Sign up for Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This to stay up to date with all things music
Get our Now Hear This email for free
Katy Perry is being investigated in Spain because of her new music video “Lifetimes”.
The 39-year-old pop star released the video, set in the Balearic Islands, last Thursday (August 8), where she spends her day on the beach before heading to a club in Ibiza.
However, some beach sequences were filmed in the dunes of S’Espalmador on the nearby island of Formentera, a nature reserve.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment of the Balearic Islands said in a statement that the production company responsible for the video had failed to “obtain authorisation from the regional ministry to film”.
“For this reason, preliminary investigative measures have been initiated,” it said.
However, it was further clarified that Perry’s actions were not considered a “crime against the environment” but rather an administrative offence, since general photography and filming in the area “can be approved”.
The Independent asked Perry for comment.
“Lifetimes” is the second single from Perry’s upcoming seventh album 143whose release is scheduled for September 20th.
The first single, “Woman’s World,” received mixed reviews from critics. It debuted at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, signaling a lukewarm start to the pop star’s highly anticipated comeback. It peaked at number 43 in the UK.
Writing for The IndependentAdam White argued that Perry herself was to blame for her problematic comeback.
“Katy Perry’s new single is a depressingly regressive slapstick, a pseudo-feminist imitation of the ‘Divine Feminine,'” said White.
“The title ‘Woman’s World’ would have been embarrassing enough in its natural habitat, a fundraiser for Hillary’s 2016 presidential campaign. But now, in 2024, the film sounds little more than shockingly antiquated.
Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Try it free for 30 days
Sign up
Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Try it free for 30 days
Sign up
“With its Rosie the Riveter imagery and dark lyrics about sisters, mothers and sexy confidence, the track also marks Perry’s return to music after two poorly received albums and several years on the judges’ bench at American Idola show whose refusal to go away is rivaled only by Tony Blair and the mice in my kitchen cupboards.
“The internet has now decided that Perry deserves the same digital beating that was reserved for beleaguered Jennifer Lopez and Justin Timberlake earlier this year. Perry’s ethics, creativity, style and choice of collaborators have all been savaged in the Hague of pop culture in recent weeks, with viral tweets and memes declaring her not only out of date, but also having a punch line worthy of ridicule and criticism.”
