Katy Perry Addresses Criticism over Returning to Work with Dr. Luke for New Album '143'

In an interview with 'Call Her Daddy' on Wednesday, Sept. 4, the pop star noted the producer "was one of many collaborators"

Katy Perry Los angeles 08 19 24
Katy Perry in Los Angeles on Aug. 19, 2024. Photo:

Emma McIntyre/Getty 

Katy Perry has addressed criticism over collaborating with Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald on her new album 143.

In an interview with Call Her Daddy released Wednesday, Sept. 4, the pop star, 39, noted the producer — who worked on some of her biggest hits like “I Kissed a Girl,” “California Gurls" and “Teenage Dream” and was involved in nearly a decade-long legal battle with Kesha "was one of many collaborators."

“I understand that it started a lot of conversations and he was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with. But the reality is, it comes from me,” Perry said of Dr. Luke, 50. “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.”

The "Never Really Over" artist then shifted the conversation to her new album's "empowering" lead single "Woman's World."

“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 ass heart! And I did it, and I’m still doing it,” Perry said.

She continued: “I’m still a matriarch and feeling really grounded in that, that’s where I’m speaking from. So I created all of this with several different collaborators, people that I’ve collaborated with from the past, from Teenage Dream era. All of that.”

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In July, Perry announced  on social media that her sixth studio album, 143, is due Sept. 20.

A press release described the upcoming project as a “sexy, fearless return to form” for the 13-time Grammy-nominated artist.

“I set out to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a throughline message,” she said in a statement.

Perry is set to headline a sold-out show at Rock in Rio in Brazil on the album's release day, marking her first performance at the Rio de Janeiro festival since 2015.

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