Where did all of it go unsuitable for Katy Perry?

Katy Perry’s comeback has been slammed left, right and centre – from audiences hitting out at the production and criticising her collaboration with Dr Luke to fans remarking that she’s copying the Kardashians and Bianca Censori with her latest fashion looks.

The star, 39, who has also for years seen her relationship with fiancé Orlando Bloom endure ‘challenging’ on and off moments, appears to be wilting in comparison to stars she once feuded with – including Taylor Swift, who has become a billionaire off the back of her Eras Tour.

Elsewhere, recent resurfaced clips have also seen the star branded a ‘mean girl’ by online users. 

It would seem that no matter what Katy does, audiences aren’t impressed, with scathing music reviews and angry social media posts at the ready.

Here, FEMAIL looks at exactly where it all went wrong for the once radio hit legend…

‘ABYSMAL’ SINGLE

The singer is currently promoting the lead single from her forthcoming seventh studio album 143, but the track – billed as an empowering feminist anthem – has been dismissed as unoriginal, hypocritical and formulaic. 

The American star returned to music with her new track earlier this month, but has faced criticism for the sexualised nature of the video, notably a moment where she and her dancers perform sexy choreography on a construction site before she is ‘smashed’ by an anvil and returns in a new costume.

In a recent behind-the-scenes video shared to Instagram, Katy said: ‘We’re kind of just having fun, being a bit sarcastic with it. It’s very slapstick and very on the nose.

‘With this set it’s like, “Oooh, we’re not about the male gaze, but we really are about the male gaze.” And we’re really overplaying it and on the nose.’

The former American Idol judge explained the anvil moment was meant as a ‘reset’ to help her embrace the ‘idea of feminine divine’.

She added: ‘We wanted to open this video making it look like a super high-gloss pop star video.’

Woman’s World is the first single from Perry’s upcoming album 143, which will be released on 20 September.

The title is a code for I love you which was often used in messages sent on pagers during the 1990s.

Katy said in a statement: ‘I set out to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a throughline message.’

It will mark the star’s first album since 2020’s Smile, which did not replicate the success of her previous records.

The Firework singer previously told how the album will be ‘pure joy and fun’.

She told Access Hollywood: ‘I just have yet to make a record from a place of feeling really happy and whole and full of love.

‘Sometimes artists are like, “Oh, that’s boring, you want to make music from kind of like a tougher place,” but actually it’s very bright and joyful, like pure joy and fun and playful and celebratory and a party.’

Shortly after its release, Woman’s World was panned by the critics as a ‘monumental catastrophe’ that sounds like a ‘reheated’ Lady Gaga.

It received a particularly harsh review from Pitchfork, which suggested it sounded like Katy had learned about feminism from a basic Google search.

‘Defying all sense of taste, the pop singer’s comeback single is too dispiriting to even approach camp. It’s abysmal,’ wrote the outlet’s Shaad D’Souza.

The star faced criticism for allegedly modeling her song after Lady Gaga’s 2020 hit Stupid Love, resulting in what some called a lackluster imitation.

The Pitchfork review noted that her choice to work with Dr Luke on a feminist anthem was ‘sincerely twisted, if unsurprising.’

The song also received a scathing one-star review from The Guardian, which described the song as ‘reheated Gaga’ and accused it of blatantly borrowing from Chappell Roan’s single Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.

‘Woman’s World sounds like it was designed by a committee in a boardroom at Capitol Records whose sole objective was a sync on RuPaul’s Drag Race and generating comments of “you ate” from white gays living in West Hollywood,’ wrote Alim Kheraj in a scalding review for Dazed.

With ‘lyrics that genuinely felt AI generated,’ the song ‘falls as flat as the bottom of the anvil that crushes Perry halfway through the music video,’ according to Mary Siroky’s review for Consequence Of Sound.

DR LUKE CONTROVERSY

Katy has been lambasted for working on Woman’s World with music producer Dr. Luke, whom Kesha accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit that was ultimately dismissed. Dr. Luke has staunchly denied the allegations against him.

The music producer, 50, was embroiled in a highly publicised legal battle against Kesha, 37, in which he was accused of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, with Kesha alleging that Katy was also a victim – something she denied.

Now, one year after the pair settled, Dr. Luke, whose real name is Łukasz Gottwald, has been listed as a co-producer on Perry’s upcoming single, prompting fury from fans who questioned how she can reconnect with the songwriter to promote female empowerment.

Insiders have exclusively told DailyMail.com Perry was advised against working with Dr. Luke, who together with Swedish songwriter Max Martin, previously produced some of her biggest tracks, but she refused to listen.

‘So many fans are already turning on Katy before she’s even released new music because Dr. Luke worked on this album with her,’ an insider said.

‘She is trying to promote it on female empowerment – but working with Dr. Luke screams the opposite.

‘She was advised against working with him and was also advised to tone down the sex appeal – but she is ramping it up. She is listening to no one about how to promote the album, market it, etc.’

The source claimed Perry’s motivation for releasing a new album now was for a ‘paycheck’ after bowing out of American Idol in May and selling her back catalog to Litmus Music for $255 million in 2023.

They continued: ‘All of this comes after she sold her entire catalogue for money. This album isn’t about her showing how she is growing as an artist or her “new era” – it’s about a paycheck now that she’s done with American Idol.’

Kesha and Dr. Luke were locked in a bitter legal battle for nearly a decade from 2014 after she accused him of drugging and raping her back in 2005.

In 2016, she also publicly accused him of raping Perry.

The Grammy-winning producer fired back with a defamation lawsuit of his own, claiming the Tik Tok singer defamed him with her false claims, when she said in a text to Lady Gaga that Dr. Luke raped Perry.

Perry denied that Dr. Luke raped her in a deposition and a New York state judge ruled against Kesha in 2020 saying she had defamed her former producer with the claim, and an appeals court upheld that decision in 2021.

Perry was among the litany of musicians, including Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Adam Levine and Taio Cruz, who gave testimony or sworn statements related to the case.

Dr. Luke and Kesha finally reached a settlement in June 2023 – just a month before the case was set to go to trial.

Perry and Dr. Luke previously collaborated on her hit singles including 2008’s I Kissed a Girl, 2010’s California Gurls and 2013’s Roar.

Soon after the announcement of her new single Woman’s World, fans spotted the credit to Dr. Luke on Genius, before Rolling Stone confirmed Perry had ‘put together’ a team including Martin, Stargate, Sarah Hudson, Vaughn Oliver, Rocco Valdes, Theron Thomas – and Dr. Luke.

She was quickly called out for her apparent hypocrisy, with others branding the decision ‘monumentally stupid.’

Kesha, whose full name is Kesha Rose Sebert, also tweeted ‘lol’ in the wake of the news. 

‘Katy, it’s bad for you girl and from the snippet that I heard the music isn’t even good to be worth all this,’ one person wrote on Reddit.

Another said: ‘Why on earth did she think working with Dr Luke would be a good look for her comeback? Aside from it being a disgusting choice on a personal level, on a PR level it’s just monumentally stupid.’

A third said: ‘Girlie pop doesn’t actually care about empowering women she just wants to be in the spotlight again.’

TURNING INTO A KARDASHIAN? 

She’s known for her hit track, California Girls. 

But Katy seems to be leaning specifically towards Calabasas as her latest looks have channeled members of the most famous family on reality TV – the Kardashians.

The singer has been opting for outfits which are near identical to ensembles worn by the sisters, from audacious fur coats, maroon leather dresses and trendy denim numbers.

It’s been marked by a move towards more body-hugging silhouettes, as well as glammed up athleisure looks that accentuate curves.

Most recently, Katy stepped out in nothing but a huge fur coat for the Balenciaga show at Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris on Wednesday.

She was accused of copying Kanye West‘s wife Bianca Censori – who, ironically, has been dubbed Kim Kardashian‘s lookalike.

The rapper, 47, was previously married to the SKIMS founder – and famously influenced her fashion choices during their seven-year relationship.

Kim said in a previous episode of the Kardashians: ‘Kanye has always dressed me. In the early 2000s, he would literally just send me random emails with all these looks and what my style should be.’

Katy’s fur coat also harked back to Kim herself – who exuded glamour in a black faux-fur coat in France in March.

Elsewhere this summer, the Teenage Dream hitmaker donned a quirky all-denim ensemble at the premiere of Diane von Furstenberg – Woman In Charge in Paris.

As the star teamed a distressed jacket with a corset-style top and metal-adorned bodycon skirt, she channeled  Kylie Jenner, who sported a similarly styled dress while out and about in London in 2022. 

Katy was also spotted attending a comedy show in Los Angeles earlier in June, for which she wore a form fitting top and cargo trousers.

The sultry yet casual ensemble looked to perfectly mirror Kim’s style, who sported a similar look while strolling around New York in 2022. 

In April Katy once again looked to take inspiration from Kim as she  attended an American Idol event in a maroon leather gown that looked similar to one worn by the reality star in 2021 – down to the matching evening gloves.

That same month, Katy also donned a seethrough mesh black gown that could be compared with one worn by Kim at Paris Fashion week in January. 

Even the singer’s social media posts look to be channeling the famous family – recent online posts from the pop star are comparable to the sultry selfies regularly shared by Kylie.

It also perhaps no wonder that Katy’s looks are so reminiscent of the Kardashians, as she shares features with the sisters – including glossy, long black tresses and a bronzed skin tone.

However, the ensembles are a far cry from the popstar’s old, quirkier fashion choices, which include a dress shaped like a chandelier, a hamburger costume and a bright yellow gown teamed with a blue wig. 

Her new aesthetic comes as the star has recently sparked claims that she may be using Ozempic or another weight loss drug after showcasing her incredibly toned figure on the cover of her upcoming album.

After unveiling the cover art for her next record, social media users began to voice speculation that she may be taking a medication to achieve her recent weight loss. 

The performer, who has spoken about trying to squeeze in workouts at least three or four times a week to maintain her figure, was accused of using a weight-loss drug to get in the shape of her life. 

‘I hate that like every celebrity, even ones who [are] already thin, is on Ozempic now,’ one X user wrote.

Others joked that the ‘ozempic is ozempicking’ and that Katy is ‘so back.’ 

Still, some expressed missing her old appearance as they recalled how she ‘used to be busty.’

Since catapulting to fame after the release of her 2008 hit, I kissed a Girl, the singer has been widely considered as a sex symbol by the public and previously described as a ‘full-on male fantasy’ by GQ. 

Speculation that she is using a weight loss drug is unsubstantiated and Katy has not publicly spoken about taking any medications to slim down.  

Back in 2011, she spoke about hoping conversations about body positivity continue to grow after ‘decades of bad messaging’.

‘Long gone are the days where you are not socially aware. You can’t unsee all that crazy s**t and not try to do something to change it,’ she told Mashable, at the time. 

She continued: ‘I know for me, I’m curvy, I’m not sample size, but I represent a lot of people out there. I want to be relatable. That’s really important to me, while not losing my mind in this weird f**king human experiment I’m going through.’ 

During her pregnancy with daughter, Daisy, who turns four in August, Katy revealed that she was ‘really grateful for’ her body. 

‘Going through this process you get a whole new viewpoint,’ she said while appearing on the Kyle and Jackie O Australian radio show. 

‘CHALLENGING’ ROMANCE WITH ORLANDO

While admitting to their relationship definitely having ‘fireworks’, Orlando Bloom and Katy seem to have had a tumultuous romance over the years.

In an interview last year, he admitted that his relationship with his ‘baby mama and life partner’ Katy Perry can be ‘really challenging’ in a candid new interview. 

While reflecting on their differences, the Pirates of the Caribbean star, 47, revealed that his fiancée gets ‘stressed’ about the dangerous side of his job.

‘We definitely battle with our emotions and creativity, [but] I think we’re both aware of how blessed we are to have uniquely connected in the way that we did at the time that we did, and there’s definitely never a dull moment,’ she continued.

He went on to tell Flaunt Magazine that tackling long-distance with the American Idol judge due to their demanding work schedules has been their biggest hurdle over the years.

‘We’re in two very different pools,’ he explained. ‘Her pool is not a pool that I necessarily understand, and I think my pool is not a pool that she necessarily understands.’ 

He concluded: ‘Sometimes things are really, really, really, challenging. I won’t lie.’ 

The duo, who were first romantically linked back in 2016 after meeting at the Golden Globes, before going on a break in March 2017. 

‘I had given so much out, and it literally broke me in half. I had broken up with my boyfriend, who is now my baby daddy-to-be,’ she told radio station SiriusXM CBC. 

Ultimately, she credits gratitude for saving her life and her relationship with God. 

Less than a year later, they rekindled their relationship.

After getting back together, the Chained To The Rhythm singer told Footwear News magazine that Bloom is ‘a great anchor’ in her life. 

‘For some reason, I attract people who are really real and call me out on stuff when I’m being cuckoo,’ she noted.  

In 2019, they got engaged on Valentine’s Day, before going on to welcome their daughter Daisy Dove on August 26, 2020. 

‘We are floating with love and wonder from the safe and healthy arrival of our daughter,’ they said in a statement to UNICEF, at the time. ‘But we know we’re the lucky ones and not everyone can have a birthing experience as peaceful as ours was.’ 

Last year, Katy also paid tribute to Orlando’s ex-wife Miranda Kerr, who is the mother to his firstborn child, Flynn.

After attending the 20th annual G’Day USA Arts Gala in Los Angeles in January, Perry shared pictures and videos with Kerr, who she described as ‘sister from another mister’ and ‘favorite Aussie.’

‘MEAN GIRL’ ALLEGATIONS 

Katy’s history has done little to paint her in a better light, following years of ‘beef’ and ‘feuds’ with some of the industry’s hottest artists.

Recently, she has been lambasted on social media after an old interview resurfaced in which she took a shot at Mariah Carey. 

The 2014 clip, from Australian breakfast television show Sunrise, sees Perry respond after host Samantha Armytage charitably described her as the ‘biggest female entertainer in the world’.

‘No I’m not, Beyonce is – duh! Do not blaspheme,’ the American pop star quipped in response. 

The show’s hosts then read out a tweet from a viewer, who suggested that Mariah Carey in fact deserved the title. 

‘I mean, she’s fabulous… for a throwback,’ Katy replied cattily, then added, ‘We love Fantasy, I love Honey… I listened to all those songs growing up.’

Social media users on X were less than impressed by the interview, which went viral again this week.   

‘It’s okay we all know Katy flopped,’ posted one person while another said, ‘Karma is a b**ch’. 

‘She is a mean girl. She did the same with Britney,’ said another while someone else asked, ‘Why was she like this omg…’

‘Rather be a throwback than a throw up,’ wrote one more, with yet another writing,  ‘This aged like breast milk in an old woman’. 

‘And now look at her flopping and collaborating with Dr Luke,’ someone else said, with one more adding,  ‘She predicted her own future’.

One more chimed in: ‘She jinxed herself so bad by saying this because things started to go south soon after’. 

Katy was also famously embroiled in a feud with Taylor Swift – although they have since squashed their beef.

Taylor even penned her 2015 song Bad Blood about their dispute – which began when Katy apparently tried to hire a bunch of Taylor’s backup dancers and ‘sabotage an entire arena tour.’

The pair first fell out with one another a decade ago, and TMZ reported that the feud between the performers ignited when three of Taylor’s dancers quit to join Katy’s Prismatic World Tour. 

Taylor released the single Bad Blood and added fuel to the fire, in a now infamous interview with Rolling Stone, when she admitted that the track was about a female musician – and ‘straight-up enemy.’

She told the publication: ‘For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not.

‘She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, “Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?”

‘Then last year, the other star crossed a line. She did something so horrible, I was like, “Oh, we’re just straight-up enemies.” And it wasn’t even about a guy!

‘It had to do with business. She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me.’

After Taylor’s interview was published, Katy tweeted an alleged slant in Taylor’s direction and wrote: ‘Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing,’ referring to Rachel McAdams’ bitchy character in Mean Girls.

Then in May 2017, Katy seemingly retaliated to Taylor’s Bad Blood track with her own single Swish Swish, which was also reportedly about their feud. 

However, a year later Katy reached out to her former friend with an olive branch and a handwritten note which began: ‘Hey old friend, I’ve being doing some reflecting on our miscommunications and tough feelings between us.’

Earlier this year the duo proved that their epic feud is well and truly in the past as they cuddled up for a selfie in Australia, following the singer’s concert at Sydney‘s Accor Stadium.

Katy showed her support for her former frenemy, along with Rita Ora and her husband, Taika Waititi, and couldn’t wait to pay tribute to her ‘old friend’ as she shared several snaps and videos on Instagram – including a super sweet close-up shot of them backstage together.

The two pop stars looked as glamorous as ever as Taylor, 34, pressed her cheek up against Katy’s face and grinned from ear-to-ear ahead of her show-stopping performance, which saw her show off her svelte figure in a stunning sequin bodysuit.

Mother-of-one Katy, who looked chic in a pair of wide-legged pinstripe trousers and a matching cropped waistcoat, captioned the social media post, ‘Got to see an old friend shine tonight,’ and reassured fans that her friendship with the Shake It Off hitmaker is firmly back on track.