Katy Perry deftly avoided addressing a recent inquiry about her collaboration with the contentious music producer Dr. Luke. During her appearance on the widely-followed podcast, Call Her Daddy, the “Roar” hitmaker, 39, refrained from discussing her recent projects with Dr. Luke (whose real name is Łukasz Sebastian Gottwald), a subject that has stirred significant online criticism.
When host Alex Cooper broached the topic by referring to “one collaborator in particular,” and highlighted the public’s displeasure and disappointment over Perry’s decision to work with Dr. Luke, 50, on her latest album, the former American Idol judge chose to evade the question.
This reluctance to explain or acknowledge her association with an alleged abuser—especially in light of many artists pledging to sever ties with Dr. Luke following Kesha‘s accusations of sexual assault—has only intensified the backlash against Perry this week.
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Katy Perry Sparks Even More Backlash After Evading Dr. Luke Question On Call Her Daddy
As seen in the September 3rd episode of Call Her Daddy, host Cooper, 30, said to Perry: “A lot of people have expressed disappointment and were really upset that you decided to work with Dr. Luke on this album.” After all, the “Dark Horse” artist collaborated with the controversial producer on her upcoming seventh studio album, 143. Perry responded: “I understand that it started a lot of conversations, and he was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with, but the reality is, (the music) comes from me.”
Perry collaborated with Dr. Luke on her breakthrough 2009 hits “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot N Cold,” along with numerous other popular tracks. Their partnership flourished on her 2010 album Teenage Dream, producing hits like “California Gurls,” “E.T.,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F),” and more.
He continued to be a significant contributor on her 2013 album, Prism. However, as reported by USA Today, he did not partake in the creation of her subsequent albums, Witness (2017) and Smile (2020). These albums, as noted by the outlet, failed to replicate the commercial triumph of her previous pop hits.
During the Call Her Daddy interview, Perry elaborated, emphasizing that her insights on the album stemmed from her personal experiences. "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," she said.
This week on TikTok, numerous fans and critics openly criticized Perry for her "tone deaf" comments and decision to collaborate with an alleged abuser. "How you could feel “empowered as a woman” while working with a known abuser is beyond me," one fan wrote after watching the interview as another added: "working with someone like Dr.Luke look what he put Kesha through like no girl just no."
Someone else noted: "The response to working with Dr Luke was very poor" as an additional viewer of the podcast episode chimed in: "I honestly can’t listen to either her music or her interviews anymore." In June of last year, Kesha, 37, and Dr. Luke concluded nearly ten years of intense legal disputes.
The prolonged battle stemmed from the "Your Love Is My Drug" singer's accusations of being drugged and raped by Dr. Luke, and his subsequent counterclaim asserting that she fabricated these allegations to tarnish his reputation. In 2009, Dr. Luke produced "Tik Tok," the breakout hit that launched Kesha into stardom. He also worked on "Blah Blah Blah," featuring the band 3OH!3, along with several other tracks from Kesha's 2010 smash album "Animal." Continuing their collaboration, he produced her second album, Warrior, which included the popular 2012 track "Die Young."
Perry's newest album, 143, produced with Dr. Luke, is set to release on September 20th. Among the tracks already unveiled is the controversial single "Woman's World," which is touted as an anthem of female empowerment.
