What Has Katy Perry Said About Working With Dr. Luke?
By Cat Zhang, a culture writer at the Cut, covering books, film, TV, and music. music. Cat was previously an editor at Pitchfork, and in 2022, she received the ASME Next Award for Journalists Under 30.
Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Did Katy Perry bonk her head inside the Goop store? Too many Ayurvedic enema cleanses and energy-healing retreats is my best guess as to why she’s singing about “divine feminine” and acting so blissfully out of touch. On Wednesday’s episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, host Alex Cooper asked Perry about her controversial decision to stage her comeback with disgraced producer Dr. Luke. It’s a question everyone’s been wondering, given the irony of making a “feminist” anthem with an alleged rapist. (Kesha accused Dr. Luke — who worked on some of Perry’s biggest hits — of drugging and sexual assault in 2014. He countersued for defamation; they settled their protracted legal battle last year.)
“Look, I understand that it started a lot of conversations,” Perry says. “He was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with,” she added, minimizing his role before redirecting the conversation to herself. “But the reality is, it comes from me. The truth is, I wrote these songs from my experience of my whole life going through this metamorphosis.”
There’s more. “I am speaking from my own experience. When I speak about ‘Woman’s World,’ I speak about feeling so empowered now as a mother, as a woman, giving birth, creating life, creating another set of organs, a brain, a heart — I created a whole-ass heart!” she continues. This response is the best proof I have that Perry writes her own lyrics. It’s a whole lot of gibberish — just like her songs.
