Katy Perry Was Reportedly Determined To Work With Dr. Luke On Her New Album Despite Being ‘Scared’ Of The Backlash She Would Face

Katy Perry has found herself at the center of a storm lately, following the revelation that she teamed up with the contentious music producer Dr. Luke for her latest track, “Woman’s World.” Sharp-eyed fans on social media discovered that on the music site Genius, Perry’s new song was credited with Dr. Luke (whose real name is Łukasz Sebastian Gottwald), 50, as a co-producer.

After months of anticipation for what followers dubbed “KP6,” Perry, 39, officially declared that “Woman’s World,” the leading single from her upcoming album, 143 , would drop on July 11th. True to her word, she also released the music video on the same day.

This album (out on September 20th) heralds the pop star and former American Idol judge’s return to the music scene after a four-year break and has already sparked intense conversations online. A recent report by The Daily Mail suggests that insiders believe Perry sees Dr. Luke as vital for a triumphant musical comeback.

Katy Perry Was Willing To Overlook Dr. Luke's Sexual Abuse Allegations To Create Chart-Topping Hits, According To Sources

According to the outlet, Perry was allegedly eager to team up again with Dr. Luke, even though he's been entangled in a prolonged legal battle over sexual abuse allegations. Their past hits like "Teenage Dream" and "I Kissed A Girl" had been such chart-toppers that she was apparently willing to overlook the controversy for another shot at musical magic.

"She understands she is controversial by working with Dr. Luke again, but they work so well together, and they have such a rapport with each other that she knows him in a different way than others might," one source dished to the publication. They went on, adding: "Her relationship with Dr. Luke is an important one."

The insider continued: "So to have worked with him again is something she isn't bothered about, even though plenty of fans are. She is scared as the music world today can be fickle, with artists here one minute and disappearing the next - but she has thrived before."

The tipster also shared: "Katy is ready to go through the fires and she believes in her new album and work. So many people want to see her fail, but she is using it as motivation." They added: "She can't wait to support her album and prove everyone wrong. She wants this to be her renaissance."

Just hours after Perry’s announcement of her new Dr. Luke-produced track last month, Kesha took to Twitter with a cryptic “lol,” which many interpreted as a jab .

A subsequent Rolling Stone report suggested that Perry had indeed worked with Dr. Luke on her new album.

This connection is especially contentious given that Kesha, 37, accused Dr. Luke, her former long-time producer, of sexual assault and emotional abuse back in 2014. He retaliated with a defamation lawsuit, leading to a prolonged legal battle that only reached a resolution last year.

Fans React To Dr. Luke Listed As A Co-Producer On Perry's Single 'Woman's World'

Across TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter), many of Perry's fans couldn't help but notice the irony in a song that supposedly champions female empowerment being co-produced by someone with accusations of abuse against them. Meanwhile, others found themselves fixated on the song snippet, sparking a wave of "AI-generated" jokes and likening it to the kind of tunes you'd hear while shopping at a department store or watching "toilet paper" commercials.

Soon after the "Roar" hitmaker shared the snippet of "Woman's World" to TikTok on June 17th, one fan commented beneath her post: "This.... is the comeback?" as another added: "I could make this on garage band."  Someone else quipped: "was this written by ai?"

Beneath her similar Instagram post on the same day, another commenter noted: "This song is actually painful to listen to" as one other replied: "This song sounds terrible. Lol we need the summer of 2010 Katy back."

Others expressed their qualms with the Dr. Luke production rumors. "Releasing a woman's empowerment song with an [alleged] ABUSER as the producer is insane and totally tone deaf," someone wrote as another commented: "Good luck with Dr. Puke."

After seven memorable years as a judge on American Idol , Perry revealed back in February that she has decided to hang up her judging hat and dive back into the world of music creation.

While fans eagerly await the announcement of her successor on the show, Perry is already hitting the studio and crafting new tunes.

"I love Idol so much, it's connected me with the heart of America," the "California Gurls" artist told host Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this year. She went on to say : "But I feel like I need to go out to feel that pulse of my own beat."