Katy Perry fails to inspire on cliche new single
Katy Perry is definitely one of the biggest pop stars of this decade, so when she returns with new music after a three year break, that is exciting news. When she explains this is not the proper first single of her next album, but a one off thing for the Olympics, the excitement immediately declines a bit. When you hear the song, ‘Rise’, which is supposed to be an anthem for uniting people around the world, all initial excitement has faded away. It’s quite the opposite of inspirational. One cliche after another is thrown at us in a ballad that tries to sound bigger than it actually is.

“Now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite. I know that together we can rise above the fear – in our country, and around the world. I can’t think of a better example than the Olympic athletes, as they gather in Rio with their strength and fearlessness, to remind us how we ALL can come together, with the resolve to be the best we can be. I hope this song can inspire us to heal, unite, and rise together”, Katy explains in the press release. It is hard to see this inspire, as this kind of self confidence anthem has been done countless times before and better. The lyrics can’t seem to escape the level of boring cliches and her vocals are not quite convincing enough to pull this track off. ‘Rise’ actually sounds like it was written in a rush to deliver it before the Olympics. The bridge towards the chorus for example, doesn’t really follow naturally in terms of melody, which ruins the flow of the song.

This might still become a hit as CBS in the States will use it for their coverage of the Olympics, but after the quite disappointing album PRISM we needed Katy to step up her game, which she obviously didn’t. Let us hope she will have something better lined up for the promotion of her upcoming fourth major label studio album.

Update: Katy just launched the video for the single. It’s beautifully shot, but a tad repetitive with her just dragging a parachute around. It is obviously meant to be a inspirational struggle, but just like the song, I don’t really feel it.