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Earlier this week American singer Katy Perry, best known for her bubblegum pop, said she felt like a “human Piñata” after weeks of online backlash.
The description felt suitably colorful – but the acknowledgement was serious. A decade on from headlining the Superbowl, Perry’s part in a much-derided Blue Origin spaceflight has seen her star crash down to Earth.
Mockery over the apparent worthiness of her reaction, including kissing the ground after landing and saying she felt “so connected to love”, spread online. Fast food chain Wendy’s even posted to ask: “Can we send her back?”
Trolls have now taken aim at her world tour, which began in Mexico on 23 April, criticising her dance moves and performances.
It seems the star who first broke through singing about a boyfriend’s mood swings now faces an icy reception. Perry’s blamed an “unhinged and unhealed” internet – but is toxic social media the only reason?
‘A pattern of failed reinvention’
The music writer Michael Cragg, author of Reach for the Stars, believes Perry’s problem is that she’s stuck between pop cultures and feels increasingly out of touch.
“Her pop star persona was cemented in the 2010s as cartoon-y, fun and playful, all whipped cream bras and goofy videos where she wore oversized braces on her teeth,” he says.
For a period this worked. Her second album Teenage Dream, which doubled down on Perry’s staple cheeky, sexualised girl-next-door image, scored five Billboard number one singles to match a record set by Michael Jackson. Its follow-up, 2013’s Prism, bore transatlantic smash single Roar (her fourth solo UK number one), as well as Dark Horse in the US(her ninth domestically).
“That was a long time ago in pop terms and it feels like she hasn’t evolved,” adds Cragg.
The ‘pop girlie’ has changed
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Perry’s first hit I Kissed A Girl caused controversy for the fetishisation of lesbians even back in 2008 when it was released. But today Roan’s had global success telling her genuine queer awakening.
“The flip flopping has jarred in an era where… very defined pop star personas are the ones cutting through,” argues Cragg.
Perry’s 2021-2023 playground-styled Las Vegas residency embraced her surreal, fantastical image to commercial and critical success. But it’s not translating to a new generation of fans.
“I think ultimately people see her as a bit cringeworthy now,” Cragg adds, “Being shot into space on a billionaire’s jolly while everyone watches that on social media platforms interspersed with war and the climate crisis… just feels tonally not ideal,” he says.
