Katy Perry Releases ‘143’ Album To Dismal Reviews After Dr. Luke Controversy And Unsuccessful Singles

Topline

Katy Perry released her seventh album, “143,” on Friday to mostly negative reviews, the conclusion of a rough rollout for one of the biggest pop stars of the 2010s that began with a series of poorly received singles and a much-criticized decision to work with a controversial producer.

Key Facts

How Did The Rough “143” Rollout Start?

Lead single “Woman’s World,” which has a feminist message, released on July 11 to both negative reviews and a poor performance on the charts. The Guardian gave the song just one star out of five, calling it a “dated attempt at writing a feminist anthem” that suffers from “mixed messaging,” stating it fails to fully deliver on the satire it attempts. In another negative review, Pitchfork called the song a “monumental catastrophe” whose feminist message read like the “top half of the first page of Google.” The song failed to make a dent in the charts: It peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted for just one week, making it the weakest performance for a Perry lead single to date. Days after the video release, Perry posted behind-the-scenes footage to Instagram in which she calls the concept “satire” and acknowledges it is “sarcastic” and “very on the nose.” Her second single, “Lifetimes,” attracted controversy because the music video was filmed in the Balearic Islands, including Ibiza, in Spain—but the Balearic Islands’ environmental department announced it would open an investigation into the video shoot, alleging Perry’s production company did not obtain proper authorization to film on the island and that it would monitor for possible damage.

Why Is The “143” Producer Controversial?

Much of “143” was produced by Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, a controversial producer known for facing a now-dismissed lawsuit from the singer Kesha, who alleged the producer raped and emotionally abused her. The producer denied the allegations, and Dr. Luke and Kesha released a statement last year announcing they had reached a settlement. Dr. Luke had previously worked on Perry’s first two albums, “One of the Boys” and “Teenage Dream.” Perry’s decision to work with Dr. Luke on “143” faced criticism from media outlets and some celebrities, including Abigail Breslin, who seemingly slammed Perry on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Working with known abusers in any industry just contributes to the narrative that men can do abhorrent shit and get away with it,” Breslin posted the day before “Woman’s World” released, encouraging her followers to “stream Kesha.” Perry defended her decision to work with the producer in an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast earlier this month, stating Dr. Luke was “one of many collaborators” she worked with from earlier in her career on “143,” but acknowledged her decision “started a lot of conversations.”

Key Background

“143” is Perry’s followup to her 2020 album, “Smile,” which also failed to reach the chart success of her previous albums. “Smile” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, becoming her first release since “One of the Boys” in 2008 to not hit No. 1. Only one song from “Smile” charted on the Billboard Hot 100—lead single “Daisies,” which peaked at No. 40. Perry previously had a record-breaking string of hit singles in the early 2010s. Her album “Teenage Dream” was the first album since Michael Jackson’s “Bad” in 1987 to have five No. 1 hit singles in the United States, including some of her best-known songs like “Firework” and “California Gurls.”

What To Watch For

Whether “143” will be a success on the charts.

Further Reading

Katy Perry’s ‘Woman’s World’ Feminist Comeback Song Bombs With Critics—Here’s Why It’s So Controversial (Forbes)

Spanish island says Katy Perry video filmed without proper authorization (The Guardian)

Katy Perry’s troubled album roll-out continues as she’s now reportedly under investigation in Spain over potential environmental damage on ‘Lifetimes’ video shoot (NME)