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 colourful – 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). Perry hasn’t topped charts under her own steam since.
“That was a long time ago in pop terms and it feels like she hasn’t evolved,” adds Cragg.
In the past year, her comeback single Woman’s World, touted as a female empowerment anthem, struck critics as lyrically shallow.
Some fans also seemed unimpressed that it was produced by Dr. Luke, who previously faced sexual assault allegations from the singer Kesha. The producer denied the claims and the pair reached an agreement to settle a defamation lawsuit in 2023, but Perry remained tainted by association.
The track failed to land in the top 50 in the US and only just managed in the UK, at 47. “Her sort of spiritual ‘let love lead the way’ messages she posts don’t really hold sway with very online pop fans in the face of that decision,” says Cragg.
“The regressive girl boss feel of Woman’s World, and then the album not being great hasn’t helped,” he adds, pointing to rapper Doja Cat’s success working with Dr. Luke without the same negative response.
It followed a pattern of failed reinvention attempts stretching back to 2017’s Witness, where Perry attempted to launch her socially conscious “purposeful pop” era.
But its Sia-written lead single Chained to the Rhythm, which boldly attacked mindless pop culture, appeared to be undermined by Bon Appetit, a song openly objectifying Perry as a sexual meal.
The ‘pop girlie’ has changed
Female pop stardom has shifted. Last year’s biggest breakout music stars – Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX – were women joined by a thread of fierce self-assurance, underpinned by relatability and authenticity.
In contrast, Perry wanted distance from her pop persona – as the headline for Cragg’s 2017 Guardian interview with her put it: “I created this character called Katy Perry. I didn’t want to be Katheryn Hudson. It was too scary.”
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.
Perry may have misjudged the public mood, but at the same time, the venom in the blowback points to deeper issues in pop culture beyond her control.
There is no doubt that the social media landscape has become more frenzied in recent years, with stars like Roan speaking against toxic fandoms.
Simon Diego, the creator of Brazil’s Portal Katy Perry fan community, described the scale of the abuse towards the 40-year-old as “unbelievable”.
The group showed their support by clubbing together with other fan pages to pay for a digital billboard message in New York’s Times Square for 24 hours.
“We’re so proud of you and your magical journey and we love you to the moon and back,” it read.
“Know that you are safe, seen and celebrated. We’ll see you around the world, this is just the beginning.”
It was this that Perry replied to directly with her Piñata remark acknowledging the backlash.