Katy Perry
Nov 15, 2010
"Firework", the single off Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", is nothing like the singer's bubblegum anthem "California Gurls," which dominated the charts over the summer. The video, released October 28th, trades in cotton candy to take on a more serious message of self-empowerment. Perry's ability to tackle sometimes difficult matters ranging from body image issues to gay relationships displays the versatility of the artist, which makes "Teenage Dream" such a success.
Released August 24th, "Teenage Dream", Perry's sophomore effort, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and has sold over 1 million copies worldwide to date.
The first single off the album, "California Gurls" featuring Snoop Dogg, was released in May and spent six consecutive weeks at number one. "California Gurls" was Perry's response to Jay-Z and Alicia Key's "Empire State of Mind," as it pays homage to the culture of the West Coast and her hometown of Santa Barbara, Calif. The song is reminiscent of Ke$ha's "Tik Tok", especially with the "Oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh" refrain in the chorus,but still casts Perry in her signature style as a retro-dance-pop princess.
"Firework," Perry's favorite track off of the album, is a self-esteem anthem inspired by Jack Kerouac's novel "On the Road." The track showcases Perry's talents as a vocalist rather than her sex-symbol status. The video takes some cues from Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," depicting two parents fighting, a gay couple, a girl struggling with her body image and a young cancer patient. As Perry stands singing on a balcony in Budapest, fireworks emerge from her heart and then spread joy to the other characters in the video.
Perry's infectious rhythms, lyrics, iconic style and beauty established the success of "Teenage Dream." The album has helped Perry become a modern musical force who turns out consistently interesting material, avoiding the trap of producing singles that sound like carbon copies, a pitfall not unfamiliar to Perry's contemporaries, including Ke$ha and Lily Allen. In this respect, Perry's teenage dream finally came true.
"Firework," impacts Rhythm on November 16th.