Heavy/Getty Katy Perry
After months of speculation about Katy Perry‘s plans following her departure from “American Idol,” the pop star finally revealed the first step in her musical comeback on June 17, 2024, sending her fans into a frenzy.
Perry, 39, kicked off the week with Monday morning social media posts announcing that the first single from an upcoming album — her sixth full-length album, per Billboard — will be released on July 11 at 7 p.m. Eastern time, with a music video to drop the next day. Her Instagram post, featuring a photo of her dressed in a white bikini paired with what Billboard called “metallic pegasus legs,” drew nearly 25,000 comments within 20 minutes.
“GET READY TO POP OFF,” she wrote in her caption.
Katy Perry Fans Flood Social Media to Celebrate Star’s New Single
Perry shared a clip of the new single, an empowering anthem called “Woman’s World,” on TikTok and YouTube, revealing a line from the upbeat tune.
“Sexy, confident, so intelligent,” she sings, dressed in the same outfit as in the photo posted. “She is heaven-sent. So soft, so strong.”
Perry’s millions of fans, nicknamed the KatyCats, have pleaded with the singer for a new album, which they’ve dubbed KP6 until it has an official name, per Billboard. Her last album release was “Smile” in 2020.
As soon as Perry posted news of her upcoming single release, fans flooded her social media accounts with thousands of comments, with many writing in capital letters how overwhelmed they were by her return to music.
“OMG THE WORLD IS HEALING,” wrote one person whose comment was liked by over 3,000 other fans.
“I’M IN TEARS,” another declared.
Someone else commented, “YES MOOOOOOM!😭😭”
Even “American Idol” season 22 alum Mackenzie Sol joined the pandemonium, commenting, “Okayyyy”
One savvy fan tweeted a video Perry posted from the Billboard Women’s Music Awards in March, pointing out that Perry subtly teased her upcoming single as she stood with Ice Spice and Charlie XCX.
“It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to be living in it,” Perry said coyly to the camera.
According to Variety, there’s been a lot of secrecy around Perry’s new album, but the outlet reported that she “recently held private listening sessions” for the upcoming release.
Katy Perry Has Hinted She Plans to Go on a World Tour
ABC“American Idol” judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie in a scene from season 22.
Perry is expected to launch a world tour to support her new album, something she’s hinted at ever since announcing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in February that she was leaving “American Idol” after being a judge for seven seasons.
“I mean, I love ‘Idol’ so much,” she said as the crowd gasped at the news. “I know. It’s connected me with, like, the heart of America. But I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse, that pulse to my own beat.”
Perry wrapped up her Las Vegas residency in November, but has not toured since 2018, per People. In April 2023, she teased fans about a future tour by telling Out, “I know there’s a lot of people who couldn’t make it to Vegas. The last time I was on tour was in 2018. I’m … due. How about that? I’m due to go out and see the kids that couldn’t make it to Vegas.”
The season 22 season finale aired on May 19, and the cast held a farewell dinner, which fellow judge Luke Bryan said was “really emotional.”
“Idol” producers have not yet announced a replacement for Perry, but the show’s first winner, Kelly Clarkson, took herself out of the running on June 8, telling ET that she left another show, NBC’s “The Voice,” to spend more time with her kids in New York, where they moved in 2023.
She told the outlet, “No. No. I can’t do that, only because I promised my kids. I was like, ‘I wanna be there as much as I possibly can.’ And it would put me in L.A., and that’s why I had to quit ‘The Voice,’ which, I love that team. And I miss them so much.”