Heavy/Getty Katy Perry and her production team's latest video shoot is under investigation by officials in Spain.
Pop star and former “American Idol” judge Katy Perry and her production team are in hot water over the beach scenes she filmed for her new “Lifetimes” music video, now under investigation by a government entity in Spain.
According to Billboard, Spain’s Environment Department of the Balearic Islands announced on August 13, 2024, that Perry’s production company didn’t request “proper authorization” before filming and may have “caused environmental damage to the protected dunes of S’Espalmador.”
The dust-up is just the latest speed bump for Perry, who left “American Idol” in May to release her first album in four years and launch a world tour. “Lifetimes” is the second single, released on August 8 after her first single, “Woman’s World,” flopped on the charts.
Spanish News Outlet Says Katy Perry’s Video Was Filmed in an Area Blocked Off With Ropes
Perry’s new “Lifetimes” video, from her upcoming album “143,” features her parading in a bikini along the beach in the Balearic Islands and then partying at a club in Ibiza.
According to a translated press release from the Balearic Islands’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, “preliminary investigation actions have been initiated” because no one requested authorization to film the video there.
Filming took place in an area that is “blocked off by ropes and fencing,” according to Spanish news outlet The Olive Press, which said s’Espalmador is a private islet that’s “been part of the Ses Salines de Ibiza and Formentera Natural Park since 1980.”
Since filming is sometimes allowed in the area, officials said Perry and her team’s actions would not technically be considered a crime, per the press release. It’s not clear what the punishment would be if environmental damage resulting from the shoot is discovered.
Katy Perry’s Ignoring Controversies While Vacationing With Famous Friends
The investigation is just the latest sour note for Perry, who’s been trying to drum up excitement for her upcoming album, “143.” After the July release of “Woman’s World,” the first single off the album, failed to gain any traction, Rolling Stone called it it a “catastrophic flop” and questioned whether it would become the “worst comeback song of all time.”
The tune was meant to be an anthem for female empowerment as Perry sings “it’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to be living in it.” But Perry has received a great deal of scrutiny for partnering on the single — and others from her upcoming album — with producer Dr. Luke, who was accused of sexual and physical assault by fellow pop star Kesha in a 2014 lawsuit that was eventually dismissed, per Forbes.
Their legal battle continued through 2023 before reaching a settlement. Kesha has not rescinded her claims publicly and artists including Pink and Kelly Clarkson have vowed not to work with Dr. Luke, Forbes reported.
On July 25, when X17Online caught up with Kesha at LAX and asked about her reaction to Perry’s collaboration with him, she said, “Booooo. (Expletive) bad men. That’s all I have to say. (Expletive) them all.”
Perry has not addressed the backlash, and has spent recent days vacationing with her longtime fiance, Orlando Bloom, with whom she made headlines on August 12 for jumping out of a helicopter into the ocean.
According to TMZ, the couple is in Sardinia, Italy, vacationing with billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, on their yacht. Page Six reported that actor Leonardo DiCaprio and model Vittoria Ceretti have also been sailing on the $485 million super yacht with the couples.
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Katy Perry’s Team Under Investigation Over New Music Video