Growing up, I was not someone who had parasocial relationships with pop stars. To some extent, I still don’t understand the obsession with celebrity that some have. With that said, I’ve somehow kept finding myself in the same circles as Katy Perry. Part of this is because I was the right age when “I Kissed A Girl” came out where it felt like the edgy alternative to pop’s clean and heteronormative style. She was a former religious singer who was now touring with Warped Tour and dating that guy from Gym Class Heroes. While Pink likes to think she still had the edge, Perry in the late 2000s had something that made her stand out.
That may be, quite foolishly, why I kept checking in with her as everything escalated. Nobody can deny that her rebranding on “Teenage Dream” lead to enviable superstardom. It’s there in the numbers. Everything since has been chasing that high and while “Prism” did plenty to expand her image, one thing was clear. I was not going to be getting the Perry that I found initially interesting.
Again, I am not the ideal demographic for Top 40 pop. For as much as I’ve tried to enjoy it in recent years, there is something that bothers me about the calculated nature of most pop artists. There is a need to follow trends which, paradoxically, means that the art loses something personal.
To me, nobody has symbolized that more frequently than Katy Perry. In the months leading up to the release of “143,” I was exposed to a certain narrative over and over. The internet questioned whatever happened to the pop goddess. Why was she making such vapid, disposable tracks like “Woman’s World” that reinforced dated empowerment tropes instead of saying something personal and real? Many complained that this was a disaster and, while it’s by no means misrepresented, was a comment that confused me. The rhetoric made it sound like Perry was pulling a move similar to Madonna’s “American Life” where the shift was so radical and confusing that it would remain the nadir of her career. There’s no denying that working with the notoriously abusive Dr. Luke wasn’t the best thing to give your P.R. team. How could someone whose career was so beloved put out work so inconsequential?
This is all to say that I don’t get it because I never understood what made Katy Perry “exceptional.” Because of curiosity that I latched onto during the “One of the Boys” era, I have given her the benefit of the doubt with each album. Even then, what once felt like a promising alternative pop icon trajectory was quickly severed in favor of vapid pop hits that are easy to sing along to. Are they fun? Yes. However, you go from something as bratty as “Hot N Cold” where you get a personality alongside her impressive vocal range to the emptiness of “Roar” and you can see what was lost. Instead of challenging listeners, she settled for making empowerment music where every lyric was stolen from motivational posters. “Hot N Cold” is fun because it’s innovative and clever. “Roar,” meanwhile, couldn’t be bothered to have one organic thought.
I say this because I guess that I don’t see “143” as the face-plant that everyone is making it out to be. Is “Woman’s World” a poorly constructed song made worse by bad press? Very much so. However, I think to suggest this is out of continuity is farcical. While Perry has gotten emotional and insightful at points, it does feel like she’s slowly stripped away the substance in favor of making pop music for the masses. Outside of her voice, I don’t know what her greater identity is in 2024. It’s not because she suddenly had an identity crisis, but because she’s not making albums full of “Hot N Cold.” They’re more like less palatable versions of “Roar” that find her filling a role as the B-Side to the summer jams. They’ll come and go without anyone really complaining. There’s no immediacy. Even the trainwreck that was Camilla Cabello’s latest is likelier to stay in the imagination long after the beach balls have been deflated.
I don’t understand the need to suggest that Perry was ever a generation-defining artist who was deserving of scrutiny. She has the versatility and personality for a quick pop-up, but she was never on the forefront of entertainment. If anything, she was lucky to land on a few quirky concepts that helped her stand out. She was goofy and knew how to have a good time. Her career endured in spite of her music being sometimes formulaic because people liked her. Nobody’s out there calling “Peacock” high art. It partially works because she was winking at the silliness, embracing a camp that has clearly faded over time. The theatricality has become more self-conscious to the point that “143” is a weird mess. It wants to be fun, but Perry has played these tricks before. She’s even released the therapeutic “Smile” album that has mostly disappeared from the discussion. I don’t blame her for wanting to capture the zeitgeist again, even if I’d argue she hasn’t since the early 2010s.
This is the Catch-22 of “143.” Many want it to be like her earlier career. But it isn’t. Perry has evolved and changed as a person. Her interests have expanded and I don’t know that she’s necessarily concerned about keeping her eye on the ball. Instead she wants to have fun. For as much as she wants to keep recapturing the successfulness of “Roar,” it’s not likely to happen because we’re in a generational shift that comes for everyone. Perry may graduate to an elder statesman, though one has to ask if she will shift into saying something more meaningful. There are hints here and there, but this record is likely to be yet another shrug. It lacks any form warranting larger criticism. It’s mostly disinterested in being the sledgehammer necessary to tear down the wall. If anything, it dents it with a smidge.
I say all of this to make the argument that this record is both unremarkable but also underrated. In an era where Taylor Swift is pushing the limits of parasocial relationships with autobiographical pop, what is Perry offering her fans? She is doing what many have done before and just releasing a methodical batch of songs. It’s maybe lacking the memorable tackiness of Meghan Trainor, but I’d argue this is a record that at very least has a pulse. At no point was I bored. In a sea of artists releasing disposable pop, Perry’s was on the higher end of the humdrum. Her voice still crackles with purpose even if it’s often reduced to gibberish. She is far from her glory days, but she’s still out there trying.
A large part of it is because “143” is a record without cohesion. This feels like a compilation where Perry is mixing solo cuts with promising collaborations. Even then, it can be argued that the guest list features names that are currently outshining her and have done much better elsewhere. Along with 21 Savage, Kim Petras shows up for an enjoyable duet on “Gorgeous.” However, nobody outshines Perry quite like Doechii, who is having quite the year with a much better mixtape that was released weeks before. Taken as individual tracks, it feels like the fun novelty that a late in career artist would usually put out to stay busy. Everything feels contractual and it’s to Perry’s credit that it’s not totally lifeless. Even in its impersonal touches, she throws her full body into it and attempts to make it work.
An issue with following Perry for this long is that there’s been enough potential on display that just disappears. Whereas I wanted the tomboyishness of her debut to last a little longer, I still miss her ability to turn a phrase on “California Gurls.” While there are moments, like the closer “Wonder,” that offer glimpses of that performer with something to say, I fear she’s too convinced that she needs to be THE pop star that she never felt like for all that long. Instead of embracing individuality, she conformed. The rebel spirit is gone. It disappeared long ago. “143” is not all that surprising if you’ve been paying attention.
This is something that many have released: a generic pop record. If “Roar” proved anything a long time ago, it’s that Perry was really good at it. She could deliver entertainment for the masses. Given that 2024 is a year where every major diva has stepped up with their own contributions, it’s harder to stand out as the artist who never felt all that exceptional. There may come a point where I hear any of these songs in isolation and enjoy them. I’ll rock on my feet and snap my fingers as I try to recall where I’ve heard it before. As it disappears, I’ll mistake it for a deep cut to one of her better albums. It’ll never exist as a quintessential “143” song. With an album title like that, how could it? As much as I enjoy her going against the trends, I wish it was bold in any way that made me care that she was still around.
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