Why Katy Perry, 40, refuses to grow up and accept she’s no longer a Teenage Dream

Katy Perry didn’t see the “writing on the wall” about her comeback album 143 because she’s surrounded by “yes people,” according to sources who claim the singer “refuses to accept that she’s not 20 anymore with a hit album.”

The 40-year-old hitmaker’s seventh studio release fell far short of the hoped-for level of success and instead became the lowest-charting album on Metacritic since 2011, when it was released in September.

After years of being California’s ultimate pop star, Katy’s attempt to change her image failed on all fronts with the public disapproving of her fashion versions and criticizing her decision to collaborate with controversial producer Dr. Luke.

As the star embarks on her Lifetimes world tour for the flop album, insiders have revealed the star may finally get a reality check once US dates go on sale.

“Katy is no longer the teenage dream and she needs to accept this,” an insider close to the singer told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘She announced she is bringing her 2025 tour to the US after being advised not to do the tour at all.’

Reflecting on her failed album rollout this year, the insider continued, “Her album absolutely tanked, and an artist shouldn’t tour off a failed album that bombed.

“She made a serious mistake when she asked Dr. Luke to discuss it, and she never admitted it.”

Many disagreed with Perry working with Dr. Luke, the music producer who Kesha accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit that was later dismissed.

Dr. Luke has consistently denied the allegations.

The lack of public love for the star’s recent material was highlighted last week when attendees of the 2024 Jingle Ball began leaving the Madison Square Garden venue early after she took the stage.

The singer said at the time: ‘Hi everyone. I know, I know, it’s crazy. It’s so late, it’s so cold outside. You had way too much sugar.

‘You don’t know whether to stay or go, whether to be inside or outside, or hot or cold. Then make a decision!’

Commenting on the incident, the insider added: ‘After fans left her performance in New York on Friday, she tried to justify it by blaming it on the weather.

“Katy refuses to accept that she is the reason they walked away, just as she refuses to accept that she is no longer 20 with a hit album.”

The insider noted that her camp has been in hot water due to the star’s bad reputation with the public, as they emphasized, “The people around her really believe that she – instead of trying so hard to be a star – must focus on her health and her family.

‘She has made her fortune, and she should really acknowledge that to Orlando [Bloom] and her family are her priority. If she continues to put her fame first, her friends think she could lose it too.”

Elsewhere, another source noted that the past few months have been the opposite of what Katy expected.

“Katy’s rollout of her new music, her new album and her upcoming tour haven’t gone at all the way she would have liked,” the source began. “Some have joked that her Lifetimes tour should be called the Lifeless tour.”

The source continued: ‘The only thing she is doing right is starting the tour outside the US, she is getting a great response and the tickets are selling very well, which could be very different once the US dates are announced, because of the charm that she has abroad is not what it is in the United States.’

The source noted that Katy’s decision to step down from her position as a judge on American Idol after seven seasons may have been the wrong move, adding, “Many in her camp believed she should have stayed on Idol.”

“It was a great performance and it was hers forever, but now that she left it, Carrie [Underwood] won’t be giving up that payday anytime soon.”

The source noted, “Katy had to do it to start her new album and tour which she thought was going to be epic, it hasn’t been, but she’s surrounded herself with yes people so she sees the current writing not. on the wall.’

Thanks to the demand for tour tickets in Britain and Australia, the source explained that Katy has received a much-needed boost in her career.

However, they agreed that business could take another nosedive if US tour dates hit the market.

“Maybe she’ll get a reality check when American dates go on sale, but with ticket sales so successful, she still feels like the wheels haven’t fallen off.”

Her reaction to the recent walkout from her Jingle Ball performance hinted that the star will continue to look positive if possible.

The source concluded, “She takes it all on the chin when it comes to her Jingle Ball performance. That is a concert where people attend for different reasons. Not all of her fans were in the stadium, so she understands that people are leaving for one reason or another. She doesn’t view that performance as an omen for the future.’

Katy will kick off her UK run next year, opening in Glasgow on October 7 before heading to Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham and now performing two shows at London’s O2 Arena.

The Roar singer has also added additional shows in Australia due to overwhelming demand for the sold-out original dates in June 2025.

Katy will also perform three additional shows in Mexico in April 2025, after the first three sold out within an hour of ticket release.

The reaction to the star’s new ‘era’ started with the album’s first single, Woman’s World.

Despite being billed as a powerful feminist anthem, the song was dismissed as unoriginal, hypocritical and formulaic.

The star’s album title is a code for “I love you,” which was often used in messages sent via pagers in the 1990s.

Katy said in a statement: “I wanted to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic numerical expression of love as an ongoing message.”

It was the star’s first album since 2020’s Smile, which also failed to match the success of her previous records.

In recent months, fans have also taken issue with Katy’s constant references to her sex life with partner Orlando, claiming the star’s slimmed-down figure was due to secret Ozempic use.