Katy Perry has a lot to smile about these days, with the release of her new album, the birth of her beautiful baby girl, and the reception of fans for all of it. Already, Smile has been crushing the iTunes charts and activating KatyCats all over the internet as they celebrate the release.
Smile comes as Perry's sixth studio album (yes, we're counting Katy Hudson), and packs 12 tracks into just under 40 minutes of listening time. The album includes five pre-release singles, kicking off with Never Really Over in the track #1 slot. The Top 10 hit acts as a great starting point for the album, offering familiarity and an uptempo launch into some introspective and personal pop.
For more about Katy Perry and Smile, we reached out to our friend Elizabeth Di Filippo (Lifestyle Editor at Yahoo Style Canada) who is the biggest KP fan we know. These are her words...
Disclaimer on this review: I am a massive Katy Perry fan. I love Lady Gaga, I love Taylor Swift - but I worship Katy Perry. The colourful, eccentric singer/songwriter first drew me in with One of the Boys picking up in my pop music education where Britney and X-tina left off. From there, it was a roller coaster ride of hit after hit, Teenage Dream, Firework, Part of Me, Roar, Dark Horse and my personal favourite, Wide Awake. Nearly every hit went straight to the top, but then came the era of Witness, where the critics turned their heads with every strand of raven locks she shed.
The sexy, Betty Boop Katy was gone - replaced by Katheryn Hudson, experimenting with sound and trying to reclaim her identity with her newly shorn blonde hair.
Anyone who watched WitnessWorldWide, the 72-hour Big Brother Style web series Perry created to celebrate the release of the album could see the star was struggling - but nobody knew just how much.
This is where I might lose people. I still listen to Witness all the time. It didn't get enough radio-play, but it boasts some of my favourite songs from Perry like, Save As Draft. It was different - but like Perry and Gaga have taught countless fans, different isn't a bad thing.
After the Witness era, Perry kept her new look and kept pushing her sound. She appeared on the Calvin Harris bop Feels and was featured on Zedd's 365 both great songs that did well, but somehow didn't give Perry any of the credit. There was still the myth perpetuating that Perry had lost her touch. Then came Never Really Over - perhaps one of Perry's best songs to date, followed by the light and plucky Small Talk (which sadly didn't make the cut for Smile) and die-hard Perry fans like me could feel it: this wasn't old Katy - this was a new, stronger, happier Katy.
When Daisies was released, I was at one of my lowest points mentally. It was as if it was a gift from Perry herself, a 2020 Firework for me to blare while I went on long drives to clear my head and get my confidence back.
I've listened to Smile in its entirety four times since it was released at midnight, a day after Perry announced the birth of her daughter, Daisy Bloom. Perry's digital press tour gave a glimpse into her state of mind making the album: she struggled, she was on the mend, she was ready to work and do the work to stay happy and healthy (whether she repeated her past successes or not).
From start to finish, Smile is perhaps Perry's most cohesive album to date. Each song flows into the other, with Perry singing about pain and resilience while fans dance along. The singles, including Harleys in Hawaii are the strongest on the album (nothing will beat Never Really Over or Daisies for me... nothing!) but Teary Eyes and Cry About it Later are the sequel to songs like Walking On Air - she makes music for different areas. It might not be for the radio - but these songs will fit on any dance floor, any club or any social distance dance party in your house.
That's where Smile reminds me of (Lady Gaga's) Chromatica and even (Taylor Swift's) Folklore - All three women have proven themselves, achieved more than their male counterparts (in any genre) and buck the expectation that they need to measure success by the same standards they used to. There may be songs for the masses on each record, but instead, each one is making music that they love and that they think fans will love. That authenticity will deliver success and resonate with fans. And as a KP fan through and through, Smile is 36 minutes of fun, hopefulness and escapism.
Smile earns its spot among Teenage Dream and One of the Boys as one of Perry's best albums to date.
Did Josh really think I would say something bad about the Queen? Never.
After Elizabeth shared her thoughts with us, she said she couldn't wait to hear what I thought. So here it is. I think that Smile bangs, but it's also much more than that. This album is way more introspective and personal than I could have expected (because I'm not deep into her on a regular basis), and I applaud that as a fan of artists who aren't afraid to go all in on themselves when they create. In listening to these songs it is clear that this is a grown woman, owning all of the things about her life and managing to turn it into important pop music.
I hope that Perry's fans embrace the personal depth on this album and I hope that pop music fans give it a good listen as well. And, if I'm really reaching with hopes, I hope that Smile and the songs and stories included, get measured alongside other pop albums that are celebrated for their writing just as much as their sing-along potential or danceability.
Check out the full tracklist for Smile now and hit play on the stream to give it a listen. Enjoy!
Katy Perry, Smile Tracklist
