Lecture 103: Katy Perry — From Firework to Fadeout

Katy Perry’s career is one of the most dramatic arcs in modern pop — a rise from gospel obscurity to record-breaking superstardom, followed by a sharp and very public decline. This episode of The Pop Professor Podcast traces her journey in six parts: from her reinvention with One of the Boys, to the unprecedented dominance of Teenage Dream, the cracks that surfaced during Prism, the messy rollout and cultural backlash of Witness, the missteps and overexposure of her Idol years, and her retreat into nostalgia with Smile and a Las Vegas residency. Along the way, we’ll explore the chart feats, cultural battles, and strategic mistakes that turned Perry from pop’s reigning queen into one of its most striking cautionary tales — and what her story teaches us about the volatility of stardom.

Text The Professor

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