It’s no secret that Perry’s comeback single — a seemingly female-forward anthem called “Woman’s World” — had a bumpy landing, between the involvement of Dr. Luke, the pop hitmaker who was accused of sexual misconduct by his former artist Kesha (the case was settled with no conviction or admission of guilt on Luke’s part), and its heavy-handed video, which was intended to be ironic but wasn’t perceived that way.
In its first complete tracking week, “Woman’s World” debuted at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and at No. 65 on the Global 200, and at No. 47 in the U.K. The turnout on streaming services was also relatively low upon the song’s arrival on the evening of July 11, landing at No. 110 on Spotify’s U.S.-based chart and No. 58 on the Spotify global chart.
Perry’s last solo Hot 100 hit happened arrived in 2020 for her last full-length “Smile” — “Daisies” off the LP hit a peak of No. 40, but dropped off the list shortly after its debut. Her last chart-dominating numbers came through “Witness,” where its lead single, the Max Martin- produced “Chained To the Rhythm” (also co-written by Sia) broke through at No. 4 on the Hot 100.
As the introduction to “143,” Perry’s upcoming album set to arrive on Sept. 20, “Woman’s World” sets a questionable precedent. The song’s matching “divine feminine” -themed music video featured some common feminist tropes, including Perry dressing up as sexy Rosie the Riveter, and women replacing men in a recreation of the historic Lunch atop a Skyscraper photo.
Perry explained of the video, “We’re having fun, being sarcastic with it, it’s very slapstick and very on the nose… its like a reset for me and for my idea of feminine divine,” she said.
Throughout all of it, Perry has maintained “413” is something she’s “always wanted to make.” On Instagram Live, Perry said: “I’ve been talking about [doing] two albums the past eight years and that’s a dance album and an acoustic album. I haven’t yet made the acoustic album. Well, we never stop writing. But I finally made the dance album, the album I always wanted to make.”
Although a tracklist has not yet been revealed, Perry has confirmed the project will include “I’m His He’s Mine” featuring Doechii, constructed around a sample of Crystal Waters’ 1991 hit “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless),” and another upbeat pop song called “Nirvana,” as well as “Gimme Gimme” featuring 21 Savage.
