Sharing her truth. Katy Perry revealed that the title track from her upcoming album, Smile, was written during a challenging time in her life.
The “Never Really Over” singer, 35, unveiled a snippet of the new single via Instagram on Thursday, July 9. In doing so, she shared the inspiration behind the upbeat song.
“I wrote the title track from the album when I was coming through one of the darkest periods of my life and had lost my smile,” she wrote. “This whole album is my journey towards the light — with stories of resilience, hope, and love.”
In May, it was announced that Perry would drop her fifth record on Friday, August 14. She released the lead single, “Daisies,” that same month. The Smile album artwork unveiled on Wednesday featured Perry pouting while donning a red clown nose.
Smile is Perry’s first album since 2017’s Witness —a record that was unsuccessful critically and commercially. Late last month, the California native opened up about how she entered a dark place following the release of Witness and her breakup to now-fiancé Orlando Bloom.
“My career was on this trajectory when it was going up, up and up and then I had the smallest shift, not that huge from an outside perspective. But for me it was seismic,” she said on Canadian radio show “Q on CBC” on June 26. “I had broken up with my boyfriend, who is now my baby-daddy-to-be, and then I was excited about flying high off the next record and the record didn’t get me high anymore. … The validation didn’t get me high, and so I just crashed.”
Perry said that poor reception surrounding Witness “broke” her, but she credited learning to be grateful as the thing that “saved” her. “Because if I did not find that, I would have wallowed in my own sadness and probably just jumped,” the American Idol judge said, adding that this was a “necessary brokenness.”
The “Never Worn White” singer previously revealed what fans can expect from her upcoming musical effort. “I think that what’s coming musically for me is songs about that journey and getting to that OK place,” she explained on Australian radio show “Smallzy’s Surgery” in March.
“The world wants some messages, some encouraging messages,” Perry continued. “Maybe they need that optimism on the airwaves. And that’s something I really enjoy doing and we’re just finding balance.”
Perry fans can hear her new song, “Smile,” and pre-order her upcoming album on Friday. Smile will be released on Friday, August 14.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
