Katy Perry’s comeback is already in trouble – but she only has herself to blame

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Katy Perry’s new single is a depressingly retrograde racket, a faux-feminist pastiche paying tribute to the “feminine divine”. It’s been more than a decade since a Katy Perry album release has gone smoothly, with 2013’s Prism – which featured hits including “Roar”, a track built for supermarket aisles and BBC Sport montages – the last gasp of the singer as an unflappable chart titan. Witness, in 2017, saw Perry tease a shift into “purposeful pop” – an ambiguous term that didn’t align with the radio-friendly but chronically basic boppery of the record itself. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up One of the Boys – which also featured hits including “Hot N Cold” and “Waking Up in Vegas” – remains her best album to date and it was a massive hit, selling seven million copies.