What would a good Katy Perry song sound like in 2024? Would it be a pastiche of her past work, updated to blend with current pop sensibilities? Would it be a sonic throwback, or would it lean into the future? Perry’s latest offering “Woman’s World” is none of these. Instead, it's proof of her waning cultural presence and the verve she lacks to keep up with an ever-changing sphere.

At a point in time, Katy Perry was inescapable. Her 2010 “Teenage Dream” amassed five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, a record held previously by Michael Jackson. The former parts of the 2010s would be hers to own. She crafted an iconography so bright and candy-painted it provided an escape from a post-recession America. She chronicled the frivolous joys of unabashed youth in an era where pop music was expected to be hollow and fun.

The latter half of the decade found Perry in some artistic trouble. She faded into irrelevance as pop music moved forward and audience expectations shifted. Streaming had eclipsed radio, where Perry found most of her success. Her 2017 record “Witness” was marred by an odd rollout. There was a weird 72-hour livestream the weekend of the album’s release, a cringe-inducing SNL performance of “Bon Appétit” with Migos and, of course, the pixie cut seen round the world. Most notably,........

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