Katy Perry‘s return to music has not exactly been smooth. The “I Kissed a Girl” singer has come under fire for reuniting with controversial producer Dr. Luke for her new song, “Woman’s World,” but some fans seem to think that’s not the whole story.
A fierce debate has been waging on the internet about whether Katy Perry chose to collaborate with Dr. Luke of her own free will, or whether she might be contractually obligated to do so. The last time the duo had produced music together was for Perry’s fourth studio album Prism in 2013, approximately a year before fellow pop star Kesha sued the award-winning producer for sexual harassment, sex-based hate crimes, civil harassment, and more.
From viral TikTok videos to viral X threads, Internet sleuths are beginning to dig into it all in detail in an attempt to justify Perry’s decisions. With little help from its hyper-sexualized music video, which was intended as satire but ultimately poorly executed, “Woman’s World” has been completely panned by critics, with outlets like The Guardian calling it “garbage” and “regressive.”
So, let’s get into it
Following Kesha’s lawsuit, Dr. Luke countersued the “TiK ToK” musician and her mother for defamation, asking for $50 million in damages. After plenty of legal twists and turns, the two eventually settled nearly a decade later in 2023, just before the case was meant to go to trial. Through it all, the producer continued to deny the singer’s allegations, but his name is still primarily associated with them.
Perry was a key part of the legal proceedings, since Dr. Luke’s defamation lawsuit was tied to a text Kesha had sent Lady Gaga claiming that the “Dark Horse” artist had also been raped by the producer. According to the LA Times, the “Roar” singer said, during sworn questioning in 2017, that the accusations were “absolutely not” true. A 2018 NME article also quotes Perry as describing them as “outrageous and untrue.”
Perry made sure to steer clear of Dr. Luke while the lawsuit was going on, but was quick to reunite once the two parties settled. Other artists like Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, and Kim Petras released songs co-produced and co-written by the alleged abuser in the last few years and received some backlash, albeit nowhere near the scale of the hatred spewed against Perry.
Some people seem to believe Perry is under a contractual obligation to release a total of six albums with Dr. Luke (three of which being the three they have already made together). The claims come from reports, particularly by The Blast, that mention that $10.2 million out of the $50 million figure that the producer was seeking in damages came from “work that would have been done on Katy Perry’s 4th, 5th, and 6th albums.” Fans took this as confirmation that the two had an agreement to make three more albums together, but it is not that simple.
Explains why her new song is crap! She probably doesn’t want to give them anything decent,”
said one TikTok user
Ok. I think she wrote a crap song and is trying to spin it,”
another commentator chirped in.
While reports do not make this clear, it’s likely that the $10.2 million figure was merely an estimate from Luke’s team on what he could have made from future Perry collaborations, had Kesha’s claims not tarnished his reputation. During her 2017 deposition, publicly accessible via the NY Courts E-Courts website, Perry confessed to severing ties with her until-then-go-to producer for fear of public backlash. Dr. Luke was perhaps trying to use those statements to prove the harmful impact of Kesha’s lawsuit on his career and related earnings.
Working with him at this moment (…) would not be received well because of this lawsuit. (…) I would be picking a side. (…) I would be attacked, I would be the one woman that is against women and I’m not against women, but I believe in innocent until proven guilty and I believe in justice,”
Perry said in her statement.
In the same deposition, however, the singer seemingly indicates that she did enter a publishing deal with Luke in 2007, but it was for only three albums.
There is no proof that Katy Perry was in any way obligated to collaborate with Dr. Luke after her fourth album, “Prism” (her third with the producer’s contribution). While Dr. Luke and Kesha’s settlement in 2023 didn’t really tip the scales to any one side legally, multiple other female artists have come forward in support of Kesha and against the 50-year-old producer, certainly tipping it in her favor in the court of public opinion.
Kelly Clarkson said Dr. Luke was “not a good guy to [her]” and called him “kind of difficult to work with” and “kind of demeaning.” Becky G filed a lawsuit in 2018 claiming Dr. Luke had forced her into endorsing a nutrition supplements brand under threat she would not have a career otherwise. She dropped it a year later. Bebe Rexha shared experiences with an unnamed major producer people believe to be Dr. Luke who made her feel unsafe. Pink called the Kesha lawsuit “karma” because the 50-year-old is “not a good person” and “doesn’t go good business.”
In 2017, Katy Perry talked about never wanting to take sides or publicly support either Kesha or the alleged abusive producer. “I want to stay out of it because I know them both and I empathize with both of them and obviously it’s a horrible situation for both of them. The only two people that know what really went on are those two people,” she stated.
Neither Perry, Luke, or Kesha have made any public comments about “Woman’s World,” the former’s upcoming album, or the collaboration as yet. 143 is set to be released Sept. 20, 2024.
