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Kuba

"Witness transcends its missed mainstream connection"

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A fascinating read!

 

BERLIN, GERMANY - JUNE 06: Singer Katy Perry performs live on stage during a concert at Mercedes-Benz Arena on June 6, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Stefan Hoederath/Redferns)

It’s been one year since Katy Perry released her polarizing opus of “purposeful pop.” Although ‘Witness’ missed the mainstream, it’s a misunderstood masterpiece primed for delayed impact.

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“If I lost it all today, would you stay?”

That bold question opens the title track of Katy Perry’s fourth studio album Witness,released a year ago on June 9, 2017. Those words hold a new meaning now. After Witness came out, the superstar grappled with her first bout of chart struggles when the album didn’t add another No. 1 single to her impressive streak and floundered in its attempt to repeat the mainstream success of its platinum predecessors. A year removed from the impossible expectations that bogged it down, Witness rises above the commercial and critical disappointment that eclipsed its merit.

While launching the first single, the socially conscious “Chained to the Rhythm,” at the 2017 Grammy Awards, Perry offered a hint about the then-unnamed album, calling it “purposeful pop.” Given the themes of “Chained,” people conflated that with Perry ditching the double entendres and party-ready puns for political bops. Mind you, purposeful and political are not the same word.

Not every performance can or should feature “persist” armbands and projections of the Declaration of Independence. We should know by now that Katy Perry doesn’t do the same thing twice, whether it’s on stage or in song. She’s not the type to fully commit to one particular theme either. (For starters, she threw back on the vibrantly colored wigs for the Prism era after declaring that persona dead.) It would be uncharacteristic and, honestly, unwarranted of her to release 15 pop songs tackling the current social climate, don’t you think?

For her first post-election expression, Perry branched out of her Max Martin comfort zone for a handful of tracks, and the evolution toward less formulaic radio-ready songwriting is apparent. Still, even with the differing musical sensibilities spread around the record, Witness listens like a cohesive concept album instead of a collection of potential singles. By that metric, Teenage Dream, the career-defining history maker the public holds as her gold standard, is the Quinn to its Daria.

If you metabolize the words and themes of Witness, you realize what she actually meant by “purposeful.” For what feels like the first time, she poured her heart out across an entire album and into songs of personal liberation and exploration. She had her heart broken, she grew up a bit, and she matured her artistic viewpoint just a tick north of the darker second half of 2013’s Prism.

“Hey Hey Hey” and “Power” expand her brand of pick-me-ups with mid-tempo kiss-offs for anyone who underestimates a woman. “Bon Appétit” and “Tsunami” showcase a sexual liberation in which Perry’s in control of her sexuality rather than playing into the male gaze. “Bigger Than Me” and “Mind Maze” trace the mental acrobatics one engages in during a period of growth. “Miss You More” delivers a knock-out vocal and career-best ballad. Where she begins the album in search of that elusive thing called intimacy, she locates it on the vulnerable closer “Into Me You See.”

Many reviews of Witness were fast to fault Perry’s punny lyrics, which have been in play since day one. It’s true that she tosses out phrases like “LOL at all your limits” and “you’re ’bout as cute as an old coupon expired.” But like Kacey Musgraves, clever wordplay has always been what makes her music unique. And for what it’s worth, “I live off the echoes of your I love yous,” the opener of the thumping club banger “Déjà Vu,” might be one of the most beautifully haunting pop lyrics of 2017 next to anything on Lorde’s Melodrama.

These songs were purposeful to her and, in turn, she hoped listeners beyond her loyal fandom could mine meaning of their own. But the mainstream audience didn’t connect with the cotton candy-free album, propagating the incorrect belief that it was somehow subpar. It’s failure to make an instant impact (despite its No. 1 bow and respectable streaming numbers) isn’t unfounded, though. These weren’t the empowerment anthems or party starters radio made you believe Katy Perry solely amounted to. There was more weight — purpose — behind the songs.

When the album rolled out amid a thorny path of mini-scandals, the project — and Perry — took a beating from the public. Her hooks weren’t as contagious as they used to be. Her lyrics not as sharply memorable. Her hair was too short, too blonde, too Miley — her bleached buzzcut, seemingly more jarring than Felicity’s controversial trip to the salon in Season 2. How dare she not keep making “Teenage Dream” for the rest of her career! How dare she push the boundaries of her sound and perspective! There was a critique for everything.

You could say she should have introduced the era with “Hey Hey Hey,” “Witness,” or “Act My Age” (a criminally undervalued Target-exclusive bonus track). You could say she should have made fan-favorite standout “Roulette” a single. You could say she shouldn’t have done this or should have done that. But you can’t force it. If the world’s just not getting it, there’s no magic fix you can pull out of your hat to win them over.

Katy Perry had something to say, and few people listened long enough to get the message. Ironically, the message was one of connection: Being heard, hearing others, and the intimacy of understanding. She drove this mission statement home with Witness World Wide, the four-day Big Brother-esque YouTube live stream that found the singer meditating, crying in therapy, and hosting knowledge-based dinner parties with celebrities and activists.

Again, Witness World Wide garnered mixed reviews. Some commented that Perry’s personality came off as brash when she spoke to her team, the people she’s most comfortable with, which only proves the point she sought to make. No matter how transparent she makes herself, she’ll always be subject to scrutiny. In tearing down the concept of celebrity with round-the-clock accessibility, she underscored the fatal flaw in the takedown culture that renders Taylor Swift a “snake” and “cancels” a smattering of other stars day in and day out on Twitter.

During the extensive hours of Witness World Wide, she listened and learned. She asked questions. She shined her light on others. It brought the whole idea of the album full circle: Taking a breath to be in the moment and opening your eyes to the things we lose sight of in the shuffle of hectic humanhood. It had nothing to do with her haircut or how disjointed she felt volleying between Katy Perry and Katheryn Hudson. If you were really paying attention, you could see that it wasn’t entirely about her at all.

Sometimes the strongest bodies of work from the biggest voices and most reliable chart toppers falter with public approval. Back in 1992, Madonna experienced backlash for the unapologetically sexual Erotica, and Christina Aguilera’s Bionicremains every bit of “ahead of its time” as its artist claims it to be. There’s unlimited examples of musicians refusing to bend to fit the trends and venturing into underrated territory. Katy Perry’s Witness joins an elite group of pop albums whose power will only be appreciated in time.

In hindsight, the album accomplished the goal of setting Katy Perry free from needing to live up to her record-setting run of hits. She’s still searching for the healthy balance between being taken seriously as an artist and churning out the mindlessly fun confections that made her name, but Witness ultimately helped bridge that gap by toeing the line. No matter which direction she takes with her next album, it will undoubtedly be another sight to witness.

Witness is available to stream on all music platforms.

 

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I read this article this morning and I think this is one of the most well-rounded articles highlighting the album's strengths and weaknesses! Definitely worth the read. 

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I just didn’t find the music to be enjoyable to listen to at all. I also hate the image choice and the blonde hair looks awful on her. I don’t care that it didn’t have mainstream success, I don’t think it could’ve ever because the music from the album is just... unlistenable and boring. 

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6 minutes ago, Umbreon said:

I just didn’t find the music to be enjoyable to listen to at all. I also hate the image choice and the blonde hair looks awful on her. I don’t care that it didn’t have mainstream success, I don’t think it could’ve ever because the music from the album is just... unlistenable and boring. 

You didn't read anything in the article, right?

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26 minutes ago, Kuba said:

There was a critique for everything.

!!!!!!

26 minutes ago, Kuba said:

You could say she should have made fan-favorite standout “Roulette” a single.

!!!!!!!!!!!

In all seriousness though, this article is very well written and is right on the money.

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I'm glad that people are starting to come around, even if it's a year later dead1 I always thought that this album will be appreciated further down the line, this article perfectly words my beliefs! 

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40 minutes ago, Umbreon said:

Yep. I read it. But I guess everyone’s gonna downvote me for having an opinion

That's the whole point of downvoting? If you don't like/agree with a post you're welcome to downvote it. Don't be so butthurt about it. 

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35 minutes ago, Kenya said:

That's the whole point of downvoting? If you don't like/agree with a post you're welcome to downvote it. Don't be so butthurt about it. 

It’s constructive criticism about the album, not just bashing it for the sake of bashing it. Usually negative downvotes are reserved for the latter, but whatever. Be brainless sheep who can never say anything bad about their faves for a misstep or constructive criticism. Honey I like Katy but I can criticize her where it’s due.  katy1

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Just now, Umbreon said:

It’s constructive criticism about the album, not just bashing it for the sake of bashing it. Usually negative downvotes are reserved for the latter, but whatever. Be brainless sheep who can never say anything bad about their faves for a misstep or constructive criticism. Honey I like Katy but I can criticize her where it’s due.  katy1

It's not called constructive criticism because you didn't offer anything constructive, you just talked about how much you didn't like it. Calling an album "unlistenable" and "boring" is not constructive. I'll downvote literally whatever I want as it's a pop music forum and just a down vote, I think you'll live. Also, don't call me honey, you don't know me. Have a seat. 

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3 minutes ago, Kenya said:

It's not called constructive criticism because you didn't offer anything constructive, you just talked about how much you didn't like it. Calling an album "unlistenable" and "boring" is not constructive. I'll downvote literally whatever I want as it's a pop music forum and just a down vote, I think you'll live. Also, don't call me honey, you don't know me. Have a seat. 

Oh honey.

Acting like you’re shit on a pop music forum will get you far in life I’m sure. I can find you reviews of plenty of critics who agree with me if you’d like. The album lacks melodies, therefore making it boring to the average listener. Again, I can find critic reviews agreeing with me if you’d like... honey. kylie1 

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No. Just no. Witness was a train wreck of autotune and uninspired garbage. Even most of her fans have conceded that it's her weakest album and should've been scrapped. 

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I really appreciate the fact she took a risk with this album and because of that we have gems like Power or Tsunami (career highlight) but in my opinion the biggest issue (and also why it didn’t resonate with the audience) is that this album mostly lacks of substance and it’s not as cohesive as this article tries to present shrug1 

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44 minutes ago, Umbreon said:

It’s constructive criticism about the album, not just bashing it for the sake of bashing it. Usually negative downvotes are reserved for the latter, but whatever. Be brainless sheep who can never say anything bad about their faves for a misstep or constructive criticism. Honey I like Katy but I can criticize her where it’s due.  katy1

Except there was nothing constructive about your criticism. Your comment came off as really pretentious, so it's no surprise that you got downvoted. If you wanna keep offering your "constructive" criticism, go do so in Battlegrounds! 

 

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31 minutes ago, attitude said:

No. Just no. Witness was a train wreck of autotune and uninspired garbage. Even most of her fans have conceded that it's her weakest album and should've been scrapped. 

Keep it cute sis. gaycat1

& Funny how you speak on behalf of an entire fanbase, when literally all of her stans in here love the album gaycat1

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1 hour ago, Umbreon said:

Oh honey.

Acting like you’re shit on a pop music forum will get you far in life I’m sure. I can find you reviews of plenty of critics who agree with me if you’d like. The album lacks melodies, therefore making it boring to the average listener. Again, I can find critic reviews agreeing with me if you’d like... honey. kylie1 

Bruh rip2.

Me saying that I'll down vote whatever I want is not me acting like I'm the shit, so pipe down. The point that I made that you decided to ignore was that you did not constructively critique her album, hence the down votes. You're so bothered over people down voting your post, it's a bit embarrassing at this point ny12

Anyway, I'm done entertaining your posts, have fun playing pokemon or whatever it is you do.

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37 minutes ago, Kuba said:

Except there was nothing constructive about your criticism. Your comment came off as really pretentious, so it's no surprise that you got downvoted. If you wanna keep offering your "constructive" criticism, go do so in Battlegrounds! 

 

what a difficult concept to grasp fall4 

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1 hour ago, Kenya said:

Bruh rip2.

Me saying that I'll down vote whatever I want is not me acting like I'm the shit, so pipe down. The point that I made that you decided to ignore was that you did not constructively critique her album, hence the down votes. You're so bothered over people down voting your post, it's a bit embarrassing at this point ny12

Anyway, I'm done entertaining your posts, have fun playing pokemon or whatever it is you do.

Oh honey, you’re so sad ny6 

You should get a dictionary because yes, I did. But here we go again brit4

The album doesn’t have strong melodies. There are very little hooks. I realize she wasn’t going for sugary pop goodness like Teenage Dream, but there are barely any hooks to keep the listener’s attention and at least remember the song. Having cohesiveness in an album is good, which overall it does, but it does so to the point where it’s hard to distinguish one song from another. In Teenage Dream and Prism, you can immediately identify a song. Witness all sounds TOO similar to each other to where each song can’t find it’s own identity.

Katy also doesn’t excel at “purposeful pop.” From the same artist that sung about peeking at a guy’s “peacock” to singing that her boyfriend is so gay that he’d hang himself with his H&M scarf, she’s hard to take seriously. She’s cemented herself in pop music as a sugary, pop hit maker. I appreciate Witness for being a risk-taker and trying to shed that image, but even the lyrics in Witness are hard to take seriously. It comes off too try-hard. I’m glad Katy is politically active, but it doesn’t translate well into her music. Pendulum is a great song, for example, and sounds like her adult contemporary path she started with Prism. The song is interesting and stands out.

All this is constructive criticism. Flaws found that could be corrected next time, while pointing out things that work. So go look in a dictionary. Just because it doesn’t line up with your way of thinking doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I’m the first to call out my other faves’ albums that didn’t work well for their artistry, like Britney Jean. I still like Katy Perry, but this is not a good album. 

So take your rose-colored (stan) glasses off and get a clue, honey. ny14 

Oh but wait! You’re “done entertaining my posts.” In which case, checkmate. Get out of here, honey. ny14 

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3 hours ago, Umbreon said:

I appreciate Witness for being a risk-taker and trying to shed that image, but even the lyrics in Witness are hard to take seriously.

Honestly it looks like most of the time she didn’t know what she was singing about rip3 Chinese water torture line ftw 

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