Katy Perry has seemingly added to her mesmerizing year of public missteps.
The pop star exited “American Idol” this year and announced her first album since 2020. However, her first two singles with producer Dr. Luke — who was engaged in a yearslong legal battle with singer Kesha after she accused him of sexual abuse — flopped on the charts and her “Women’s World” music video was widely mocked. Now she’s under investigation for potential environmental damage.
The government of the Balearic Islands in Spain said Perry and her production company in a statement Tuesday did not have proper authorization to film the video for “Lifetimes,” the second single off of her upcoming album, “143.” It will investigate to see if the filming damaged ecologically vital sand dunes in the process.
Perry’s company WeOwnTheCity shot the video in a protected area of Ses Salines Natural Park on S’Espalmador, a Spanish isle of the Pityusic Islands. The park serves as a nesting area for migratory birds and supports crucial ecological and marine habitats.
A translation of the Catalan statement Tuesday confirms the government isn’t pursuing this case as a “crime against the environment,” but as an assessment of how thoroughly Perry and her company may have infringed on the local laws aimed to prevent such damage.
Representatives for Perry did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
The video, released last week, shows Perry enjoying the Mediterranean island and relishing its local nightlife. The song itself was produced by Dr. Luke, aka Lukasz Gottwald, whom Kesha accused of sexual assault and physical abuse in 2014. The producer, who denied the claims, sued the singer for defamation in a case that was ultimately settled last year.
Perry had also enlisted Dr. Luke for “Woman’s World,” the debut single of the album, which many lampooned on social media — as Perry was not only collaborating with him post-scandal, but championed supposed “girl power” in the video.
Chris Pizzello/Associated Press
While the singer reacted to widespread criticism of “Woman’s World” by arguing it was “satire,” the song debuted at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. “Lifetimes” reportedly launched at No. 145 on the global Spotify chart.
While the video for “Lifetimes” shows only Perry gallivanting around the beaches of S’Espalmador, the effort naturally required a whole host of crew members to step foot in the protected area, too. Whether “143” marks a full-fledged comeback remains to be seen.
Perry’s sixth studio album hits physical shelves and digital streaming services on Sept. 20.
