Variety: Katy Perry has become an internet laughingstock — but she's still a star

[TaylorSwift 160,940]

Katy Perry’s missteps in the public eye have been increasingly frequent, and her music feels entirely removed from a conversation that more adept stars like Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Doechii are currently leading. But she is owed consideration not just for her past achievements but for the painful fact that she compels as much in failure as she previously did in success. On a wrongheaded space flight or crying on stage while singing a 15-year-old song, Perry still holds our gaze. That may not be artistry, exactly. But it’s what makes a star. 

[NUTELLA 24,622]

"But Only True Stars Demand This Much Attention"

Certain GGD members talking about Rita

[Mister Gaga 23,167]

There are some points he has made, Miss Minaj once said

[Red 99,074]

Why did I think the full title was going to be “Katy Perry has become a notorious being”

[The Ew from Judas 1,504]

18 minutes ago, Red said:

Why did I think the full title was going to be “Katy Perry has become a notorious being”

Find her clone, she’s asleep on Jeff Bezos’s spaceship 

[Red 99,074]

3 minutes ago, The Ew from Judas said:

Find her clone, she’s asleep on Jeff Bezos’s spaceship 

Katy Perry is the perfect celebrity

[Vanish Into You 216]

 

dang, she can't catch a break 

[PartySick 171,861]

Similarly, her time in space, and the relentless boosting she and her peers did of their own remarkable achievement of being aloft for the length of three spins of “I Kissed a Girl” or so, felt tone-deaf at a moment when authenticity reads more appealing than artifice. 

 truly hope she never lives that particular stunt down tbh. It's just ridiculous from every angle.

"It was for feminism" she says while female scientists and astronauts have their names and bios scrubbed from federal sites and official documents or otherwise fired all together to "fight against DEI".

It could have really been something but nah. She deserves the mockery for that.

Everything else though? A solid apology like Gaga gave for working with R. Kelly and it's cool imo.

Anyway, Variety kinda missed the target here 'cause infamy is not something to be celebrated. They even said it themselves, whenever she's "in on the joke" it's just to preserve her own image 'cause she knows the lashings are coming  

[MadArchitect 1,399]

an attempt to clean a bit her image and make her be more than she is now, she's doing all the stuff she's been doing cause her star is fading, it has been fading for years, all the attention and negative press she's been gathering recently is not akin  of what true stars really are, they get notoriety for their artistic endeavours and how they inspire people, Katy is no more than a laughingstock celebrity now, Variety as always trying to defend their favs celebs.

[hamartia 2,777]

43 minutes ago, PartySick said:

Everything else though? A solid apology like Gaga gave for working with R. Kelly and it's cool imo.

Tbh I think that's what frustrates me about her. Idk her business, but there is absolutely no way that Katy doesn't have her own trauma from:

1. Being a woman in general

2. Being a woman in the music industry

3. Being raised in the church

4. Being married to R*ssell Br*nd of all people 

It would humanize her instantly to say "you know what, I let my own trauma blind me and I apologize", just like Gaga did. It wouldn't excuse her working with Dr Luke or make what happened between her and Kesha okay, but she is not the first person to have thrown another woman under the bus for the sake of a man.

Maybe everything in her life has truly been rainbows and sunshine, but I think Gaga was right in those texts messages that Katy hasn't/won't/can't come to terms with her own stuff yet. She had a whole album cycle talking about how she felt she had to sexualize herself in order to feel like she was in on the joke, and to feel like it was on her own terms, which is something so many women can relate to and can empathize with. The redemption is right there, if only she would do something to get it!!!!!

She's always going to be cringe and a clout chaser but burying your head in the sand like that will destroy your brain, which might be reflected in her questionable moral choices as of late. I don't think 2017 Katy would have worked with Dr Luke again, but I fear 2025 Katy is like 3 steps away from being openly MAGA 

[gemein3 1,438]

Nah I think she’s just the embodiment of elitism and opportunism.

That, alongside her lack of talent, finally caught up with her. And in an increasingly hostile, unstable world — no one needs to be told that Katy Perry is a “star.” No one gives af. 

[PartySick 171,861]

6 minutes ago, hamartia said:

Tbh I think that's what frustrates me about her. Idk her business, but there is absolutely no way that Katy doesn't have her own trauma from:

1. Being a woman in general

2. Being a woman in the music industry

3. Being raised in the church

4. Being married to R*ssell Br*nd of all people 

It would humanize her instantly to say "you know what, I let my own trauma blind me and I apologize", just like Gaga did. It wouldn't excuse her working with Dr Luke or make what happened between her and Kesha okay, but she is not the first person to have thrown another woman under the bus for the sake of a man.

Maybe everything in her life has truly been rainbows and sunshine, but I think Gaga was right in those texts messages that Katy hasn't/won't/can't come to terms with her own stuff yet. She had a whole album cycle talking about how she felt she had to sexualize herself in order to feel like she was in on the joke, and to feel like it was on her own terms, which is something so many women can relate to and can empathize with. The redemption is right there, if only she would do something to get it!!!!!

She's always going to be cringe and a clout chaser but burying your head in the sand like that will destroy your brain, which might be reflected in her questionable moral choices as of late. I don't think 2017 Katy would have worked with Dr Luke again, but I fear 2025 Katy is like 3 steps away from being openly MAGA 

Yeah, there's definitely a way to fix most of the problem it just relies on her being sincere. And as this article says, even she doesn't take herself seriously.

[gerrygaga 5,221]

ok. A pop star laughing-stock then, thanks Variety. 

[faysalaaa 5,303]

Shes not a star, shes a throwback star

[StrawberryBlond 15,446]

I'll say this much: even flopping as hard as she has for the last few years, she still is more successful, relevant and talked about than Christina Aguilera. When she had her public fall from grace in 2010, it truly was the first shocking downfall I'd ever seen of a major pop star and she continued to flop into irrelevancy as the years went by and never recovered. The public laughed at her as bad as they're laughing at Katy now but that notoriety died down so much faster. Christina continued to release albums and tour but not only did nobody laugh at her this time, they didn't even mention it because they didn't know she had new stuff out and didn't care.

But Katy? She's been on a downward spiral since 2017. For just under 8 years straight, she has released 3 consecutive flop albums with each one performing worse than the last and yet every time, the public notices and cares enough to comment. Mockery it may be but at least they're checking for her. Whether it's a flop single, flop album, shaky performance at a fundraiser, bad choreography on a tour or a self-congratulatory space ride, the world notices her and makes their feelings public. Love her or hate her, the public still care about her enough to comment, so she's still got star power whether we like it or not.

And as hard as it is to imagine, her tour has actually sold really well and not just the first few shows everyone's been talking about. Almost all the shows, with the exception of a lot of US ones, have almost completely sold out. She's still got the demand of an arena level audience so she's not z-list status yet. Until she's playing in tiny music halls and dive bars, we can't say she's over. To quote her song: "Thought it was done but I guess it's never really over, just because it's over doesn't mean it's really over."