Katy Perry addressed the backlash she received for working with disgraced producer Dr. Luke on her forthcoming album, 143.
“I understand that it started a lot of conversations,” Perry, 39, said during her “Call Her Daddy” podcast interview, released on Wednesday, September 4. “He was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with.”
Podcast host Alex Cooper noted that “a lot of people have expressed disappointment” about the collaboration, asking why Perry decided to work with him.
“The reality is, it comes from me,” Perry explained. “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.”
The singer doubled down on the point that she’s “speaking from my own experience” with her music.
“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,” she continued, referring to the single released in July. “I created a whole-ass heart, and I did it, and I’m still doing it. I’m still a matriarch, and feeling really grounded in that, that’s where I’m speaking from.”
Perry added: “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.”
After “Woman’s World” debuted, fans were quick to call out Perry for working with Dr. Luke (real name Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald) on the song. The controversy escalated when Kesha appeared to subtly weigh in on the collaboration.
“Lol,” Kesha, 37, shared via X at the time. While she never confirmed the speculation, fans were convinced she shared a pointed message for Perry.
Kesha has had a long history with Dr. Luke, 50, whom she accused of assault in 2014. In a lawsuit, the singer alleged that in 2005, she had woken up in Dr. Luke’s bed “sore and sick with no memory of how she got there.” The producer denied the allegations and filed a defamation suit against Kesha.
While Kesha dropped her initial filing against Dr. Luke in 2016, their defamation suit continued until June 2023, when the two came to a settlement agreement.
Perry became involved with the legal battle in June 2017 when court documents released at the time showed text messages from Kesha claiming that Perry had also been an alleged victim of Luke. In a deposition that took place the following month, Perry denied having any type of sexual relationship with the producer.
Perry’s most recent collaboration with Dr. Luke on “Woman’s World” appears to be the first time they have worked together since her 2012 hit “Part of Me.” When it comes to the evolution of her music, Perry said during Wednesday’s “Call Her Daddy” episode that she’s stayed authentic over the years.
“I just do what makes me happy and that I resonate with, and that gives me those chill bumps,” she said. “I don’t feel like I have to make music. I don’t feel like I have to prove anything. I’m doing it now from a place of celebration and love.”
