Controversial producer, feminist clichés, environmental damage… superstar Katy Perry’s return disrupted by controversy

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With nearly 143 million albums sold worldwide and 27 billion views of her videos, Katy Perry wrote her legend in pop music of the 2000s and 2010s with essential songs like Firework, Roar, Dark Horse or even Teenage Dream.

The MTV Video Music Awards ceremony will honor her on Wednesday, September 11, with the prestigious Video Vanguard Award for her entire career and announces “a performance of a lifetime“, probably similar to the one at the 2015 Superbowl halftime show, where she was the headliner.

Four years after the mixed success of Smile In 2020, which reached number five on the Billboard 200, Katy Perry released a new album titled 143which means “I love you“, scheduled for September 20 on Capitol Records. The star has been discreet in recent years. After the success of her residency in Las Vegas from 2021 to 2023, Katy Perry participates in the show American Idol as a judge. With a contract of 25 million dollars, she becomes the highest paid judge of all time.

Despite these successes, the superstar’s musical return has been disrupted by controversy for several months.

She re-teams with producer Dr. Luke accused of rape

For his new album 143Katy Perry has decided to collaborate again with controversial producer Dr. Luke. The singer has a long musical history with him. He produced I Kissed a Girlthe pop star’s first number 1 single as well as many hits from her career such as Teenage Dream, California Gurls, ET And Last Friday Night (TGIF) from his second album in 2010.

For her big comeback in music four years after her last album, Katy Perry wanted to return to her first loves. She hopes to achieve new commercial success. But since 2010, lawsuits have tarnished Dr. Luke’s career. In 2014, pop star Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke, accusing him of drugging and sexually abusing her. Kesha also claims to have suffered emotional and psychological violence at his hands.

Supported by many singers like Adele, Pink, Lady Gaga or Lorde, Kesha becomes one of the figures of the fight against sexual violence in music. These 10 years of trials will have a negative impact on her career and ended with an agreement in June 2023.

Even though other artists like Kim Petras, Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, City Girls, Lil Durk and others still work with Dr. Luke today, the producer is considered a black beast in the music industry.

Actress Abigail Breslin, known for her roles in Little Miss Sunshine And Miranda’s Victimthinks Katy Perry’s decision is more than problematic.I’m just saying that working with known abusers in any industry only contributes to the idea that men can do terrible things and get away with it.”she tweeted.

“Also, I love Kesha and she had one of the best shows I’ve been to last year… Stream Kesha!”, she continued on X (Twitter). For her part, singer Kesha reacted to the announcement of Katy Perry’s collaboration with a brief “lol“. Katy Perry has already declared her friendship with the singer on numerous occasions. She even appears in the music video for her song I Kissed a Girl.

His single criticized for its clichés about women

First single from his new album, Woman’s World is intended to be a hymn to female emancipation, as were some of the flagship songs of the 2010s, such as Work from Home Fifth Harmony or Ain’t Your Mama by Jennifer Lopez. Katy Perry can be seen at the beginning of the video as Rosie the Riveter, wearing a micro-top with the image of the American flag on a construction site. She goes through the choreographies and hypersexualized gestures, in order to make a parody of it.

Katy Perry ends up crushed by an anvil. A way to symbolize the death of this vision of feminism, for the birth of a new version 2.0. But many critics and Internet users believe that this reinterpretation of pop feminism by the singer is just as sexualized, clichéd and clumsy. The Guardian gave the single one star out of five and called it “dated attempt to write a feminist anthem about how women really can have it all.”

“It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to live in it.“, repeats Katy Perry in the chorus of the title. This female sisterhood is swept aside by many music critics who recall her collaboration with Dr. Luke. “She’s so pro-woman, in fact, that she rehired Dr. Luke.”asserts the media The Cut .

The media Vulture states that the presence of Dr. Luke ““denies the entire feminist message of the song”and that fans can “hear more compelling interpretations of femininity” in new songs from artists like Billie Eilish, Chappel Roan or Ariana Grande.

She is under investigation for environmental damage

The song Lifetimes follows on from Woman’s World as the second single from her upcoming album. In the video, the singer parties on the dunes of a protected area in the Balearic Islands, one of the most ecologically prosperous enclaves in Spain.

The archipelago’s environment department said in a statement published Tuesday, August 14 and spotted by the magazine: Billboardthat the production company had not requested the necessary permission before shooting the clip.

According to the statement, one of the scenes was filmed in the dunes of S’Espalmador, in a prohibited area marked off by ropes. The environment department said the video did not constitute a “environmental crime“, but an offense, because the filming”may be allowed” if the request is made in good and due form.

Katy Perry’s record label responded a few days later.The local video production company assured us that all necessary permits for the video had been obtained.”a Capitol Records spokesperson told Billboard on Thursday, August 15.We have since learned that a permit is being processed, although we received verbal permission to proceed with filming.”

“We have complied with all regulations related to filming in this area and we have the utmost respect for this location and the officials charged with protecting it.”continued the record company representative.


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