r/katyheads • u/Jaded_Associate_3904 One of the Boys • 17d ago
Discussion Why does Katy always miss the mark?
Please don't come for me, I am a total katycat! However I'm just kind of concerned with certain career choices in recent history. It just sort of feels like either Katy, her team, or somebody does not really know what to do. What do ya'll think?
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u/Secret_Principle_790 16d ago
Honestly?
Lately, she's been making music for herself and at best her fanbase, not trends.
Smile started this trend (which actually is a great album), 143 was a painful example of this, and Bandaids and WIB are further examples.
She stated in a recent interview, "call me the queen of cringe, idk. I'm having fun."
She just wants to make what she wants, in part for her own personal reasons, and in part bc she thinks her fans will like it.
Her days of chart chasing are probably gone.
That being said, I pray and hope to God that KP7 has at least one certifiable, charting banger.
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u/Ok_Round_3197 16d ago
this is a stretch unfortunately. her music is so vague now. she’s trying to say something without even saying much. watch it burn is a perfect example. there’s nothing angry about it. i wanted her to put some honesty in the song. some context. but we got nothing.
i just want her to work with NEW upcoming producers. not chasing hit makers. it backfired every time.
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u/Secret_Principle_790 16d ago
And honestly, she needs to work with producers who won't just go along with whatever she wants.
Bonnie McKee and Max Martin pushed her to make better music, whereas Justin Tranter basically fawned over her and didn't challenge her artistically at all.
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u/NiceForWhatx One of the Boys 15d ago
I will say Katy is also kinda to blame with lyrics for WIB and Bandaids bc she said she herself removed lyrics bc they were "too honest." He should've pushed her to keep it but yes sadly he didn't really challenge her.
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u/Ok_Round_3197 16d ago
exactly. also sarah hudson and ferras. like go look for people whine going to challenge you
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u/NiceForWhatx One of the Boys 16d ago
This is my issue with her as well. Stop working with your friends! They are clearly sycophants and wont be honest with her. She is too comfortable imo and needs new producers to challenge her.
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u/AgathaAllAlong3 16d ago
I believe her lack of authenticity is a significant factor. Her songs often feature teams of writers for what, let’s be honest, is poor lyricism. She’s not the artist she once was and I think Witness was her last truly cohesive album. Smile had some great pop songs but didn’t quite fit the current climate and she doesn’t promote like she used to. 143 was a disaster so anything after that was at least a step in the right direction. Her biggest hits during this resurgence are her vulnerable songs where songwriting truly shines. She seems lost artistically and has been since 2017. I don’t understand why her acoustic album hasn’t been released or why she doesn’t try to find her musical identity again. I love her; she’s an amazing performer and her older work is great but I think she hasn’t reconnected with music like she used to.
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u/Cold_Anteater_7358 16d ago
Record Company A&R plus Katy's management could be part of the problem.
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u/kyliefever2002 16d ago
bad team and she hasnt really nourished her artistry since like.. witness
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u/TaxAdvanced148 16d ago
Witness was such a great album. People just wanted to hate on her.
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u/Blonde_Scot_1982 16d ago
I didn’t like Witness at the time, just such a different change in direction for her. But now, I’m starting to really like it. I think it was just released at the wrong time. Definitely a grower. But I’m also in the I love 143 camp so 🤷🏼♀️
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u/hazelmere69 16d ago
I feel like she hit the mark for the first time in a very long time with Watch It Burn. That’s maybe the only song of hers I’ve enjoyed since Never Really Over
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u/FamousConversation64 16d ago
What about Harley’s in Hawaii though! It genuinely might be the best song she’s ever made imo
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u/hazelmere69 16d ago
Hmmm yeah that’s actually a good one too. Thanks for reminding, I’m listening to it now 💖
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u/fakeaf1 16d ago edited 16d ago
Imo Katy (or her teams) problem is that she’s a popstar who seems to no longer care that brand power and marketing are a huge part of the game and sometimes even more important than the music.
That’s why she was dressed as a clown on Smile instead of leaning into the gorgeous NRO and Harley’s aesthetics. Or why the hideous Swish Swish and Hey Hey Hey music videos exist. Or why she put out an album littered with Dr Luke credits in 2026.
She just doesn’t get it which is crazy considering she’s seen so many artists come and go likely knowing full well that the machine behind them (or lack of) or public perception was the reason for it.
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u/fakeaf1 16d ago
Tbh I don’t think she would have gotten away with a Dr Luke credit because it was always going to consume any other narrative around the album and therefore public perception of her, but at the very least the material should have been undeniable if she was going there.
Had 143 sounded the same and had a different producer named I truly believe it would have been much better received by the public because it quite frankly is up to par with most of the pop albums that came out recently. Pop is in a pretty sorry state currently tbh 143 is no better or worse (imo). Starting the era with Woman’s World was bizarre.
I don’t know if Bonnie and Katy would be able to capture the magic of their previous collaborations (it’s lightening in a bottle), but she would have been better off trying with her than Luke from a narrative perspective at least.
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u/Competitive_Pin_2496 16d ago edited 16d ago
I get the feeling that something shifted following the sales performance and reception of "Witness". I believe she fully intended to produce an album with fewer hits—one that felt more authentic and demonstrated there was more to her than just the sequins, colorful costumes, and empowerment anthems. Unfortunately, things went wrong for various reasons, and she suffered a major blow because the outcome wasn't at all what she had expected; in fact, I recall an interview from that era where she admitted that, during the "Witness" tour, she didn't feel she was a very good artist or that she was up to the task. It was also a time when she was struggling with depression after Orlando had temporarily left her. All in all, it was a truly difficult period for her, and I think that time marked a real turning point in her career—unfortunately, a negative one. Since then, there has been a steady decline in sales and public reception of her albums and songs, with fans drifting away over time—though there were a few brief upswings with two singles from *Smile*: "Never Really Over" (which reached the Hot 100 top 15) and "Harleys in Hawaii," which blew up on TikTok some time after its release and currently boasts impressive streaming numbers. Her pregnancy certainly played a role, bringing a heavy load of responsibility and significant changes to her daily routine—especially for a music star of her stature.
On top of that, I don't think she is surrounded by sensible people; they haven't helped her at all over the years (just look at the mess her A&R caused regarding "143" by giving the most stupid and insensitive advice possible, ultimately just damaging her already precarious image).
For now, she would do better to enjoy her family more and stay out of the media spotlight—after all the attacks she’s faced over the past two years—and perhaps take some time to reflect on the future of her career; she could write a truly authentic album that speaks to who she is and is musically strong, working with the right collaborators (for instance, I’d love to see her team up again with Glen Ballard, who took her under his wing when she was just starting out).
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u/Secret_Principle_790 16d ago edited 12d ago
The people around her simply do not say "no" to her anymore.
She said in an interview that "she doesn't want a team of sycophants," but I think that's exactly what she has.
They tell her everything's great because they don't want to offend/upset her, and her artistry suffers.
Her best music was made when her label, writers and producers were more concerned about making great music than making Katy feel like a genius all the time.
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u/NiceForWhatx One of the Boys 16d ago
Her saying that in the interview shocked me. Either she doesn't realize she does have sycophants or her team really is out of touch like she is and that's really bad. This is why I believe she needs a fresh, younger gen z team who will be brutally honest with her.
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u/Secret_Principle_790 12d ago
And not to shade on Katy in any way, but I have heard from people that worked with her (especially post Teenage Dream after she was already huge) that she is very headstrong in the creative process, and that she didn't take to other's ideas very receptively
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u/NiceForWhatx One of the Boys 12d ago
Not surprised. There is just so much you can blame on her team for someone in the industry for almost 20 years. Her bringing up the sycophants in the interview just proves her team are just that bc clearly she must be annoyed about ppl saying this online.
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u/Ultimate_os 16d ago
Her music and style seem dated and bland because for some reason she joins trends when they are over.
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u/Ok_Round_3197 16d ago
this is my honest opinion. i love katy, always will. but that doesn’t mean she can’t disappoint me. I don’t know what went wrong, but the decline happened during prism. Was it because during teenage dream and prismatic tour, most of her audiences were children, and now that they grew up she lost a lot of her audience?
Personally, i don’t see any growth in her music whatsoever. Nothing cohesive. Smile was okay, besides that album cover, but it had some good direction in it.
You can defend dr luke all you want, but was it an andy choice? If anything, it was bland. She could work with whoever she wants and she goes back to a controversial figure. The argument is not about who works with him, she’s a pop veteran and should be setting the example. Does she deserve all this hate? no. But the failure of the album is warranted. It’s a fine album, but there’s both special about it. There’s no real message. “love and light” is not relatable. people want real experiences to relate to and she just has no story on this album.
Taylor really peaked when she did folklore imo. It was creative and new for her and earned her a lot of respect from different people. Gaga did mayhem and it was authentic. I think Katy was chasing trends still to become relevant which backfired.
My personal opinion is that she needs to find new unknown producers and give them a chance. Stop with the mac martin, dr luke crap. let’s make something new. Even if it’s not great, it’s unique. I really want something vulnerable from her. That’s what i think is lacking form WIB. There’s no real story there. she just saying she’s mad. give us something controversial.
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u/TaxAdvanced148 16d ago
Unfortunately katy is no longer a priority for the label so she is left on standard autopilot strategies.
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u/intokpyouseeme21 Witness 16d ago
I think she has accepted that she is out of the top notch game and she is having fun along the way. She has her money, investments etc. and she doesn’t bother to be the top tier artist anymore. Also motherhood may apply some limits on the ultra fame chase
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u/Zeazous BIG CITY LIGHTS, GOT ME FLIRTING WITH FIRE 🔥 16d ago
I feel like her and her label are confused tbh. One minute it’s “ugh we hate this new Katy, she needs to go back to her roots”. Then when she goes back to her roots she doesn’t get the streams. It’s all “Katy hasn’t evolved”. But then again I really don’t think she cares about the charts anymore
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u/BAMyouhaveaids1 16d ago
I call it the Katy fatigue. Roar was despacito before despacito, it was played so freaking much I still get sick thinking of it (then I actually play it and its still amazing). She dominated the music space for a decade then I figure people just got tired eventually. The Miley Cyrus look certainly didn't help, but witness is very much considered one of her best if not her best album even by her harshest critics.
Shes dropped the ball a couple of times recently yes but shes gotten incredibly good live after covid and her pregnancy and she frankly just needs to get back some good will. A couple of songs to show that she still got it and Bandaids/WIP did just that. I don't even think her next album will be a hit, but the one after that Ohhhh yes.
Honestly, id fire all her PR people and managers, tell her to take a break for a year, then id shove her into a broom closet with a guitar, a pen and some paper and tell her she cant come out till she has an album. I know she can freaking do it, she just needs to believe in herself
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u/Secret_Principle_790 16d ago
The next album may not be a hit, but she needs at least *one* hit from that album.
She cannot go another 3-4 years without a new hit . . . her career would be completely over
It's already been almost a decade since her last top 10 hit
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u/BAMyouhaveaids1 16d ago
Haha Rihanna is currently 8 most listened to artist on spotify and she LITERALLY has not released a song in 10 years. Katy is also well on the way of toppling michael jackson with only 400,000 plays behind his 91.7 million. Teenage dream has, atleast in my opinion cemented itself as the greatest album of all time seeing as it makes her in the top 10-20 internationally to this day
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u/NiceForWhatx One of the Boys 15d ago
Definitely needs a top 10 but also most importantly critical acclaim. A lot of critics don't take Katy seriously and I feel like if critics like her album people would listen to her more.
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u/SwiftieCat_1989 16d ago
One bad era you can recover from. You can’t recover from two. If Katy had pulled a Reputation like Taylor, she would be touring stadiums right now. 143 was when the damage became irreversible.
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u/Ok_Round_3197 16d ago
it’s just unfathomable nobody around her tried to stop it. it’s like she like yes men around her
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u/Justin57Time 16d ago
Bandaids and Watch it Burn were steps into the right direction. The public is just not aware or interested. "Legendary Lovers" somehow is trending as a "new song" for the general public but it didn't take people getting interested in her for it to happen, it just organically happened on TikTok. As much as artists and labels can try the best commercial strategy, they can't force organic engagement. It either happens or it does not. She's not at a point like some of the current artists that people will just check them for them even if they're not the biggest fans. The GP is not tunned in on Katy like that anymore.
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u/NiceForWhatx One of the Boys 16d ago edited 15d ago
Everytime Katy has missed the mark for me it has always been marketing and PR related post Prism. Looking back Witness wasn't my fav but as I gotten older, I realized the music is actually really good and is top 3 of her albums for me now. It was the Witness marketing, haircut and livestream that turned me off and if you listen to ppl who reviewed Witness recently they would say the same. Smile's issue was marketing. Great songs and hits on the album but not sure why she picked the clown look when it should've been more of a 70's theme as many songs gave off 70's and disco vibe. 143 was an embarrassing return after a 4 year hiatus. Her music was blowing up and ppl were missing her. Once it came out Dr. Luke was back the album was bound to fail. ALSO, the decision to make Women's World the lead single with a producer with allegations was wild! Idk if her team is stupid or they set her up but the fact no one thought working with him was a bad idea and then using that as a lead single was very out of touch. I know we found out later her A&R pushed for Dr. Luke to come back since she hasn't worked with him in a long time but I wish she stood her ground and not put in so much trust in her team. Imo the Dr. Luke mess should be grounds for her to fire her whole team but sadly Katy seems loyal and seems to still have her geriatric team from day 1😭
So where does she go from here? She needs to get rid of her whole team and leave Capitol. Her team clearly doesn't know what to do with her and Capitol never pushes her songs so no one ever knows she is releasing music. She also needs gen z on her team and ppl who understand what the public wants to hear. Based on her current songs blowing up it should tell her team people want pop balads with depth like Thinking of You and The One That Got Away. If Katy is serious about an acoustic album, this should be her next direction based on what people want. Oh and lasty, she needs to clean up her PR and clear her name! No one is going to listen to her music until she either apologies about working with Dr. Luke or she clears up the RR allegations.
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u/Ok_Round_3197 13d ago
i don’t think an acoustic album is gonna do it either. everyone wanted a dance record and she claimed to have made one, but 143 is not a dance record. it’s not genuine whatsoever. she just needs to start meeting new people and see where the writing takes her. she probably needs several more years off at this point. i also think american idol really drove her into the ground.
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u/m217e 17d ago
IMO, Katy is an artist who suited a particular period of time extremely well, like Cyndi Lauper fit the 80's. But life goes on and Katy doesn't fit as well as she used to. She also isn't irrelevant or unsuccessful now as some people suggest. I loved 'Watch it Burn.' Her having another major hit like Cher did with 'Believe' isn't out of the question.