An investigation has been launched into Katy Perry’s music video Lifetimes (Picture: Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Katy Perry’s music video for new song Lifetimes is the subject of an investigation by the Spanish government.
The probe has been launched to ascertain whether the shoot caused environmental damage to the protected dunes of the islet of S’Espalmador in the Balearic Islands.
The environment department of the Balearic regional government said in a press release the production company had not sought permission to film the music video.
The California Girl, 39, shot the Lifetimes video in various locations in Ibiza and Formentera earlier this year.Sticking to the Spanish theme, she was also spotted filming another music video in Barcelona last month.
The Lifetime video follows Katy as she boards a ferry wearing T-shirt reading Eurotrash to a Spanish island where she dances around in a leopard print bikini on a beach and heads to a local club.
Katy and her team will likely be hoping Lifetimes will revive her music comeback after her last single Woman’s World and its accompanying video were widely derided.
Investigators are deciding whether the shoot caused environmental damage (Picture: Katy Perry/Youtube/Vevo)
Katy shot the Lifteimes video in various Spanish locations (Picture: Katy Perry/Youtube/Vevo)
Katy has yet to comment on the investigation (Picture: Katy Perry/Youtube/Vevo)
Its reception was so poor a source claimed to the Daily Mail the Roar singer was ‘freaking out’ and was holding crisis talks to ‘go back to the drawing board’ in a bid to save her career.
The video for Woman’s World was accused of playing into the male gaze as it centred on a series of shots of scantily clad women, including close-ups of their chests, doing traditionally masculine jobs.
It was slammed by critics and viewers alike, with the most-liked comment on the video’s official YouTube listing from @bruno3, who said: ‘This is what a feminist video clip would look like if made by a guy.’
@ginergreek branded it ‘feminism if it was written by AI’, while @BB_writes said they genuinely believed it was a ‘Saturday Night Live parody.’
The intensity of the backlash meant Katy was later forced to claim on social media that it was ‘satire.’
Katy’s comeback single Woman’s World was a flop (Picture: Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
The Spanish government claimed the production company did not secure permits (Picture: Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
The collective repulsion to the video followed an avalanche of criticism directed at the single, which features lyrics including: ‘Sexy, confident
So intelligent/ She is heaven-sent/ So soft, so strong.’
The Guardian’s reviewer gave it one star and said: ‘I felt stupider every sorry time I listened to it.’ Dazed said: ‘Woman’s World feels about as empowering as an advert for Vagisil.’
Many TikTok accounts said the lyrics to Woman’s World resembled songs they serenaded their cats with.
Fans also struggled to comprehend Katy’s decision to collaborate Dr. Luke on her new music ostensibly about feminism – a producer who was accused of sexually abusing popstar Kesha for years.
Katy has suffered several blows during her music comeback (Picture: Disney)
Woman’s World failed to set the charts alight debuting at a disappointing number 63 on the US Chart and 47 in the UK.
Woman’s World is the first single from her seventh studio album 143, which will be released on September 20, a month before her 40th birthday.
Katy has had five number one singles in the UK with tracks including I Kissed A Girl, California Gurls and Roar, as well as two number one albums with Teenage Dream in 2010 and Prism in 2013.
Her last album, Smile, was released in 2020, and went to number five in the UK albums chart in the same month Katy gave birth to daughter Daisy Dove, with her partner, Lord Of The Rings actor Orlando.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Katy’s rep and production company We Own The City through their website for comment.
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