Katy Perry is under scrutiny after announcing her upcoming album — which lists Dr. Luke among its producers.
Dr. Luke has become a controversial figure among pop fans after Kesha previously accused him of drugging and raping her on two separate occasions. A drawn out series of court battles between the two over the course of nearly a decade kept the accusations in the news. At one point, Kesha claimed that she and Lady Gaga had been told by the CEO of a major record label that Dr. Luke had raped Perry as well, though the "Teenage Dream" singer told the court that he did not.
Though Dr. Luke maintains his innocence, Kesha has received tons of support from fans who have been more inclined to believe her account of events. She also just released her first single as an independent artist over the Fourth of July weekend, after years of having to put out music under Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records.
It's with this backdrop that Perry announced her new album, 143, will be released on September 20. Particularly egregious to some is the fact that her first single, "Woman's World," is meant to be a female empowerment anthem.
As one might imagine, this has not been going over well.
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A sneak peek at the music video for "Woman's World" also has people pointing out similarities to the visuals Kesha used during her last album, Gag Order.
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A post from Abigail Breslin praising Kesha noted that "working with known abusers in any industry just contributes to the narrative that men can do abhorrent shit and get away with it," seemingly alluding to Perry's collaboration with Dr. Luke.
She subsequently noted that Perry's fans responded by sending her death threats and harassment, despite her not mentioning the singer by name.
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Perry herself has not yet responded to any of the backlash.