Has Katy Perry missed her comeback?

Katy Perry used to be one of the leading pop singers of the 2000s and 2010s. With her eccentric looks, wacky music videos and numerous hits, including I Kissed a Girl, Hot N Cold, California Gurls, Teenage Dream, Firework and Dark Horse, the 39-year-old American singer used to sit on the top of the charts and of pop culture at large.

Yet, in the past few years, the star who shares her life with actor Orlando Bloom has kept a low profile. Although she performed live for a residency in Las Vegas from 2021 to 2023, and is now part of the jury of the American Idol, her latest album, Smile (2020), wasn’t that sensational.

Singer Katy Perry returns with the single Woman’s World

However, the fans of sweet mainstream pop haven’t forgotten about her, and should have been delighted by her comeback. On July 11th, 2004, Katy Perry released a brand new electro-pop single, Woman’s World, along with a music video, whose aesthetic is rather outdated, and lyrics that flirt with girl power – “Sexy, confident / So intelligent / She is heaven sent / So soft / So strong”.

The song is neither original nor addictive, and the video shows a stereotypical, clumsy vision of a dated pop feminism influenced by the 2010s. Katy Perry appears as a girl boss, wearing an American flag-printed micro top and offers a series of hypersexualized images verging on parody. However, this track mirrors the opening of a whole new era for the singer we all once loved.

Katy Perry.

Katy Perry.

Katy Perry.

143, an uneven album that stirs up controversy

The pop star, who sold over 143 million records worldwide, released her seventh album, 143, on Friday, September 20th… but her record is already controversial since the singer has decided to work with producer Dr. Luke, who has been accused of sexual assault by singer Kesha.

To promote her album, also produced by Max Martin, the singer-songwriter shared a sexy, strange and futuristic photo of her on social media. Photographed by Jack Bridgland, Katy Perry wears a white crochet bikini and impressive “metal legs” created by French designer Victor Clavelly using 3D printing. Oscillating between robot, bionic woman and wild animal, the singer keeps being audacious, at least visually speaking – even though this silhouette is very reminiscent of Arca’s.

But what about the music? While we love the collaborations with Kim Petras on the addictive Gorgeous and with Doechii on the dancefloor-made hit I’m his, he’s mine, 143 isn’t exactly a winning number. One could even describe it as “Artificial” or from another “Lifetime”, to borrow the titles of two of her songs.

Outdated, flat, cliché and, above all, lacking a strong core, the album struggles to capture the feverish, energetic Katy Perry who set the stage on fire with a live performance of her best hits at the VMA ceremony a few days earlier. While her new record is far from being a musical disaster, it cannot compare to the latest releases by Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter or Charli XCX.

Sensational appearances at the Paris Fashion Week

Meanwhile, Katy Perry had managed to build excitement around her musical comeback. During the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, she made an appearance in a spectacular red gown designed by Balenciaga on June 25th, 2024. Worn for her entrance at the Ritz, this piece featured a long train with the lyrics of her upcoming single printed on it: “Open your eyes, just look around and you’ll discover. You know, it’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to be living in it.”

The following day, the singer was once more the talk of the town as she appeared topless under a fur coat at the Balenciaga couture show. She bid farewell to her previous sour candy looks and replaced them with a total black silhouette. A more edgy look that raised hopes of an album open to experimentation and melancholy. Alas, the musical mojo of the pop star belongs indeed to a past “Lifetime”.

143 (2024) by Katy Perry, available now.