to Genius.
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Gottwald was sued by Kesha in 2014 in Los Angeles and New York. The singer alleged that he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2005, as well as physically and verbally tormented her for a decade.
The producer, who has not been charged with a crime, has denied all of Kesha’s allegations. He filed a defamation lawsuit against her, and accused her of having fabricated allegations she was raped to get out of her recording contract. The two settled the defamation lawsuit last year after nearly a decadelong legal battle.
Actor Abigail Breslin said she received death threats after appearing to criticize Perry’s decision to work with Gottwald in a post on X. She didn’t name Perry nor Gottwald, but tagged Kesha in the post, in which she wrote that “working with known abusers in any industry just contributes to the narrative that men can do abhorrent shit and get away with it.”
The conversation surrounding Gottwald spilled over into an active “KatyHeads” subreddit, where some were critical of Perry’s choice and others came to her defense. One user even posted that they feel “the whole rollout is a mess.”
Early reviews of the track echoed the issues brought forth in the broader online criticism. The Guardian gave it one star. The Cut described Perry as being “stuck in 2016.” Pitchfork said its empowering message “rang false, simply because it was co-written and co-produced by Dr. Luke.”
Gottwald worked on Perry’s first three albums, all of which were released before Kesha filed her lawsuit against him. Other artists, including Doja Cat, Saweetie and Kim Petras, have also been criticized in recent years for collaborating with him.
In recent weeks, Perry has appeared to dodge any questions about working with the producer. A viral paparazzi clip showed her ignoring people who asked her why she was working with him.
“Isn’t your album about women empowerment?” someone off-camera is heard asking. “Why are you working with Dr. Luke?”
Perry also received questions about Gottwald during a livestream from her Instagram page Wednesday. She did not answer any of them.
Representatives for Perry and Gottwald did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday. A spokesperson for Capitol Records, which is releasing the album, also did not respond.
Hours after Perry’s initial announcement about the new song on June 17, Kesha wrote “lol” in a post on X. Many fans speculated it was a reaction to knowing Gottwald worked with Perry on it, though the news he was a collaborator on Perry’s new album was not reported by Rolling Stone until two days later.
Others online pointed out that Perry voted for Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral race. Caruso, who lost to now-Mayor Karen Bass, was criticized by liberals for previously donating to politicians opposing abortion.
Perry celebrated the release of her single in an Instagram post. She told radio host Zane Lowe in an interview that “Woman’s World” was created after she gave birth to her daughter, Daisy.
“I feel so celebrated in my life and I hope that other women feel celebrated when they hear this,” Perry said.
Perry’s album “143” is scheduled for a Sept. 20 release. The album description, posted on Perry’s online store, promises “a sexy, fearless, return to form for the multifaceted musician” with “the empowering, sexy, & provocative pop anthems you’ve come to love.”
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