Why Katy Perry’s Comeback Is Not Going As Planned

Katy Perry’s comeback is not going according to plan.

The 39-year-old songstress recently released Woman’s World, the lead track off her upcoming album 143, which is set for release on September 20.

While many KatyCats were excited to hear that Katy was releasing music after a three-year hiatus, the excitement soon came to a halt when it was revealed that Dr. Luke co-wrote and produced the song. 

 

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If you don’t know who Dr. Luke is or need a refresher, here are the main points you need to know. 

Kesha accused Dr. Luke of raping her in 2005 when she was 18 years old and continuing to sexually and emotionally abuse her for the next nine years. She went public with the allegations in 2014. Between 2014 and 2023, they were in a legal battle after Dr. Luke sued her for defamation and strongly denied her claims. The case was ultimately settled out of court, but the terms of the resolution were never disclosed publicly.  

Despite the allegations, Dr. Luke has continued to work with some of the world’s biggest musicians and has been behind hits like Doja Cat’s Say So, Super Freaky Girl by Nicki Minaj and Big Energy by Latto.

Katy Perry has previously worked with Dr. Luke on some of her biggest hits like I Kissed a Girl, Teenage Dream and Dark Horse. After Kesha accused him of assault, Katy did not work with Dr. Luke until now. 

Over the last ten years, Perry has struggled to continue producing mega-hits like she did in the earlier days of her career. After the release of PRISM in 2013, the last album she worked on with Dr. Luke, she put out Witness and Smile. Both albums did not chart well and Katy’s music career started slowly falling apart.

 

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Many are now speculating she chose to work with Dr. Luke again to make a musical comeback rivalling some of her older hits. This has, however, failed miserably as the majority of her fans are disappointed that she has worked with someone who has faced serious accusations from fellow female pop star, Kesha.

With a title like Woman’s World and lyrics like “It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to be livin in it,” and “Superhuman, number one, she’s a sister, she’s a mother,” one would expect this to be a feminist anthem. But between working with Dr. Luke and the music video being called out for not relaying the song’s message, the whole thing has been deemed a flop.

Katy has defended the music video saying it is “sarcastic” and “slapstick” and meant to be satire more than anything. 

Whether that was the original intended purpose of the music video or not, fans are not seeing it that way at all.

 

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While sources have said that Katy is “freaking out” over Woman’s World flopping, she is acting unbothered on social media.

She recently posted pictures of a holiday in St. Tropez she is on with fiancé Orlando Bloom and their daughter Daisy on Instagram, and tagged her location as Planet Unbothered. 

If you say so, Katy.

 

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It’s safe to say that Katy’s newest album is not likely to be a success after the intense backlash she’s received over just the first single alone. With the resources and talent she has, you would think she would be able to find a way to make a comeback without having to work with Dr. Luke.

In reality, it isn’t a woman’s world and Katy and many other artists prove that by continuing to work with Kesha’s alleged abuser.

Words by Amélie Mahony

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• katy perry