Fans Upset With Katy Perry Over ‘Dated’ Lyrics of New Track: 'It's Giving 2016 Hillary Clinton...'

For a long time now, Katy Perry's legion of devoted followers has been asking the pop queen when she plans to release new music—and now that it's out in the wild, it's clearly not going down well. After a sample from Perry's next album, Woman's World, was released on Monday, fans had a harsh response to the song. Her Instagram video featured the singer lip-syncing the lyrics "Sexy, confident. So intelligent. She is heaven-sent. So soft, so strong," while dancing in a white crochet bikini.

One user shared the clip on Twitter along with a caption, "I was rooting for Katy but these lyrics are so dated it’s giving 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign material it’s over." Another user commented on the 'lyrics' of the video: "That’s just common synths, the production is uninspiring sure but the main issue is that the lyrics are bad." One more user shared their perspective, "Her lyrics were always literal, Firework, Roar and many others, it's not her style to circle a meaning just to sound "concept girl."" Another disappointed fan wrote, "She is a way better songwriter than this. i don’t understand what is going on with her :(."

Some fans went on to voice their disdain over reports that Perry worked with producer Dr. Luke on both the song and the album, adding fuel to the fire of controversy. This response is a result of Kesha's historic charges against Dr. Luke, whom she accused of sexual assault; their legal dispute ended in a settlement in 2023, as per The LA Times. 

Another issue pertaining to the video of the song surfaced among her Instagram followers. One of her followers commented, "Too skinny Katy! Stop with the osempic! You are talented lady, you don't need to be so skinny!!"  Another fan chimed in, "Ozepic face bad! Plus no child blood. She aging rapidly." One more fan shared their concern, "Oh god, has she gone down the Ozempic route? I've never seen her so thin, I liked her size before she had the baby." Another follower added, "Ummmm Katy, baby you’ve never been a stick figure! Whyyy go the Ozempic route?"

This is the first full-length album from Perry since 2020's Smile, which was critically and commercially unsuccessful. Smile was also promoted as a new beginning after the negative reception to Perry's 2017 album Witness. For a record-breaking celebrity who tops the charts, Perry has kept a modest profile since then. She welcomed a daughter, Daisy Dove, into the world in August of 2020, marking her first child with Orlando Bloom. Thereafter, she debuted Play, an 80-show engagement in Sin City. Perry is reportedly shifting her professional emphasis to music after announcing her departure from American Idol earlier this year. Perry ended her seven seasons as a judge on the show in May after finishing off her last program.