Katy Perry is celebrating the debut of her highly anticipated new album “143,” which was released at midnight on Friday.
The 39-year-old “Teenage Dream” singer took to Instagram to inform her devoted followers, affectionately known as ‘KatyCats,’ that the album is “out now.”
In a short video, Perry, dressed in a colorful butterfly-shaped top with a chainlink back strap and baggy low-rise jeans, showed off her toned abs and well-known figure.
She also displayed the various vinyl editions of “143” available for purchase.
The 13-time Grammy nominee flaunted her waist-length black hair as she posed confidently for the camera.
Starting the video with her back to the camera, she then turned around to highlight the stack of vinyl records to her 205 million followers.
“143” marks Katy’s sixth studio album and her first in four years.
Her previous albums, “Witness” (2017) and “Smile” (2020), didn’t perform well critically or commercially, a departure from her years of topping the Billboard charts.
“143” was set to be her major comeback, especially after her music from the 2010s gained renewed popularity on TikTok.
However, the album’s launch faced hurdles, including controversies surrounding the release of its three singles: “Woman’s World,” “Lifetimes,” and “I’m His, He’s Mine.”
In July, it was disclosed that Katy had collaborated with producer Dr. Luke on her new music, including the ‘female empowerment’ anthem “Woman’s World.”
This choice drew criticism due to Dr. Luke’s past legal issues with singer Kesha, who in 2014 accused him of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse—a claim he strongly denies.
Earlier this month, while on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Katy addressed the controversy for the first time. “I understand that it started a lot of conversations,” she stated, acknowledging her reunion with Dr. Luke.
She described him as one of many contributors to her music, someone who helps her “facilitate” her creative process.
Katy, known for her hit “Wide Awake,” stood by her decision, emphasizing Dr. Luke’s role in her music production.
Continuing, she explained: “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, and he was one of the people to help facilitate all that—one of the writers, one of the producers.”
“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 whole heart and I did it. I’m still doing it. And I’m still a matriarch. And feeling really grounded in that, that’s where I’m speaking from,” she concluded.
However, early reviews for “143” have been less than favorable.
Variety harshly noted that the album “strips away the remnants of the perky personality that catapulted Perry into early 2010s superstardom,” describing the album as “flat” and commenting that Perry “sounds disaffected and removed, as if she’d just punched in between ‘American Idol’ tapings.”
The Guardian was also critical, giving “143” two out of five stars and labeling it “a common-or-garden mediocre pop album.”
Before the release of “143,” Katy was honored at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, where she received the prestigious Video Vanguard award.
During the ceremony, she performed a medley of some of her biggest hits, including “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Firework.”
Additionally, Katy invited rapper Doechii to join her onstage to perform their latest single “I’m His, He’s Mine,” which was released just last Friday.
Perry dedicated much of Thursday to rehearsing for her headlining performance at Brazil’s annual Rock In Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro.
Katy is the main act for “Dia Delas” on Friday, September 20, a day dedicated to celebrating the influence of female artists with an all-female lineup.
Her last appearance at Rock In Rio was in 2015 during her Prismatic World Tour.
The festival, running from Friday, September 13, to Sunday, September 22, features a lineup including Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Travis Scott, and OneRepublic, among others.
This year marks a special celebration of the festival’s 40-year history, with over 700,000 music fans expected to attend.
Rock In Rio has expanded beyond its original location, with editions in places like Lisbon, which hosted acts like the Jonas Brothers, Doja Cat, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock in June of this year.
Katy arrived at Galeao International Airport in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, where she received a warm welcome from a crowd of enthusiastic fans.
Katy posted videos on Instagram showing her and her dancers rehearsing in a huge space on Wednesday and Thursday.
She mentioned that this rehearsal venue was a two-hour drive from where the event was being held.
On Thursday, fans gathered at her hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse or meet her.
Katy shared clips of large crowds of her devoted “KatyCats” chanting “Katy” and “143” outside her hotel.
She responded by waving to them from her balcony, capturing this moment in a video that she uploaded to her main Instagram feed.
