I grew up on Katy Perry.
My childhood was full of dancing in the car to “Dark Horse,” screaming the lyrics of “Last Friday Night” with my older sister and playing Just Dance to “California Gurls.” When I think back to my younger self, Katy Perry was a part of me.
As I grew up, I fell out of love with her music; the rest of the world did, too.
In 2012, Perry released “PRISM” with hit songs such as “Roar” and “Unconditionally.” She didn’t release another album until 2017, which was titled “Witness,” and went relatively unheard of. Her next album, “Smile,” released in 2020 and followed the same trend.
When I heard Perry was releasing another album, I was excited to see a potential comeback; I was left with disappointment.
On Sept. 20, Perry released her newest album, “143.” Prior to the album, she released three singles titled, “WOMAN’S WORLD,” “I’M HIS, HE’S MINE” and “LIFETIMES.” I listened to them in preparation for the album release, but it only made my stomach turn. I thought that it had to get better.
I looked through the track list, hoping a title would catch my attention and make me excited. The one that caught my eye was “GIMME GIMME (feat. 21 Savage)” because I hoped that the feature would make it better, but it didn’t. The song, along with every other song on the album, was horrendous.
It felt that with every song, Perry was trying too hard to get in touch with her feminist, man-eater side, which ultimately did not work. She was trying to be someone she’s not to fit societal standards, and sacrificed the quality of the songs in the process.
While it was difficult to get through the album, the only song I found mildly enjoyable was “ARTIFICIAL (feat. JID).” The song brought me back to my childhood, reminding me of the old Katy Perry. It was specifically similar to “Dark Horse,” which was one of my favorites growing up.
The enjoyment didn’t last long, as the rest of the album was ear-piercing, and I constantly kept wondering when it would end. Songs like “CRUSH” and “GORGEOUS” were repetitive and felt like never-ending torture. Almost every song sounded the same, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
As an old fan of Katy Perry, I can confidently say that it’s time she stops making music. She used to be one of my favorite artists, but now she is trying too hard to be popular, and it is only making her music worse. If she continues to make music like this, her popularity will only continue to decline.
She needs to stop trying to remain relevant and accept the fact that she never will be again.
