Much has been made of Katy Perry’s comeback to pop music. After several years of living her life, raising her daughter, and judging American Idol, the singer is preparing to drop a new album, one which was expected to return her to her status as one of the industry’s most reliable hitmakers–or, at least, many hoped that would be the case.
Perry returned with a high-profile new single titled “Woman’s World” in mid-July. The track was one of the most hyped of the year, and expectations were high. Sadly, the dance-pop cut floundered upon its arrival, and the superstar is already moving on to the next.
The Grammy nominee has announced her next single, which is coming very soon. “Lifetimes” is slated to drop next Friday, on August 9. It’s expected to serve as the second promotional cut from Perry’s forthcoming album 143, and hopefully, it will perform better than its predecessor.
“Lifetimes” will arrive less than one month after “Woman’s World,” which is not a good sign for this era. Sometimes, musicians will release several songs from an upcoming project, and the plan is to flood the public with new music ahead of an exciting drop. It doesn’t seem like that was the original thought process when it came to “Woman’s World,” which appeared to be an expensive misfire.
Perry’s pivot from the first single to a second in only a matter of weeks is all but proof that she and her team have accepted that the public isn’t interested in the song. “Woman’s World” peaked at No. 63 on the Hot 100 last week before falling off the ranking entirely. That’s a very poor performance for a tune from one of the most famous artists in the world.
At the moment, “Woman’s World” is still being promoted to radio across the U.S. This week, the single lifts to a new peak of No. 27 on the Adult Contemporary tally. That’s one of three pop radio rankings, and it’s the only one where Perry climbs.
The same cut falls on the other two pop radio-focused rosters. “Woman’s World” slips from where it debuted last frame on both the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay tallies. That is another bad sign for the future of the tune, which seems destined to disappear from at least one—if not both—of those lists very soon.
Once Perry begins promoting “Lifetimes” in earnest, “Woman’s World” will likely fade from memory entirely. DJs and programmers–as well as superfans who will do whatever they can to give the pop singer another hit–are unlikely to support a pair of tracks at once, especially considering the first has underperformed since it dropped. Hopefully, for the sake of both Perry’s sake and future album 143, the new single earns a better reception.
