You may know her for her whipped cream tops and blue wigs, but for her fourth studio album Katy Perry went dark. "Prism" was released in October 2013 and quickly became Perry’s fastest selling album to date.
Her previous album "Teenage Dream" had a successful tour and included six singles all on the Billboard Hot 100. But this album has a much different focus than the last though, and critics noticed.
"Prism" has singles that detail a long heartbreak from her previous husband Russell Brand. Number one on the album, "Roar," is an empowering song that is just as fun to sing along to as it is to dance to.
"Dark Horse" with Juicy J was performed at the Grammy’s and sounded almost the same as on the album. One thing I love about Katy Perry is her realness. I’ve watched the Katy Perry movie and seen the struggles she went through while divorcing her husband.
During interviews, she stated she had suicidal thoughts and was depressed after the divorce. After listening to this album, I could hear some of those feelings come out in her music, which I think is a great quality in a singer, not just singing about what you think other people want to hear, but also singing for yourself.
Number five on the album, "Unconditionally" is a softer song that lightens the playlist up just a little, but leaves you wondering if there’s someone new in her life.
Even though this album was different from what we had all expected from Perry, this was just another side of her we hadn’t seen before. Hearing a singer’s personal side can make you enjoy his or her work a lot more. It’s reassuring knowing they go through the same things as you and are still human.
Connecting to music is one of the best feelings, I think, and even though I couldn’t connect with all the songs on this album, I know other people did. Perry released an album that left her so vulnerable it’s hard not to appreciate it.
If you haven’t listened to Katy Perry’s new album, do it now and if you haven’t listened to Katy Perry at all, you should be ashamed.