Katy Perry has responded to the backlash she’s received since working with Dr Luke on her upcoming album sixth studio album ‘143’.
In July, Perry returned to music with her single ‘Woman’s World’ — marking her first new music since 2020. However, the release was quickly mired in controversy after fans noticed that Dr. Luke was listed as a co-producer on the track.
Perry has frequently collaborated with the producer, who has helmed some of her biggest hits including ‘I Kissed A Girl’, ‘California Gurls’ and ‘Dark Horse’, but the news proved controversial following his and Kesha’s long-running legal battle.
Kesha accused the producer of emotional abuse and sexual assault in 2014, culminating in a decade-long lawsuit. Dr Luke denied the allegations and countersued Kesha, claiming she had breached the recording contract they had with one another and made up rape allegations in an attempt to get out of the deal.
Now, Perry has responded to fan uproar regarding her decision to work with the producer. During an interview on the podcast Call Her Daddy, host Alex Cooper brought up the controversy, saying many people “were really upset” about his involvement in Perry’s comeback.
Cooper then asked Perry why she chose to work with Dr Luke, to which she responded: “I understand that it started a lot of conversations, and he was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with. The reality is, it comes from me.”
She went on to say: “I am speaking from my own experience. The truth is, I wrote these songs from my experience of my whole life going through this metamorphosis, and he was one of the people to help facilitate all that.”
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Perry didn’t mention the producer by name, instead focusing on the themes of her upcoming album ‘143’ and ‘Women’s World’ in particular, which she says is about: “Feeling so empowered now, as a mother, as a woman, giving birth, creating life, creating another set of organs.”
Katy Perry answers why she worked with Dr. Luke for her upcoming album on the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast. https://t.co/B2qWRQp31Y
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 4, 2024
Perry was brought into legal proceedings between Kesha and Dr Luke when Kesha alleged that Perry was also a victim of abuse at the hands of the producer. Perry strongly denied this and a judge later ruled that Kesha had libelled Dr Luke by suggesting as much.
In 2018, Perry said that she “felt pressured” to support Kesha. She also revealed that she felt like “Luke was using me as a pawn” to assert his innocence and that she was “annoyed” with both parties. Dr Luke was not involved in making her 2017 album ‘Witness’, which she added was because she didn’t want to feel like she was “picking a side”.
Kesha and Dr Luke’s legal battle came to an end last summer with the pair settling just one month before it was supposed to go to trial. Kesha has maintained her original claims against Dr Luke.
Kesha has since seemed to respond to Perry’s work with the producer, both on stage and online.
‘143’ is the first full-length album from Perry since she shared ‘Smile’ back in 2020. It is set for release on September 20 and is available for pre-sale / pre-order here.