Katy Perry’s ‘Woman’s World’ Flopped So Hard It’s Shocking

Unfortunately, this time it really does seem to be over. Five years after Perry attempted her first big comeback with the beautiful but underrated “Never Really Over,” she’s returned with a new song that was met with immediate pandering on social media, reminding everyone why they stopped listening to her in the first place.

Perry’s comeback single “Women’s WorldThe lyrics and orchestration of “The Great Passage” are very simplistic, even if she Back to work and Producer: Dr. Luke, Sexual assault allegations Kesha’s “Say So” might be the worst of the bunch — after all, music fans and the general public have long been forgiving of sleazy artists releasing lewd music (think Doja Cat’s “Say So,” which Luke produced).

“Woman’s World” not only lacks lyrics, it also lacks the addictive production needed to salvage the song. Love it or hate it, there’s nothing to grab hold of. It’s just really boring and monotonous. Despite playing it safe in an attempt to be a hit, the song failed to gain any positive traction, but it still managed to spark some heated debate. It pushed people away from the ignorant choice to team up with Luke. Doubt the credibility The song’s feminist statement was doomed even before its release, and its monotonous lyrics only made it worse.

Following the release of this song, Cat Chan wrote cut Perry is “a relic of the 2010s, a faded pop star desperately trying to reclaim her presence but hindered by her inability to distinguish between high and low.” TGuardian It’s called a truck A one-star review called it “regressive,” Check out the Pitchfork review“Even if Woman’s World wasn’t the kind of book that would require its author to explain feminism at the top of Google’s first page, its message of empowerment would ring false simply because it was co-written and co-produced by Dr. Luke.”

From the first notes of “Woman’s World,” it’s clear this song is going to be a flop. Lyrics like “Fire in her eyes/A divine woman/She was born to shine/To shine, to shine, yeah” are so hackneyed and clichéd that it feels like Perry is trying to pull the rug out from under us and expose the song and all its cheesiness for what it is: a lame joke. The song sounds like a song from a real-world TV show, but it is. 30. Rock Parody versions of songs like this one are more memorable: Denise Richards’ “La Piscine” didn’t die for this.

There’s no bridge, no final chorus, no breakdown — the song is essentially two and a half minutes of boring elevator music from an artist hell-bent on making you forget that he’s actually super talented.

This music video was released in 2017.Swish, swish, swish” and its desperate attempt to go viral. “Never Ending” Or casually sexy. “Harley in Hawaii” Where does it all go? At this point, Perry doesn’t have a clear picture of himself, merely jumping at half-baked ideas with little understanding of why they work and letting his collaborators do the heavy lifting.

With its World War II feminist imagery and 2000s-chic American flag bikinis, the video seems perplexed by its own message. What is there to be said by a gentle critique of ostentatious consumerism in a video that seems to support capitalist feminism rather than push back against it? Perry seems to understand that her song is boringly repetitive and too boring to take seriously, but it’s also not punchy enough to be entertaining. It’s just a depressing reminder that the standards we’ve come to expect from Perry are ones she herself will never be able to meet.

It’s not a good sign that Perry was forced to release it. Video explaining the ironic meaning The music video was inspired by a post by X, in which she claimed she could “do anything! Even satire.” The music video and the reaction to it apparently proved she couldn’t do that. At all.

Given the massive nostalgia people had for Perry’s songs, it may come as a shock that this comeback failed. Teenage Dreams In recent years, the title track has experienced a major renaissance, with many TikTok I implored Perry to go back to that kind of music. It seemed like fate was on her side and all she had to do was release some good music. Of course, that never happened.

There’s no doubt that after a decade on the sidelines, Perry entered this era with a fire in her eyes and the determination to re-enter the cultural zeitgeist. If only she’d learned the right lessons from her past mistakes. “Never Really Over,” released in 2019, may not have dominated the charts. It certainly didn’t help that it was the only live performance by the artist. Bathroom stallYears later, the song stands tall as one of Perry’s career highlights, and it may have helped her forge a new path beyond chasing hits, allowing her to carve out a unique identity that she could actually be respected for.

It’s a path that many former mainstream pop stars have taken, and Perry could have taken as well: just look at Carly Rae Jepsen, who hasn’t made the Billboard Hot 100 since 2015, yet still has no trouble selling out tours and booking festival dates. And then there’s Charli XCX. Brat A decade after her brief mainstream stint, Perry has earned critical acclaim while also penetrating the zeitgeist. The trick is to cultivate a fanbase that actually cares about the quality of the music, not the chart positions. And that’s something Perry has never achieved in her career, as she has jumped from trend to trend, releasing albums backed by hit singles and neglecting to strengthen her sound beyond the signature style she perfected in 2010.

81312529

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

It’s odd, considering how punchy the lyrics were on Perry’s pop debut. 2008 One of the boysConsidering how far she had strayed, there was a breathtaking desperation, a relatable longing, in Perry’s early work that distinguished her as a great, sassy singer, even as Perry pivoted fully to commercial pop. Teenage DreamsShe maintained her immersive personality. The title track remains one of the best of the 2010s with its masterful flourishes, but her 2013 album prism Perry demonstrated that she could pivot to a more adult contemporary pop style if she wished.

But since then prism Perry was a rollercoaster of incompetence. witness The album was a flop. Despite its flaws, at least it tried to take Perry’s sound in an exciting new direction, a risk that showed she wanted more than just a career of lifeless hits. She dyed her hair blonde and Pixie Cut Would her popularity fade? Of course, the era was further marred by a terrible selection of singles. Perry debuted “Chained to the Rhythm” and ended the album with “Intentional Pop” She delivered the final blow with the release of “Bon Appetit,” accompanied by a grotesque video that immediately contradicted the spirit of the lead single.

Perry continued. witness and smileIt was a quieter period for her, but this album witnessPerry quietly helped win back support from fans as they anxiously awaited her next big commercial venture, so it’s shocking to see her lose all that goodwill in record time. Not only did her comeback with “Woman’s World” come off as desperate and contrived, it also alienated what remained of her fans.

Karl Walter/Getty Images

The reunion with Luke is a sad reminder that Perry doesn’t understand the times, or even her own strengths. Just because her last hit was produced by him doesn’t mean the reunion will be commercially or critically fruitful. Did Perry look into her past collaborators, or did she and her label crunch the numbers and figure that since Luke produced “Dark Horse” and “ET,” only he could save her career? should All she did was call the producers of “Walking on Air,” a classic that far surpasses most of her singles, and said, “Let’s make history.”

The article is one of many criticizing the song’s debacle, but at least suggesting that there’s still some meaning to her struggling career. But when artists fail repeatedly, they fall into even worse territory: apathy from fans. I mean, how many of you know that Meghan Trainor released an album last month? Perry 143 Even if it does eventually get released this fall, it’s unlikely that half the people who listened to “Woman’s World” will even give the album a chance, no matter how good it is. If only Perry would sabotage her hard-earned career for a worthy song.

“Woman’s World” confirms the sad truths Perry’s fans have refused to acknowledge: She’s unwise in her career choices, has no finger on the cultural pulse and has never really gotten the joke, even when she dresses up as a sad clown for her shows. smile covers. Perry has become the target of jokes instead of the purveyor of them; she favors gaudy, lifeless eye candy and sampled beats over striving for originality. God forbid she has to seriously fail again. At least this time, she can rest easy knowing that she didn’t really put any effort into it.