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They’re not the loudest or most well-known fans in music, but the KatyCats—fans of Katy Perry—want you to know they’re still here, and they’re not going anywhere.
Late last week, #JusticeForKatyPerry was a trending topic on X, as thousands of fans came together to push back against the narrative that Perry is a “flop” or irrelevant. The hashtag grew out of a post from a user who goes by Mister D’s Entertainment News and is supposedly a music journalist. (Mister D doesn’t include his name on his profile nor does he ever provide evidence for his scoops or link to any published articles, so his posts should be taken with a grain of salt.)
When an X user asked him why the press seemed to turn against Perry in 2017, he responded “Good question! From what I know, her ‘downfall’—like that of Christina Aguilera—wasn’t organic. It was planned by ‘some’ people. And then there were writers, like me, who trashed her because it generated a lot of clicks, which = $.”
Fans took this explanation and ran with it. One user dug up a Stereogum article from 2023 in which a former Pitchfork writer alleged that the publication refused to write about Perry because she was “insufficiently cool,” and didn’t take her seriously “until [her] moment was over.” Taken together, these two accounts indicate an industry-wide shut-out, a situation fans now seek to rectify.
But what exactly happened in 2017 that marked such a low point in Perry’s career? On the music side of things, Perry’s fourth studio album, Witness, was poorly reviewed by most mainstream publications, including Pitchfork, who honed in on the album’s lyrical maladies.
Then there were her public blunders and the discourse about her, which didn’t help matters. As one fan hilariously put it, “she was accused of being racist, transphobic, fake bisexual, a pedo, fake activist, trying to hard, doing to little.” Accusations of bisexuality aside, Perry’s major controversies around that time include the claim that she groomed a young Mark Zuckerberg, racist shoes, cultural appropriation, allegations of sexual assault, a legal battle with a nun who died, and a very weird joke about Obama, among other things.
Katy Perry fans think the backlash is unwarranted
Though non-fans probably don’t remember these rather bizarre moments, the KatyCats do, and they believe the backlash against her was unwarranted.
Based on Mr. D’s post, they argue that critics have a vendetta against Perry, and that her downfall was far from natural. Fans describe Perry’s treatment as unjust, undeserved, and even “cruel,” and they want Witness to be re-evaluated. Though that might not happen anytime soon, KatyCats’ efforts did apparently result in Witness climbing to the top of the iTunes charts in 13 countries.
The idea of fighting for justice is a common thread in fandom. Fans want to defend their faves against detractors, and they often see themselves as the guardians of public opinion. Like many other fans, KatyCats want Perry to get what she deserves, which includes success and adoration.
We’ve also run into another common theme within fandom here, which is the complicated dynamic between critics and fans. Fans tend to admonish critics for their lack of objectivity, though it’d be difficult to argue that fans are objective either. According to KatyCats, were it up to the public and not corrupt industry insiders, Perry would have all the success in the world.
Why it matters
This incident within the Katy Perry fandom illuminates what’s at stake for fans, and what motivates them to action. Fans of all sorts want everyone to see their faves the way they see them.
The KatyCats are tired of the assumption that Perry is uncool or over the hill, and as one fan put it, she “deserves to make a roaring comeback.” With a new album on the way, will Perry finally be back on top? It will soon be decided in the court of public opinion, unless Pitchfork wields their mighty hammer of judgment first.
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