The music industry’s relentless pace has been gamely embraced by Katy Perry – an artist who, in less than a year, has churned out an album, advocated for Kamala Harris during her candidature for vice presidency, and most recently, embarked on an ill-conceived journey to space. The high-octane pop sensation now gears up for a global tour, starting from Mexico City. Impertinently unconcerned by the likelihood of failure or setback, Perry persistently adopts a ‘why not’ approach ladled with blind optimism.
Her recklessness, however, does not always culminate in success or applauds. Case in point, her September album, named ‘143’, which received brittle criticisms on all fronts. Concurrently, her decision to engage the disgraced producer Dr. Luke in the project raised many eyebrows, sparking widespread reproach.
Many prominent figures have also questioned the ostentatious display of resource consumption through her recent space escapade. Despite the increasing calamities grappling our planet, needless extravagance seems to be Perry’s apparent choice.
Deriving its momentum from her penchant for dusting herself off after setbacks, Perry’s fame has magnified since she burst onto the scene with the 2008 single ‘I Kissed a Girl’. ‘Control what is within my control’ serves as Perry’s mantra. A nugget of wisdom, or an ideal hiding place for her thick-skinned ambition, one might wonder.
In recent years, Perry publicly embraced Transcendental Meditation, asserting it has revolutionized her existence. But one can’t help but ponder if this line of reflection and self-awareness could be better directed towards her extravagances and misguided decisions.
The pop maven claims an extensive inner journey set her on a path to eradicating mental knots, seeking answers, and empowering herself. Despite such epiphanies, instances of self-awareness, like reconsidering a space flight amidst global crises, seem decisively absent from her revelatory path.
The narrative surrounding Perry often veers towards her fascination with spirituality. Casual mentions of astrology, the enneagram, cardology and the like, have served as self-conscious attempts to portray an image of depth, intricacy, and perhaps, wisdom.
Not only this, Perry credits the birth of her daughter, Daisy, as a catalyst in a personal enlightenment, insisting it amplified her ‘divine feminine’. An endearing perspective perhaps, but does it justify the grandiosity encapsulated in her decision-making and lifestyle?
She claims that these experiences have informed the ethos of her music and performance, molding her latest ‘Lifetimes Tour’ narrative. The plot revolves around a video game character combating malevolent forces – a depiction that conceivably echoes Perry’s own life.
Hat tipping to traditional ‘believe in yourself’ and ‘lead with love’ platitudes, Perry asserts these as her perennial messages. Can such tender notions truly counterbalance her ostentation and glaring lack of consideration for global issues, however?
With over 80 concerts, Perry’s tour will chiefly recapitulate her past hits. In the span of almost two decades, Perry’s tunes have been typified by cheeky lyrics and catchy phrases designed to empower. Her recent albums, however, seem to have lost their sheen, receiving lukewarm critical responses.
Regardless of less than stellar reactions, Perry at 40, plans to pull out all the stops for this epoch-making tour. Even self describes it as ‘Disneyland on wheels’, a phrase that aptly captures its simmering extravagance and undeniable spectacle.
She conveys an obligatory sense of duty towards her followers who have joined her theatrical journey so far, promising them the nostalgic euphoria they experienced on hearing ‘Teenage Dream’ for the first time. One can’t help but ask, though, is this romanticized nostalgia simply a veil for the extravagant spectacle? Only time can tell.