Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars: Katy Perry

[Real Panda 2,305]

Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 25 — Katy Perry

Katy Perry, whose peak ultimately lasted both much longer and much shorter than expected. No. 25, we remember the century in Katy Perry — whose dizzying, era-defining early-’10s peak still burns bright in the minds of pop fans, even as it gets farther away.

Few would have imagined that fate for Katy Perry when she initially emerged – first briefly in the early ‘00s as Katy Hudson, contemporary Christian artist, and then rebranded as snotty Warped Tour singer-songwriter Katy Perry later in the decade. “Ur So Gay,” the metrosexual-taunting title track to her first Perry-era EP release, suggested great promise for word-of-mouth cult success, but seemed too cheeky, too edgy and too problematic for top 40 success.

The bicurious “I Kissed a Girl” arrived sounding and feeling like an absolute juggernaut, a barnstorming electro-rock singalong with writing credits from pop royalty Max Martin and Cathy Dennis and cutting-edge production from Martin’s long-time collaborator Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald and Luke’s protege Benny Blanco. “Girl” was louder, brasher and even more divisive than “Gay,” drawing criticism both from moral-outrage conservative groups offended at the song’s homosexual flirtations and from LGBTQ critics annoyed by the song’s perceived queerbaiting. Ultimately, the noise around “Girl” just ended up pumping up the volume of the song itself, which blazed its way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2008.  

Teenage Dream itself debuted atop the Billboard 200, and went on to blanket pop culture for the entire next year and a half, the album famously made chart history, as just the second set (after Michael Jackson’s 1987 blockbuster Bad) to ever spawn five Hot 100 No. 1 hits. 

It also showed Perry and her team to be at the forefront of finding ways to build excitement and consumption for late-cycle singles in the digital age; adding Ye to the single release of “E.T.” and Missy Elliott to the remix of “Last Friday Night” helped get those songs to No. 1 on the Hot 100 years before adding after-the-fact A-listers became standard practice for big pop singles.

She appeared in Proactiv commercials and on Sesame Street, she kissed a Smurf and she liked it. She racked up additional honors across the pop culture spectrum, named most beautiful woman in the world on the Maxim Hot 100.

It was her turbo-charged pop and kitchen-sink visual aesthetic that set the tone for the era of massive pop songs and even bigger personalities, and her collaborators (Martin, Luke and Blanco, as well as “Firework” producers Stargate) who would create the default sonic palate for the top 40 of the time.

While Perry became more central to pop music in the early 2010s than anyone would have guessed possible of her years earlier, her time at top 40’s core would also be briefer than many would have predicted once she arrived.

Despite Prism being a big win overall, the album didn’t quite have the legs of Teenage Dream, and later singles “Birthday” and “This Is How We Do” would end up missing the top 10 altogether. Subsequent albums fared no better. Witness was marred by an uncharacteristically messy and confusing rollout – as Perry tried to pivot to a more conscientious, “purposeful” approach to pop – and it only spawned a single top 40 hit, “Chained to the Rhythm.” 

When 2020’s Smile became the first Katy Perry album not to produce a top 10 hit, it suggested that her time at popular music’s forefront had perhaps come to an end. 

She began the highly successful Las Vegas residency Play in 2021, cementing herself as one of pop’s pre-eminent legacy performers. 

In 2024, Perry prepares for a big career comeback with September’s 143 album. That’s gotten off to a somewhat rocky start with lead single “Woman’s World,” which only reached No. 63 on the Hot 100 and drew mostly negative reviews – with many critiques from fans and critics focusing on the jarring nature of the women’s empowerment anthem being co-produced by Dr. Luke, who was sued by Kesha in 2014 over allegations that he had been abusive in their professional and personal relationship. (Dr. Luke denied the allegations and countersued for defamation; the long legal battle ended in 2023 with the two parties settling the countersuit out of court.) 

You can feel her in the eye-popping costumes and theatrically vivid world-building of Chappell Roan and the sticky sweet and slightly naughty hooks of Sabrina Carpenter.

And even the backlash to “Women’s World” is indicative of Perry’s enduring level of stardom – the song dominated headlines for a week, as folks couldn’t resist weighing in on it one way or the other – and the fact that so many fans are still rooting for her. 

Full article:

https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/katy-perry-greatest-pop-stars-21st-century-1235755851/

[Economy 44,989]

I mean constant flop post 2017 jokes aside lets be fair for a moment

 

She had many catchy pop hits, amazing visuals and has always been a cheerful one performing

 

I for one love her and while Gaga surpassing her now commercially feels like justice for the 2011 to 2014 time frame where Katy Perry overshadowed our fav... theres no denying she was a powerhouse of a pop star to admire

Edited 2 hours ago by Economy

[Rahrahbitchson 14,323]

I aint reading, but judging by Katy's recent life I'm sorry that happened.

[bionic 39,553]

7 minutes ago, Real Panda said:

and the fact that so many fans are still rooting for her. 

can't be rooting for her that much if they're not listening to her

[Real Panda 2,305]

9 minutes ago, Economy said:

I mean constant flop post 2017 jokes aside lets be fair for a moment

 

She had many catchy pop hits, amazing visuals and has always been a cheerful one performing

 

I for one love her and while Gaga surpassing her now commercially feels like justice for the 2011 to 2014 time frame where Katy Perry overshadowed our fav... theres no denying she was a powerhouse of a pop star to admire

Oh for sure, she's definitely accomplished a lot and that will be in Billboard's history forever.

[Anderson123 33,704]

Oh this thread is gonna get messy. 

 

[HelloHangoverz 10,075]

19 minutes ago, Real Panda said:

The bicurious “I Kissed a Girl”

[Mr Oak 6,015]

Why does this read like a eulogy

Edited 1 hour ago by Mr Oak

[Real Panda 2,305]

15 minutes ago, bionic said:

can't be rooting for her that much if they're not listening to her

Yeah, but I know some Brazilian KatyKats who are really streaming and also doing prayer circles on Discord

[Real Panda 2,305]

25 minutes ago, Real Panda said:

And even the backlash to “Women’s World” is indicative of Perry’s enduring level of stardom 

I just realized Billboard misspelled the title of the song. 

[TheOriginalOne 8,853]

[InTheCloset 16,939]

29 minutes ago, bionic said:

can't be rooting for her that much if they're not listening to her

They are holding prayer circles on twitter that include chants like ‘flopya taylor’

[Real Panda 2,305]

3 minutes ago, TheOriginalOne said:

Those people are flops. How could they not recognize the legendary future Vanguard winner Katy Perry

[dove 488]

Where is the full list?

[Real Panda 2,305]

4 minutes ago, dove said:

Where is the full list?

They are unveilling the list slowly. Billboard so far has only released the one that got ranked last.

Edited 1 hour ago by Real Panda