Katy Perry is back and, this time, she’s woke. Sort of.
After almost a decade of churning out candy-coated pop hits, the Californian’s new song “Chained to the Rhythm” featuring Skip Marley (released late on Thursday night) shows the singer is in a much different mind-set.
The single is an obvious attempt to jolt her fans into reality. “So comfortable, we live in a bubble, a bubble/So comfortable, we cannot see the trouble, the trouble,” she sings in one of the track’s key couplets.
It’s clear that the past year of political tumult has rubbed off on her. Perry is an outspoken Hilary Clinton supporter, and was spotted at the Women’s March in Washington, DC, last month. She recently changed her Twitter bio to read “Artist. Activist. Conscious.” It’s all a far cry from “I Kissed a Girl.”
While her attempts to engage and evolve are admirable, she’s forgotten to give “Chained to the Rhythm” a similar level of agitation.
The Max Martin and Ali Payami-produced song plods along with little dynamism, combining light dancehall with even lighter disco influences. The Sia Furler co-written lyrics clumsily critique pop culture’s blinding effects, and Skip Marley’s verse adds so little to the song, it’s hard to even understand why Perry included him.
The intention here is to light a spark of personal action. But “Chained to the Rhythm” barely has enough appeal to make you want to hit the “play” button for a second time.
Perry’s new track is the first single from her upcoming fourth album, due later in the year. She’s also set to play the song at the 59th Grammy Awards, airing on Sunday at 8pm on CBS.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
