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Katy Perry is in her comeback era. But will she be accepted back into the halls of pop royalty?
Earlier this year, I wrote about how Katy Perry fans—known as KatyCats—wanted #JusticeForKatyPerry, waging a campaign on X to resuscitate her reputation as a pop star. Now, as she launches the next era of her career, fans want to see her succeed, but it looks like it will continue to be an uphill battle for Perry.
Last week, Perry released the first song and video from her forthcoming album 143, entitled “Woman’s World,” which features the singer dancing around a construction site and then turning into a bikini-clad cyborg. Responses to the song have been largely negative —oftentimes scathingly so.
Many noted that it feels and looks like AI, embodying a middle-of-the-road style of pop music that belongs in the 2010s. One hater described it as an example of a “new trend of failing pop stars (and their management teams) trying to serve manufactured cunt in an attempt to appeal to lowest common denominator gay guys,” a sentiment echoed by several others on X.
The biggest criticism of Perry and her song has to do with her collaborator on the track. “Woman’s World” was produced by Dr. Luke, the notorious producer who Kesha accused of drugging and raping her in a highly publicized trial. Many argued that it’s hypocritical of Perry to release a song supposedly about women’s empowerment produced by an alleged abuser. A viral screenshot from Perry’s Instagram Live shows someone commenting “Why are you working with Dr. Luke?” on the screen in front of her.
Fandoms react to Katy Perry’s new song
As with any viral pop music discourse, other fandoms entered the fray. When someone asked if Swifties were going to listen to “Woman’s World,” one fan responded: “no! katy perry works with rapists! hope that clears things up!” Another suggested that Swift should release the new edition of Reputation on the same day Perry’s album comes out.
Lady Gaga fans, known as Little Monsters, are particularly opposed to the song because of Gaga’s connection to Kesha. Gaga, a survivor of sexual assault herself, testified on Kesha’s behalf at the trial and was so triggered by Dr. Luke’s lawyer that she had a psychotic break, she told Oprah. Others remarked that the best thing to do is to stream Kesha’s new song instead of Perry’s, proposing an inverse relationship between the two artists.
As for Katy Perry’s fans, responses to the new song have been markedly different. For some, Perry’s decision to work with Dr. Luke is disappointing. One fan revealed that the collaboration ruined their excitement for the album, while another wrote “you have no idea how devastating it is for me to watch my childhood idol burning out.”
But the most dedicated KatyCats will not be swayed. Many called the song a return to form and suggested the real Katy Perry is back. As one fan put it, the song represents “the slayification of the second coming of jesus christ.” Devout KatyCats maintain that all the hate is “forced” and it’s only giving her more “clout.” Others took aim at the music critics who gave the song abysmal reviews, and one X user called fans who criticized the song “rats.”
Some have tried to rationalize the Dr. Luke problem. One fan wrote that everyone should separate Perry’s song from the producer and continue listening regardless, also noting that Dr. Luke is only “accused” of sexual assault. A different fan called the haters hypocrites, posting a list of popular songs produced by Dr. Luke that supposedly no one cared about.
Others tried to compare Perry’s success to Kesha’s, implying that the latter artist is irreverent to the conversation. One proposed strategy is to ignore the haters altogether, focusing on streaming and promoting Perry’s work instead.
Why it matters
It seems unlikely that the KatyCats will be able to salvage Perry’s reputation. Though she has plenty of devoted fans, the KatyCats just don’t have the same cultural power as the Swifties, the Little Monsters, or the BeyHive (fans of Beyoncé).
In many ways, Swifties shape the discourse about Taylor Swift albums, and it was the BeyHive that turned Renaissance into a worldwide phenomenon.
Fandom is a huge reason for pop stars’ success, and though Perry garnered enough fans to achieve fame and fortune, her fan army doesn’t have the ammunition to keep her afloat anymore.
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