Katy Perry has been confirmed as this year’s headline performer at the 2024 Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final.
Perry is set to entertain a crowd of 100,000 people during the pre-game entertainment, taking place at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, September 28.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Perry said: “I’m so excited to be back in Australia and back at the mighty MCG to perform in front of 100,000 of the best and loudest fans in the world at this year’s Toyota AFL Grand Final.”
“See you in September. Oi, Oi, Oi!”
Robbie Williams and KISS are among the previous headliners for the grand final. In 2022, Williams used his slot to pay tribute to John Farnham, who was recovering from a tumour removal surgery at the time.
The remaining grand final performers for 2024 will be announced closer to the event.
Perry’s headline performance is part of her recent comeback, which has been mired in controversy so far. The ‘Roar’ singer came under fire when fans noticed Dr Luke was listed as a co-producer on her recent single ‘Woman’s World’.
The producer was accused of emotional abuse and sexual assault in a decade-long lawsuit by Kesha.
Perry has previously collaborated with the producer on some of her biggest hits, including ‘I Kissed A Girl’, ‘California Gurls’ and ‘Dark Horse’, but the news proved controversial following his and Kesha’s long-running legal battle.
After Kesha sued him, the producer denied the allegations and countersued the artist, claiming she had breached the recording contract they had with one another and made up rape allegations in an attempt to get out of the deal.
Kesha and Dr Luke’s legal battle came to an end last summer with the pair settling just one month before it was supposed to go to trial. Kesha has maintained her original claims against Dr. Luke.
Upon the revelation that Perry was working with Dr Luke again, Kesha seemed to issue a response earlier this month, tweeting “lol”.
Perry has also been criticised for her music video for ‘Women’s World’, which some fans suggested was catering to the male gaze rather than challenging it, as seems to be the intention of the female empowerment-themed lyrics. Perry rebutted these accusations, saying the video was intended as satire. “We’re kind of just having fun, being a bit sarcastic with it. It’s very slapstick and very on the nose,” she said.
“And with this set, it’s like, ‘Oooh, we’re not about the male gaze but we really are about the male gaze,’ and we’re really overplaying it and on the nose because I’m about to get smashed which is like a reset for me, and a reset for my idea of feminine divine, and it’s a whole different world we go to after this.”
Earlier this week, it was reported that ‘Woman’s World’ failed to crack the Top 50 on the US Billboard charts, and charted low in the UK.
‘Women’s World’ is the lead single from Perry’s upcoming album ‘143’ which is set for release on September 20 and is available for pre-sale / pre-order here.
Speaking about the album this week, she described it as a “dance party” to which “everyone’s invited”. “It’s called 143. It’s my angel number. It’s my symbol, it’s my sign,” she explained. “A couple years ago, we were going through a little bit of a hard time medically in our family, and it was a little bit scary, and I started seeing 143 in many different ways, not just on the phone.”
Perry last released an album in 2020. NME reviewed ‘Smile’ at the time, giving it two stars and writing: “It’s frustrating, as this is the woman behind some of the most fun – and biggest-selling – songs of all time. But as much as you want ‘Smile’ to be a return to form, her fifth album’s songs fail to grip. All in all, ‘Smile’ lacks the fireworks of Perry’s record-breaking years.”
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