Katy Perry can’t seem to help it lately. The 40-year-old pop megastar has attracted negative headline after negative headline over the past year, coming from the poor reviews for her “143” album, her “bloated, convoluted” and technically challenged Lifetimes tour, her breakup from longtime fiancé Orlando Bloom and her “gluttonous” “PR stunt” space ride with Lauren Sanchez and Gayle King aboard one of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rockets.
Even a much-publicized dinner date with an attractive, newly single world leader — former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau — garnered her more media derision and reported “mocking,” by none other than Bloom himself.
But instead of being able to avoid more trouble, Perry was in the news over the weekend for another problematic choice she’s made: Angering locals near an environmentally protected area on a Spanish island by filming a music video there.
When Perry and her video crew filmed in Ses Salines Natural Park on the Balearic Islands last summer, they didn’t get permission, according to Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Natural Environment, The Sun reported. And for that, the production company has been slapped with a hefty fine.
In July 2024, Perry and the production company went to the Balearic Islands to film scenes for her video for “Lifetimes,” a song on her “143” album, according to The Sun. The crew shot some scenes in the dunes on the islet of S’Espalmador, which is located located within a UNESCO World Heritage nature reserve that spans the islands of Ibiza and Formentera. This shoot stirred outrage among locals and prompted an investigation by Spanish authorities.
In the video, Perry can be seen cliff jumping and dancing on a beach, as well as partying at popular nightlife spots on the islands.
At the time, a representative for Capitol Records, Perry’s label, told Variety that the video crew had received “verbal approval” to film on an environmentally protected beach. “The local video production company assured us that all necessary permits for the video were secured,” a Capitol Records spokesperson said. “We have since learned that one permit was in process, although we were given verbal authority to go ahead.”
While the local environmental agency found there was no lasting damage to the area, the offense was still deemed “serious” and the production company has been slapped with a fine of nearly 7,000 euros (equal to $8,100), The Sun said, citing a report in the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
When this controversy first broke last summer, it was yet another snafu that set the stage for a difficult September 2024 launch for “143,” according to Variety.
The video for the album’s lead single “Woman’s World” also was criticized for depicting cliché feminist stereotypes that Perry later said was intended to be parody, Variety also reported. It also didn’t help that the single was produced by Perry’s longtime collaborator Dr. Luke, who was accused in 2014 of sexual misconduct by his former protégé Kesha.
Even though Dr. Luke denied the alleged sexual assault, and he and Kesha settled their case with no admission of guilt on his part, Perry’s choice to collaborate with him still stirred online debate, The Sun also reported. Other celebrities, such as Abigail Breslin, appeared to criticize the singer on social media for setting a bad precedent that lets “known abusers in any industry” feel as though they can get away with “abhorrent” behavior, The Sun said.
