Smile Katy Perry Artist

As an album title, {|Smile|} carries an air of determined pleasantry, and {|Katy Perry|} could use her share of good spirits in 2020. {|Witness|}, {|Smile|}'s predecessor, found {|Perry|} pushing her artistic limits, an exercise that didn't find an a... Read more

As an album title, {|Smile|} carries an air of determined pleasantry, and {|Katy Perry|} could use her share of good spirits in 2020. {|Witness|}, {|Smile|}'s predecessor, found {|Perry|} pushing her artistic limits, an exercise that didn't find an audience, so she's chosen to retreat to safe territory for {|Smile|}. Mostly, this results in {|Perry|} devoting herself to dance-pop that's coolly glassy on the surface and vaguely positive underneath. It's dance music that's not intended for the club; rather, it's a soundtrack for everyday events, from work to exercise to relaxation. It's also music that tacitly acknowledges that {|Katy Perry|} is beginning her slow transition away from pop culture's center stage. She's not ready to yield the spotlight, yet there's a distinct sensation that she's following fashions on {|Smile|}, not setting them. Perhaps it's how the album's overall vibe is sunny and melodic, focused on songs, not beats. It's an aesthetic that's completely in line with {|Teenage Dream|}, an album that celebrated its tenth anniversary the week of {|Smile|}'s release, yet everything on this 2020 record is a bit streamlined and mellow; there are no moments of exuberance, no dirty jokes, no hip-hop, no bubblegum, only affirmations, love songs, breezy trifles, and paeans to resilience. Without fleeting moments of bad taste, {|Perry|} does indeed sound mature, but she's also not quite as fun. That's a conscious choice, though. {|Smile|} is intended to evoke memories of her frivolous younger days while pointing toward a sustainable pop future. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Less