The former pop queen is back with a single titled “Woman’s World”. Having dominated the 2010s decade-long span of hits, including “Firework,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Roar,” Perry was once a mainstay in the reaches of pop music. More recently, the same listenership hasn’t yielded and the Billboard charts simply haven’t been convinced. But a question begs: Does anyone care that Katy Perry is back with pop music? 
In other words, ‘Woman’s World’ is Perry’s brazen attempt at recapturing her place in the industry-a message of empowerment, resilience, and femininity. With catchy hooks and upbeat pop production courtesy of Perry herself, the song has a feeling of callback to her heyday, taping into her strengths: pop anthems both relatable and anthemic. But the musical landscape has changed so much in the past few years. Then came the new pop stars: The once wide-eyed, candy-coloured pop scene that Perry once dominated coarsened to a grittier, more experimental scene shaped by artists such as Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Doja Cat.
The problem with the new landscape is Perry. To some degree, perhaps her oldest fans still appreciate her, but to this new generation of fans, she simply represents an older era of pop. Competition-a landscape of artists constantly pushing boundaries-is hard to compete with after a few years off the charts.
But one thing that most definitely works in Perry’s favor is undoubtedly the fact that she has star power. She remains an instantaneous pop culture icon with huge platforms at her fingertips. Even if she hasn’t quite enjoyed the same amount of commercial success, her return with ‘Woman’s World’ serves to remind that the girl is still very much capable of producing pop bangers with meaning.
Thus, Katy Perry’s latest release has been a good reminder of her talent and staying power. But in a world where musical taste seems to change at a mile a minute, one must beg the question: will this new era of Katy Perry actually go through to today’s listeners? Only time will tell.
