Katy Perry: Album Flop Drove Me to ‘Situational Depression’

Pop superstar Katy Perry took the negative response to her 2017 album Witness very personally, saying the negative feedback drove her to depression.

Neither critics nor fans were particularly impressed with the American Idol judge’s last album, despite its perch at the top of the Billboard 200 — and “Witness: The Tour” grossing an estimated $28 million. The New York Post called the cunnilingus anthem Bon Appétit “a low point in Perry’s already disappointing year,” and reviews for the rest of the album were lackluster at best.

Perry saw it as a lesson from “the universe,” according to an interview with Vogue Australia for their August issue:

Music is my first love and I think it was the universe saying: “Okay, you speak all of this language about self-love and authenticity, but we are going to put you through another test and take away any kind of validating ‘blankie.’ Then we’ll see how much you do truly love yourself.”

“I have had bouts of situational depression and my heart was broken last year,” Perry said, “because, unknowingly, I put so much validity in the reaction of the public, and the public didn’t react in the way I had [expected].” In response, Perry fled to California’s Hoffman Institute in January, looking to rejuvenate her confidence.

The experience seems to have helped. “That brokenness, plus me opening up to a greater, higher power and reconnecting with divinity, gave me a wholeness I never had,” Perry said. “It gave me a new foundation. It’s not just a material foundation: It’s a soul foundation.”

Katy Perry has been a vocal advocate for open borders, and claimed that the election of President Donald Trump “re-triggered” trauma from her religious upbringing. The pop star will continue touring Witness through the remainder of the year, according to katyperry.com. With any luck, her newfound confidence will be enough to fill some of the seats.