Last week saw Katy Perry charge back onto the solo circuit with new single ‘Never Really Over.’ And it appears the track forms part of a fresh strategy for the singer.
Details below…
Speaking to The Sun (who she played three new songs to), Perry revealed that she won’t be going on tour anytime soon. She said:
“I don’t really want to go on tour right now. I can’t make a record while I’m on the road because one thing suffers.”
With tours typically supporting a new album, her reasoning may initially confuse some. After all, wouldn’t any such tour be for a new album rather than precede one?
Her comment becomes clearer when she added that she’s no longer waiting to release new material. No more of the *single-album-tour* formula. Per Perry, it’s now “more authentic” to drop songs as and when they’re ready. She explained:
“I feel a little bit like 2008 was a time, and now 2019 is a totally different time, and all of the change that has happened in between that, it’s a totally different playing field.
I mean, you have to rewire and relearn.”
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Cynical us sees this as a crystal-clear reaction to the underperformance of her last LP ‘Witness.’ Essentially a “I struggled to sell an album last go round, so don’t want to be seen to be making much effort this time.”
But then again is that a bad thing?
To her point, times really have changed and she’s by no means the only Pop star who’s had a rude awakening and is now having to readjust to a new climate. A climate where the primary rule is that there are next to no rules.
It’s almost commonplace now to throw out songs (solo, collabs and all else in-between), garner the streaming momentum, and then leverage that towards launching a live push.
On the one hand, it’s hemorrhaging the “album” as a format. Yet, on the other really is the way artists – new and known – are surviving these days. In Katy’s case, it also helps deconstruct the pressure of staging a comeback that atones for the tanking of ‘Witness.’ Now, she can re-establish success via singles – no matter how many it takes.
So kudos to Ms. Perry for doing what she arguably needs to do.
Wow TGJ, all the shade huh?
Every artist has a bad album that usually comes right before the artists best album.
Sometimes you gotta fall to realize you gotta change.
Kudos to Miss Perry, “Never really Over” is a summer bop!
Nice song for summer Katy
I feel like the Ariana is simply the IT pop girl rn and some of these stars are thinking they can replicate the hype of their biggest eras like how Gaga’s was 2009, Katy was 2011 and Taylor 2015. The each had massive eras and hype around them only to get replaced by another It girl of the moment. They can still have decent numbers but they can’t repeat those golden eras anyone…not like it was with Ray it Light or Emancipation being massive returns to form and the top of the hype game for Madonna and Mariah when people still bought albums. Katy needs to focus on making decent and fun pop songs that speak for themselves and not expect another Teenage Dream era
No clue why you concluded Gaga in this. She just came off ‘A Star is Born’, wich was a huge era for her. Nothing she’s has done after ARTPOP reflects that she wants to be the ‘it’ girl again.
A star is born is not an “era”. It’s a film and soundtrack. Doesn’t count for her sales
Bc nothing beats the hype Gaga had around the Fame/Fame Monster era and she was the main catalyst for driving pop music away from the typical Timbaland R&B beats and back towards European dance music and the most talked about pop star of the moment. ASIB was not so much about the music, tour era as it was the movie itself
I think Katie’s strategy is good, and her thoughts are correct. Albums really don’t make much sense anymore.
i mean.. she’s not wrong. in 2019, the album format isn’t as prevalent.
I love the new song! Best track she has done since 2013!
Witness was actually a good pop album sales aside they just chose the wrong singles IMO ??♂️
Yassss. I liked Katy’s music before Witness, but Witness made me a fan of her. The singles that were chosen were a mess, so many other good songs on that album.
Exactly witness 2th single, roulette 3rd , maybe bon appetite and swish as 4th and 5th. album would have been more succesful
Although i hear what you are saying, it doesn’t really makes sense. If the album is considered good, shouldn’t all songs be eligible for single material