Prism is the fourth studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released by Capitol Records on October 18, 2013. Although the album was initially planned to be "darker" than her previous material, Prism ultimately became a prominently dance-inspired record. Perry worked with several past collaborators, while enlisting new producers and guest vocals. Perry partially handled production with Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Stargate, Benny Blanco, Greg Wells, Cirkut, and others. The album includes a guest appearance from Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia. Much of Prism revolves around the themes of living in the present, relationships, and self-empowerment. The album received generally positive reviews; critics praised its lyrics for being more "mature" and personal, while others considered Prism more formulaic than her previous work.
Prism debuted at number one in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It became Perry's fastest-selling album in the US, and the second-best-selling album in Australia in 2013. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported that Prism was the sixth best-selling album in the world in 2013, the best-selling album in the world in 2013 released by a woman, and labeled Perry "a global phenomenon." It has sold more than eight million copies worldwide and received multi-Platinum certifications in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, and the US. Prism was also nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
"Roar" was released on August 10, 2013, as the album's lead single and topped the US Billboard Hot 100. A second single, "Unconditionally", debuted on October 16, 2013, and reached the top 10 in Italy. "Dark Horse" followed as the album's third single three months later on December 17, 2013, and reached number one in the United States. "Birthday" and "This Is How We Do" were the fourth and fifth singles, respectively. The track "Walking on Air" was also released as a promotional single. Prism was promoted further through the Prismatic World Tour. A concert from the tour was eventually released as The Prismatic World Tour Live in 2015.
Background
After concluding her California Dreams Tour, Perry stated that she intended to "live a little" before recording any new material that was "worth listening to". When ex-husband Russell Brand left her on December 30, 2011, she felt devastated and contemplated suicide. Perry revealed to Vogue in June 2012 that she planned to record a "darker" album than her previous records. She stated: "It was inevitable, after what I went through. If I had a time machine and could go back in time, I would. But I can't, so, you'll discover another part of me." To Interview, she mentioned that she aspired to include a more acoustic vibe to the record.
Perry also said that her music would be getting "real fucking dark" and "shoegazing", though she also stated that her fans would be able to relate to it. "I imagine that maybe my next record would be a little bit more of an artistic venture," she said. "Not that I'm going to self-sabotage either and be like, 'I'm going to make a crazy record that nobody really understands.'" That November, she told Billboard about her plans for the album, saying she had already envisioned several aspects of it. Perry told the magazine that she already had songs and ideas, and knew the type of record she would make next. She also said that although she had not started recording yet, she already knew how the artwork, coloring and tone of the album would turn out. Perry further detailed: "I have to let the music take shape first. I even know what type of tour I'm doing next. I'll be very pleased if the vision I have in my head becomes a reality. But I have to honor the music."
Recording Development of Prism began while Perry was on the California Dreams Tour. She began with a process she deemed "slow cooking", in which she recorded random "fragments of ideas" into her mobile phone's dictaphone application. A member of Direct Management Group, Ngoc Hoang, then transcribed the audio files and placed them into what Perry described as a "treasure chest"; Perry consulted this material later during the album's recording sessions. Although Perry officially started recording the album in November 2012, accompanied by Greg Wells and Greg Kurstin, she noted that she was still in a "dark place", and that she had not "let the light in". The sessions began again in March 2013, following a trip to Madagascar which Perry credited as having "put [her] priorities in perspective", leading her to "do more work on [her]self". Perry also viewed a video made by Eckhart Tolle, which discusses loss. She commented: "When you lose something, all your foundations crumble—but that also leaves a big hole that's open for something great to come through."
Once she felt prepared to record again, she reunited with her team from Teenage Dream—Dr. Luke, Bonnie McKee, and Cirkut—in Perry's hometown of Santa Barbara, California, where they spent a month recording at Playback Recording Studio. She then went to Stockholm, where she worked with Scandinavian record producer Max Martin to do what Perry called "put[ting] the ice on the cake". She also recruited other collaborators, such as Norwegian team Stargate, Bloodshy, Benny Blanco, Jonatha Brooke and Sia. By April 2013, recording for the album was halfway complete, and Perry described to the ASCAP how she worked with these collaborators. She said Wells allowed her to "vomit words"; with Martin, she shaped the songs' melodies; Luke mostly helmed the production, and she worked with "topline and melody". Perry described writing sessions with McKee as "emotional abuse", adding that they argue over the "best lyric", as if they were fighting in a boxing ring. McKee, who wrote four songs for Prism, spoke with MTV about the album, describing it as "a little bit more grown up" and "interesting".
Composition
A pop album, Prism opens with "Roar", which contains elements of arena rock and glam rock, and lyrically is an empowerment anthem. Comparisons were established between "Roar" and "Brave" by Sara Bareilles. "Legendary Lovers", a bhangra-based song, deals with the concepts of karma and infinity. "Birthday" was described by Perry as her own attempt at "writing something Mariah Carey would have put on her first record". Musically, it is a "fluffy" pop song that is primarily styled in the genre of disco. "Walking on Air", the album's second promotional single, is an early 1990s-inspired deep house-Eurodance-disco song, inspired heavily by CeCe Peniston and Crystal Waters. It was produced by Klas Åhlund and Max Martin. "Unconditionally", Perry's personal favorite song on the album and second official single, is a "soaring" power ballad with an "epic chorus". Jason Lipshutz from Billboard noted that the song includes a "woodblock percussion" as well as "a dramatic bass line" and deemed it the album's "most mature offering". Furthermore, he called it "an ode to love that looks past all flaws" and stated that the song serves as a "compellingly grounded predicate" to the title track from Teenage Dream. Perry described the song as being about unconditional love that could come in all forms, including those from relationships, from parent to child and from sibling to sibling.
"Dark Horse" is a song with strong influences from trap, grime, hip hop, and "Southern rap-techno mashup" styles. "This Is How We Do", produced by Max Martin and Klas Ahlund, was described as a possible "song of summer" for 2014. Shirley Halperin from The Hollywood Reporter described "This Is How We Do" as "a sunny 80s throwback", while Edna Gundersen from USA Today described it as a "buoyant pop blast with hip-hop underpinnings" and praised the song's recurring refrain ("It's no big deal!"). James Montgomery from MTV News called the song a "cocksure, club-ready banger". With "Double Rainbow", produced by Greg Kurstin and co-writer Sia, Perry was able to "dump pent-up emotions" and "get things off her chest". The song was described as a "massive ballad". Lipshutz deemed it a "breathy love track" with a "powerful chorus that explodes upon impact" with lyrics that include "One man's trash is another man's treasure / so if it's up to me, I'm gonna keep you forever". He added that "Kurstin brings the pop sensibility he's flashed with artists like Kelly Clarkson and P!nk, while Sia's presence connects this sleek, shimmering pop track to [her David Guetta collaboration] 'Titanium'". Elijah Sarkesian felt that "Some of Katy's finest vocals of the album are on this song".
Perry described "Love Me" as a song "about loving yourself the way you want to be loved". Gundersen called it "irresistibly catchy and energetic". The song was produced by Bloodshy. Sarkesian called it "an interesting mix – the lyrics are dark, but the music is very dance-centric. At the very least, it'll do well in clubs". Montgomery stated that "Love Me" and "International Smile" both "seem destined for the dance floors". The latter was inspired by Perry's friend Mia Moretti, and was compared to the songs on Perry's previous album. Lipshutz called it a "straightforward pop-rock offering" and described its guitar hook as "kicky", adding that the song also includes a "Melting Daft Punk-esque vocoder breakdown". Halperin stated that in the song, Perry sings the "hooky" line: "Please fasten your seat belts and make sure your champagne glasses are empty".
Halperin described "This Moment" and "Ghost" as "mid-tempo ballads that are closest in DNA to Perry's previous smashes". Perry stated that she was inspired to write "This Moment" after she heard the audio book of Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now; the song's lyrics talk about "living in the present"; with Perry "add[ing] a romantic spin" to it. Gary Trust described "Ghost" as a "mesmerizing ballad", while Gundersen described it as "powerful, dark, and haunting". Lipshutz felt that "Ghost" and "By the Grace of God" contain the album's "most somber moments". While talking about each Prism track, Perry mentioned that "By the Grace of God" was the first song she wrote and recorded for the album back in November 2012 while she was in her "dark" phase. Jody Rosen from Vulture described the bonus track "Spiritual" as an inspirational song. Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast described "It Takes Two" as a "sweeping ballad" which allowed Perry to "show off a full-throated belt that so many of her more bubbly tracks mask". In "Choose Your Battles", Perry "pounds her chest and spews venom at the man she cannot understand".
Release and promotion Promotion and countdown singles
On July 29, 2013, a golden truck driving in Los Angeles revealed the album's title, Prism, and its October 22, 2013, release date. On August 9, the truck was hit by a drunk driver in Pennsylvania, but no injuries were reported. On August 20, Pepsi revealed a partnership with Perry through which fans were given the opportunity to unlock song titles, lyrics, and snippets from Prism by tweeting the hashtag #KATYNOW. Additionally, Pepsi provided previews of the songs "Dark Horse" and "Walking on Air", and fans could vote on which song would be released early on music platforms. The former song was declared the winner and was released on iTunes on September 17, 2013. It debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number ten on the New Zealand Singles Chart. Perry first performed "Dark Horse" three days later at the iHeartRadio Music Festival.