For some reason, I always thought Katy Perry would have a big career.
After a bunch of hits like “Firework” and “Roar,” Katy seemed poised to keep expanding her success.
But her last real hit — which I loved — was “Chained to the Rhythm.” It seemed like a brave new turn into more sophisticated pop music. “Chained” got to number 4 in 2016.
And that was it. A decade has now passed since Katy had any kind of chart hit, or a record people talked about. Granted, she spent several years as a judge on “American Idol.” That stint may have earned her a bundle, but it did nothing for her music career.
All of this to say I was actually shocked on Friday to learn Perry had a new single and video called “Watch it Burn.” There was little prep or marketing, just a dump. What was she thinking? What was burning? Her career?
Sad to say, “Watch it Burn” spent a few hours on the iTunes chart, got up to around number 16, and has since vanished. The YouTube video has 2 million views, which seems like a lot but translates into very little.
Some thought Katy’s continued embrace of Dr. Luke as a producer tarnished her image. After all, Dr. Luke — real name Łukasz Gottwald — was involved in a nasty scandal and lawsuits with pop singer Kesha, who accused him of rape and manipulation. Female pop stars rallied for Kesha, and against Luke. Katy, who’d built her career on female empowerment, seemed tone deaf.
Since then, she’s literally watched ‘it’ burn. If she has a team of advisors she can’t be listening to them. “Watch It Burn” is angry and ugly. Even though Dr. Luke is gone, the new production is dark. She also seems to be singing it a very low register. It could be her voice has changed — she’s 41. But Perry seems to be better known for whom she’s dating — former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau — than what she’s singing.
