Why Katy Perry Doesn't Release Music Anymore

Take one look at the charts in the late 2000s and 2010s, and you'll see Katy Perry all over them. It wasn't too long ago when she quickly reached superstar status, her name becoming synonymous with chart-topping hits. In 2011, just a few years after she got her big break, she managed to tie Michael Jackson's record of having five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Perry didn't stop there — she continued to dominate the music scene, eventually accumulating an impressive total of nine No. 1 hits. However, come the 2020s, there came a California Girl-sized hole in music. Perry seemed to vanish from the charts, with fans wondering why she hasn't bothered to release bops in years.

The concept of a hiatus is not uncommon in the music industry, of course, but Perry appears to have done so without warning. This is not her first break, though. In 2017, Perry deliberately took time off from her whirlwind music career and chose to prioritize her well-being. "I've done a lot of work lately in the past year on my mental health, on my spiritual and emotional side," she told Footwear News at the time. "I've been on the road for, like, 10 years, so I'm just going to chill. I'm not going to go straight into making another record."

Perry made a brief comeback with the release of her album "Smile" in 2020, and then it was crickets. But the "I Kissed a Girl" singer assured fans that she hasn't ghosted them. 

To be fair to Katy Perry, it's not like she completely fell off the radar. Apart from serving as a judge on "American Idol," she embarked on an extended residency in Las Vegas and performed over 50 shows between 2021 and 2023. Music-wise, however, the singer has noticeably come up short, but that's only because she's busy adjusting to motherhood and tending to her daughter, Daisy Dove, shared with actor Orlando Bloom.

"I haven't put any new material out since my Darling Daisy," she told "Good Morning America," noting that her focus was on being a "hands-on" mom. "I got to drop my daughter off at preschool," she said. "I'll come home tonight and I'll still have, like, hair and makeup done, and I'll probably be in some form of robe and lipstick everywhere. I'll be just cutting some olives, cutting some grapes [for her]." 

But fans need not fret, as she confirmed that her love for her craft has not faltered. "I'm always writing, I have been, but I think what's really important to me is to be celebrating the world that I've got to build with all of these wonderful songs and to be responsible for a life for a three-year-old," she explained. 

And besides, it's not like she's in a rush, as she has already made a name for herself. "I don't feel like I'm a part of a game anymore; I just feel like I'm an artist," she shared in her Footwear News interview. "I don't feel like I have to prove anything, which is a freeing feeling."

The good news is that new music from Katy Perry may come sooner than you think. During one of the last shows of her 2023 Las Vegas residency, the "Dark Horse" singer teased that her next album, known to fans as "KP6," may just be around the corner. "If you couldn't love me in my 'Witness' and 'Smile' eras, then you can't love me in my KP6 era," she told the audience (via Katy Perry Today on X), referencing her last two albums that weren't much of a hit compared to her earlier works.

What's more, a source close to the star revealed to The Sun some exciting plans brewing in Perry's camp. Not only is she looking to drop a new album soon, but she's also planning on a world tour, which may commence in 2024. "Katy has been working on her most personal album ever for much of the past two years. She has been doing it on her own terms and it is quite different from anything she has released before," the insider shared. "After so long spent on the West Coast of the US, she feels ready to tour again. The demand is there because she has so many hits, so taking her show on the road is bound to be a big draw."