Will Katy Perry’s Album “143” Surpass 55.5 Million Streams in Its First 24 Hours on Spotify?

Katy Perry is facing an uphill battle with the rollout of her forthcoming seventh studio album, “143”. After a disappointing debut for lead single “Woman’s World”, Perry released the album’s second single, “Lifetimes,” last week alongside a controversial music video filmed in Spain’s Balearic Islands. But much like “Woman’s World,” “Lifetimes” has struggled to gain traction on streaming charts, calling into question whether “143” can match the lofty first-day streaming numbers of today’s biggest releases when it drops on September 20^th.

Can Katy Perry Rebound from a Rocky Album Rollout?

“Lifetimes” managed just one day on Spotify’s US Top 200 chart, peaking at number 198 upon its release. It performed only marginally better on the global chart, reaching number 145 before quickly falling off. By comparison, buzzy new singles from stars like Beyonce and Harry Styles have tallied over 20 million streams in a single day. Even middling performers like Shawn Mendes netted nearly 10 million streams for his latest single. At her streaming peak, Perry logged over 18 million streams in one day for smash hit “Dark Horse.” But based on the anemic reception to her recent singles, it appears doubtful “143” will come close to that level of interest.

What do the odds say? According to https://22bet.com, there’s a 54.60% chance and odds of 1.83/1 that the album will surpass 55.5 million streams in the first 24 hours.

Does Controversy Over Dr. Luke Spell More Trouble?

Adding fuel to the fire is the controversy around Perry’s collaboration with super-producer Dr. Luke on the new album. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, faced serious accusations of emotional and physical abuse from singer Kesha in a 2014 lawsuit. Though Luke disputed the claims and the case was dismissed, the allegations ignited the #FreeKesha movement and made the producer persona non grata in the music industry for several years.

Many fans and peers saw Perry’s decision to work with Luke just two years after Kesha’s case closed as tacit acceptance of abusive behavior in the industry. The backlash was swift, with celebrities like Abigail Breslin publicly calling out Perry. “Working with known abusers in any industry just contributes to the narrative that men can do abhorrent s*** and get away with it,” Breslin tweeted. The partnership with Luke has already colored critical reception of “143’s” first singles, further hampering Perry’s chances of replicating her chart-topping success of the early 2010s.

Can Katy Perry Still Draw Big Streaming Numbers?

That will be a tall order regardless, given how sharply Perry’s commercial fortunes have declined in recent years. After becoming the first artist since Michael Jackson to score five number one hits from a single album with 2010’s “Teenage Dream,” Perry failed to match that dominance on subsequent releases. None of the singles from 2020’s “Smile” even cracked the top 40 on the Hot 100. And so far, the two offerings from “143” point to the album continuing Perry’s downward trajectory.

Still, while generating anything close to 50 million first-day streams seems out of reach given the current trajectory, Perry remains a devoted fanbase that could drive respectable numbers for “143”. She remains one of the biggest pop stars of the past decade, with hit songs still racking up millions of streams every month. And the album boasts high-profile collaborations with artists like Kim Petras and 21 Savage that could bring extra attention.