Overcoming darkness: Katy Perry’s “Smile”

During these six months in disarray due to COVID-19, artists have been hard at work, and global pop-star Katy Perry is no different. Her new album, “Smile,” follows Perry’s journey to overcome darkness and excel during troubled times.

The titular track, “Smile,” is upbeat, jazzy and all about being “thankful — scratch that — grateful.”

As it turns out, Perry has quite a bit to be thankful for. After her Capitol Records debut in 2008, she has racked up a cumulative 40 billion streams, worldwide sales of 45 million, and her music video “Roar” has surpassed three billion views, making her the first female artist to do so.

“I wrote this album during one of the darkest periods of my life,” Perry said during a press conference with Universal Music Group’s college program, °1824. “I wasn’t thinking about tomorrow, nor did I necessarily want to.” 

Perry continued by opening up about her clinical depression, which was the first time she had truly dealt with long term mental illness.

The global pandemic has not only changed the way Perry has viewed the world, but the way she views the album.

“There are songs on this record like ‘It’s Not the End of the World’ or ‘Teary Eyes’ or “Only Love.’ These songs talk about how sometimes it’s hard to change your perspective or mindset or how you do things. Even in ‘Smile,’ it felt like I was in Groundhog’s Day and I needed to snap out of it.” Perry said. She went on to explain that seeing the world with a different perspective changed how she thought about herself and others. Although not entirely written during quarantine, there are a lot of parallels.

In addition to releasing an album during a global pandemic, Perry is nearly 10 months pregnant and is ecstatic to bring “life into the world.” She added that she had matured and this album reflected a lot of themes of hopefulness and courage.

The song “What Makes a Woman” was born when Perry thought about her pregnancy and the millions of women who had given birth before her.

“It’s kind of a trick question,” Perry said, “because if you can answer that question and not have it continue on forever, you might not be a woman. It’s so expansive and beautifully complex.” 

Perry has been very vocal about her experiences being pregnant because she hopes it can not only empower women but let them know that she understands what they are going through.

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“You could spend your whole life but you couldn’t describe what makes a woman,” Perry writes, “and that’s what makes a woman to me.”

The album’s first radio single, “Daisies,” celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in “the face of cynicism and adversity.” Perry is aware that being in the spotlight has put her in a unique place, but she also understands that it means when she makes a mistake, she is quickly put in her place.

“It’s like having billions of in-laws,” Perry continued in her interview with °1824, “and everyone has to have commentary on your life. It’s intense. Sometimes you have to shut that out, but that doesn’t mean it never bleeds through.”

Although it can be rough, Perry is thankful for it. The accountability has allowed her to understand that life gets more “expansive the longer you live.”

“I feel like anytime I am acknowledging my complete failures that is a courageous thing, because everyone likes to portray perfectionism, especially in the entertainment industry,” Perry said.

Rony Alwin

Katy Perry’s “Daisies” currently has over 22 million views on Youtube.

Not every song needs to be taken in complete seriousness, though. “Harleys in Hawaii” is a calm, “put on at a party” kind of song about a couple doing exactly that: riding Harleys in Hawaii. On the other hand, “Never Really Over” details the journey Perry went on to get over an ex and “rewire her brain.” Therapy can only do so much without the patient putting in the work, too.

Still, Perry hopes the album will allow listeners to be vulnerable with themselves because she knows a majority of her fanbase has grown up with her. In addition to her sound changing to something more “grown-up,” Perry added she and her listeners were “raising each other.”

“Be grateful for your growth,” Perry said. “You can’t change the world in a day.”

This might have been a year of reckoning, but it’s necessary. Together we can get through this.

“Smile” will be available worldwide on August 28, 2020.

Sydney Dahle is a fourth-year student studying history and political science at Utah State and is currently the Lifestyles Content manager for the Utah Statesman. She hails from St. Louis, Missouri, and spends her free time writing, listening to The Killers, and playing Animal Crossing on the switch.

—sydney.dahle@usu.edu

@dillydahle