Katy Perry accused of ‘deflecting’ as fans savage her response to controversial Dr. Luke collaboration

Katy Perry is being accused of ‘distraction’ and ‘gaslighting’ after she broke her silence on her controversial decision to collaborate with music producer Dr. Luke.

In June, it was revealed that Dr. Luke was one of the producers working on Perry’s seventh studio album, 143, and that he had co-written her feminist anthem, Woman’s World.

This led to a backlash, as Katy’s fellow pop star Kesha had previously accused Dr. Luke of sexual and physical abuse. He went on to sue Kesha for defamation in 2014, but a settlement was reached in June 2023 before it went to trial.

With Katy’s new album focusing on “female empowerment,” many fans were “angry” and “disappointed” by Dr. Luke’s involvement.

Katy first addressed the controversy on Wednesday’s episode of the podcast Call Her Daddy, telling host Alex Cooper that Dr. Luke is just “one of many” producers who “facilitate” her music.

However, she stressed that the album is based on her own experiences, rather than those of the people she collaborates with, before bizarrely shifting the conversation to how motherhood has “empowered” her as an artist.

Fans were quick to respond to Katy’s comments on social media, with many accusing the Teenage Dream singer of ‘ignoring’ the question entirely.

“The way she didn’t even answer the question lol,” one fan tweeted on X (formerly Twitter).

Another wrote: ‘She didn’t actually say anything??? Let’s not be gaslighted because she just revealed she didn’t have to work with him but it was her choice.’

Katy’s response was also criticized as “a textbook example of distraction.” One person pointed out that she “decided to work with Dr. Luke even though she had worked with multiple people in the past.”

Some suggested that Katy would have been better off issuing an ‘apology’ to her fans as a last-ditch effort to salvage her long-awaited comeback.

“She could have apologized now, it will only get worse for her,” wrote one X user.

Katy began her response by talking about the “conversations” her connection with Dr. Luke has sparked online over the past few weeks.

“I understand it sparked a lot of conversations. And he was one of many collaborators that I worked with,” she said.

The Wide Awake singer emphasizes that Luke is just someone who helps her ‘facilitate’ her music.

However, the I Kissed A Girl hitmaker, who has a four-year-old daughter Daisy with her fiancé Orlando Bloom, insists her lyrics are based on her own personal experiences and do not reflect the producer’s opinions.

Katy continued: ‘But the reality is it’s coming from me.

“The truth is that I wrote these songs based on my experiences throughout my life, where I went through this metamorphosis. He was one of the people who made it all possible: one of the writers and one of the producers.

‘I speak from my own experience.

“When I talk about Woman’s World, I’m talking about the feeling that I’m so powerful now as a mother, as a woman, giving birth to a child and creating life, creating another set of organs, a brain, a heart. I created a whole heart and I did it. I’m still doing it. And I’m still a matriarch. And I feel really grounded in that, that’s where I speak from.”

Katy emphasizes that her music comes from “a place of celebration and love.”

She added: ‘I don’t feel like I have to make music.

“I don’t feel like I have to prove anything. I’m doing it from a place of celebration and love right now.”

Perry’s collaboration with Dr. Luke caused major controversy ahead of her long-awaited comeback.

In June, Rolling Stone reported that the multiple Grammy Award nominee collaborated with Dr. Luke, as well as Max Martin, Sarah Hudson and Stargate, on her sixth album.

Perry “knew exactly what kind of album she wanted to make and put the team together to make it happen,” a source at Capitol Records told the source of the talent search the former American Idol judge hosted for her first release since 2020’s Smile.

The online feedback was aimed at both Perry and Dr. Luke, who last year settled a defamation lawsuit with Kesha after she alleged in a 2014 lawsuit that he sexually and physically abused her.

Kesha, whose full name is Kesha Rose Sebert, tweeted “lol” following the news that Perry and Dr. Luke would be collaborating.

Several followers speculated on the meaning of Kesha’s “lol” tweet. One speculated that “she’s laughing about Katy and her new song,” while another asked, “Is this Katy Shade?”

Others were more convinced of Perry’s professional decision to work with Dr. Luke.

“It will never be a ‘woman’s world’ because people like Katy Perry continue to support and advocate for abusers in the industry like Dr. Luke,” one user said.

Another added: ‘I’m honestly shocked that so many of Katy Perry’s fans are defending her with that Dr Luke thing… it’s okay to call out your favorite artist btw.’

According to one user, Perry had thought carefully about her decision, as she “waited until the whole legal process was over before calling him again.”

One user said he “won’t listen,” while another said, “Some people make music with integrity, while others only care about having number 1 status.”