Katy Perry Hits a Low: Why She’s Now Pop’s Least Popular Star

When Katy Perry emerged from the Blue Origin spacecraft and planted a kiss on the Texas soil earlier this month, it marked a regrettable downturn for her already floundering career.

Perry, aged 40, faced significant criticism for her brief but highly publicized 11-minute space journey alongside other “astronauts” including CBS anchor Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez (engaged to Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos), civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, and movie producer Kerianne Flynn.

The backlash included sharp comments from a surprising number of celebrities, not just outspoken figures like podcaster Joe Rogan—who mockingly called the event “very profound” and commented, “Have you heard Katy Perry discuss it? She practically sounds like a spiritual guru now.”

Olivia Munn labeled the event “somewhat excessive.” Olivia Wilde posted a series of mocking memes on Instagram, remarking, “A billion dollars got some decent memes, I suppose.” Emily Ratajkowski chimed in with, “This is apocalyptic stuff. It’s just beyond satire.”

On the platform X, Jessica Chastain shared an opinion piece from the Guardian titled, “The Blue Origin flight symbolized the complete failure of American feminism.”

Music artist Trace Cyrus accused Perry of mimicking his sister Miley’s career trajectory.

“I realized Katy Perry and her team were utterly unoriginal when her career began to nosedive,” he expressed in a fiery Instagram post following the Blue Origin flight.

“They were brainstorming, ‘What worked for Miley? She chopped off her hair, and it went viral. Everyone was shocked, and she dyed it blonde. Let’s try that with you, Katy,’” he elaborated.

Unfortunately for Perry, her plummeting popularity comes just before her first worldwide tour in eight years, starting in Mexico City on Wednesday.

To make matters worse, her latest album, “143,” released in 2024, debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and vanished from the charts in less than a month.

Perry—who humorously claimed she was going to “put the ass in astronaut”—was ridiculed for using her brief period of weightlessness to promote her tour’s setlist during the space flight.

This contrasts sharply with her earlier career, marked by her explosive entry into the music scene and her chart-topping success. Her third album, “Teenage Dream” from 2010, made history by producing five number one singles, a first for a female artist, with hits like “California Gurls,” “Firework,” and “E.T.”

However, Perry’s reputation took a hit starting last fall with the release of “143,” her seventh studio album, which received lukewarm to harsh critiques. The lead single “Woman’s World” faced criticism for its narrow view of feminism, and her collaboration with controversial producer Dr. Luke didn’t help her case.

Some have even speculated that Perry’s downturn is due to a supposed curse by a nun. During a prolonged legal battle over a convent in Los Angeles, Sister Catherine Rose Holzman implored Perry to cease her actions, saying it hurt many people, before passing away hours later in court in 2018.

Earlier this year, Perry was also criticized by the family of a disabled veteran, claiming the man wasn’t fully aware when he sold his Montecito, California, property to Perry and her partner Orlando Bloom. The court eventually ruled in favor of Perry and Bloom in 2023.

Despite the challenges, sources say Perry is resilient, echoing the attitude of her one-time friend Taylor Swift, and is fully committed to her new 81-date tour, which she began with her partner Bloom and their four-year-old daughter, Daisy.

At her Mexico City performance, clad in a silver bodysuit and soaring above the stage, Perry boldly faced her critics by asking, “Has anyone ever called your dreams crazy?”

Perry has famously faced personal setbacks, including being abruptly divorced by text by her ex-husband, Russell Brand, just minutes before a scheduled performance on New Year’s Eve 2011.

NPR’s pop music critic Ken Tucker pointed out, “It’s curious that she’s become a rare female artist open to criticism. Her latest album ‘143’ was mediocre, but the reviews were overly harsh. Why the vitriol?”

Tucker suggested that the negativity might stem from Perry’s attempts to stay relevant and edgy, noting, “In the past decade, it’s been almost taboo to critique female artists—try finding harsh words about Beyoncé or Joni Mitchell. But Katy Perry is seen as fair game, perhaps because she’s perceived as slightly out of touch.”

The “Lifetimes” show, described by Perry to Entertainment Tonight as somewhat “cyborgian,” features her as a video game character, incorporating live audience interaction. Bloom is expected to attend many of the shows, with Daisy backstage throughout the tour.

After previous high-profile relationships, including with John Mayer and Josh Groban, and a tumultuous marriage to Brand, Perry appears to have found stability with Bloom. They met at the Golden Globes in 2016, briefly split the following year, then reunited and got engaged in 2019.

Though Perry has traditionally kept her personal life private, she’s now more open, with insiders suggesting she might even bring Daisy or Bloom onstage during the tour. “This tour is about love, and they’re a big part of that story,” one source revealed.

Perry has also reached out to her fans on social media, asking for recommendations on good coffee shops and parks to visit with Daisy while touring.

Despite being the highest-paid musician in the world as recently as 2015, Perry could benefit from a rejuvenation of her public image as she enters her 40s.

“Fifteen years ago, Katy Perry was incredibly popular,” a seasoned music industry insider told The Post. “Now, she hardly gets mentioned. It’s a common fate for many artists. It feels like a lifetime ago that she and Taylor Swift were seen as equals.”

According to him, “Perry is now seen more as a pop caricature, unlike artists like Billie Eilish, who are taken very seriously. That’s just not the Katy Perry we know today.”