Katy Perry’s “Woman’s World” is a terrible disappointment

Katy Perry’s “Woman’s World” could have been the comeback of the century. Instead, the “Firework” singer might have just destroyed what was left of her career. While she tried to play to her strengths, Perry misjudged her appeal terribly.

Katy Perry’s “Woman’s World” should have had a better hook

Perry doesn’t command the same respect as other pop artists like Michael Jackson, Prince or Madonna, but during her heyday, she was good at the sound: hooks. You can love or hate a song like “California Gurls” or “Teenage Dream,” but after a few listens, you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. However, in a 2024 interview with Apple Music 1, Perry described herself as a singer who primarily sings self-empowerment anthems.

“I think when people think of me, they think of ‘Roar,’ they think of ‘Firework,’ sometimes they think of ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ but I think mostly they think of these kind of uplifting songs,” she said. “Songs with a message, songs that are on T-shirts and stuff like that, or things that help people get through.”

“And I love that,” she added. “I love hearing the stories, and I really write these songs from a place of going through something. But I wanted to keep doing it, and also, this is my first post since becoming a mother and really feeling connected to my divine feminine.”

The lyrics and video for “Woman’s World” are bad

Unfortunately, Perry doesn’t understand her own appeal. She had one good empowerment song: “Firework.” Her other attempts at musical upliftment are mediocre at best. “Part of Me” is OK. “Roar” is sluggish. Her lesser-known inspirational songs “What Makes a Woman” and “Daisy” deserve to continue to be forgotten. It’s disappointing that Perry chose the empowerment route at a time when she should have been at the peak of her career.

Of course, artists are allowed to step outside their comfort zone. Just because Perry has written mediocre inspirational songs in the past doesn’t mean she can’t write good songs in that genre now. The lyrics of “Woman’s World,” however, are boring pandering. Lines like “Sexy, confident / So intelligent / She’s a godsend / So gentle, so strong” could appear in a throwaway ad for Dove soap.

The music video only makes things worse. It starts with Perry as a sexy Rosie the Riveter. It feels less like feminism and more like a lost pin-up photo from World War II that you’d hate to find in your grandfather’s diary. Is it a feminist statement or a parody?

Then Perry gets beaten with an anvil like Wile E. Coyote. She gets resurrected as a sexy cyborg, rides in a monster truck with Trisha Paytas, and dances with an influencer. It’s a bunch of nonsense that doesn’t deserve to be decoded.

Can Katy Perry recover?

Is it over for Perry? She hasn’t had a real hit since 2017’s “Chained to the Rhythm.” The world doesn’t seem desperate for new music from her. If “Woman’s World” had an irresistible hook, it would be a welcome comeback. As it is, “Woman’s World” feels like a disappointing prologue to a once great career.