Warning: This article is about sexual assault and may cause distress for some readers.
Katy Perry is no stranger to making headlines, but her latest move has sparked a conversation that goes way beyond music. Appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast recently, Katy addressed the backlash surrounding her choice to collaborate with Dr. Luke again, despite his long-running legal battle with her former friend Kesha.
For those unfamiliar, Dr. Luke (real name Lukasz Gottwald) has been a major figure in the music industry for over two decades, producing some of the biggest pop hits of the 2000s and 2010s. His work includes chart-toppers for stars like Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, and Miley Cyrus. But his career took a sharp turn in 2014 when Kesha filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and emotional abuse, claims he has vehemently denied. The case led to years of legal battles, making him a divisive figure in the industry. While Dr. Luke continued to produce music behind the scenes, many artists distanced themselves from him amid the controversy.
During the Call Her Daddy chat, host Alex Cooper went straight to the point, asking Katy why she reunited with Dr. Luke, who was behind many of her chart-toppers like “I Kissed a Girl”, “Roar”, and “Dark Horse”. Katy acknowledged the debate, saying, “I understand that it started a lot of conversations, and he was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with.”
“…I Am Speaking From My Own Experience”
Despite the noise, Katy was clear that her upcoming album is very much a reflection of her personal journey. “The reality is, it comes from me,” she shared. “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.”
@callherdaddy Daddy Gang, I give you… @Katy Perry GET READY 👏🏻 #WEDNESDAY ♬ original sound – Call Her Daddy
To drive her point home, Katy talked about her track “Woman’s World”, which didn’t land well with some fans and critics. She said the song is a reflection of her feeling more empowered than ever, especially after becoming a mum. “I speak about feeling so empowered now, as a mother, as a woman, giving birth, creating life, creating another set of organs,” she added. “A brain! A heart! I created a whole ass heart!”
Dr. Luke and Kesha’s Legal Battle
The drama surrounding Dr. Luke started back in 2014, when Kesha filed a lawsuit accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting her. She also sought to be released from her contract with his label, Kemosabe Records. Dr. Luke denied the allegations and filed a defamation suit against her, while Kesha countersued under New York’s free speech laws. After years of legal wrangling, they settled the case in June 2023, just before the trial was due to start.
While Dr. Luke was a key player in Katy’s early career, he didn’t work on her 2017 album Witness or her 2020 release Smile as he dealt with his legal battles. But now, he’s back as a producer on her upcoming album 143, working on tracks like “Woman’s World” and “Lifetimes”.
Katy has also brought in some familiar collaborators, like Max Martin, Stargate, and Sarah Hudson, for 143.
“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,” she said during the podcast. However, she didn’t dive into the specifics of why she chose to work with Dr. Luke again.
What Fans Are Saying About Katy Perry’s Call Her Daddy Interview
Fans are really up in arms about Katy Perry teaming up with Dr. Luke again. A lot of people are disappointed and not holding back their feelings, especially after Perry seemed to dodge questions about it on the podcast.
Here’s what they have to say:
I couldn’t even finish this clip. @katyperry mentions being a woman and a mother but still worked with a know predator? God help her daughter to stay away from people like dr luke https://t.co/0ohRfXdAyN
— RHOHalifax (@RHOHalifax) September 5, 2024
Katy Perry should be expected to answer for working with Dr. Luke who has REPEATEDLY abused women. She covers for him by doing this and it's wrong.
— Lina Morgan Roth (@AlinaIsYou) September 5, 2024
That she slithers away with a non answer here is grotesque. Shame on her and this "journalist" for letting her get away with it. https://t.co/oPpnu2jQq6
Katy Perry’s answer about working with Dr. Luke… 😬
— Rúben Vieira (@rubenjpvieira) September 5, 2024
Baby girl, that’s not it. The fact that you had to dodge that question says it all.
pic.twitter.com/XGFJLyxfzK
Interviewer: So why did you choose to work with Dr Luke?
— E (@edwnmndz) September 5, 2024
Katy Perry: pic.twitter.com/jZdFj09eoL
Call Her Daddy: Katy, so why did you work with Dr Luke?
— kenny jones (@relientkenny) September 5, 2024
Katy Perry: pic.twitter.com/1AD0qqdpBY
If this article brings up any issues for you or anyone you know, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) — the National Sexual Assault, domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service.
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