It’s been a minute since Katy Perry performed “Waking Up in Vegas” during concert tours, but with fans from around the world making the pilgrimage to Resorts World Las Vegas to experience her headlining residency Play, it’s a distinct possibility the song will be part of the production. Play, which debuts Dec. 29 in a run that includes New Year’s Eve, is the next logical career step for the singer as she comes out of the pandemic with a year-old daughter, a steady beau in Orlando Bloom, and the dark tresses she became famous for when she burst onto the music scene in 2008.
Superfan KatyCats are raring to reconnect with the singer whose pin-up image, powerful voice and string of chart-topping hits made her one of the first icons of the 21st Century. Her previous tour ended abruptly in Australia in March 2020 with the first wave of COVID-19, leaving the restless entertainer with more energy than she had ways to expend. She released an album, Smile, in defiance of the dystopian dust that had settled on much of society, spent time recording videos and enjoyed being a mom. The enforced solitude gave her time to think about her next career move, as well as develop and execute it.
Making good use of time as she pursued a music career is something Perry has practiced since the get-go. Her parents were Pentecostal pastors who settled in Santa Barbara and encouraged young Katy Hudson to sing gospel as her vocal talents emerged. She busked with an acoustic guitar at age 13, soaking up popular music when she had access to it while becoming acclimated to the Golden State. Madonna, Freddie Mercury and Kelly Clarkson became primary influences.
Katy Hudson would release one album before she adapted her mother’s maiden name and became Katy Perry. A single, “Ur So Gay,” put her on the pop music radar in 2008, but it was her follow-up, “I Kissed a Girl” that placed her on the map with her first No. 1. The song was a huge hit, and the accompanying video introduced her vampy, campy, indelible image to the public. Bettie Page bangs, big blue eyes and a voluptuous figure were backed up by a powerhouse contralto voice. She could be lyrically self-deprecating or engage in slapstick for videos, then turn around and create a siren song such as 2013’s “Dark Horse,” her biggest hit, which topped Billboard’s Hot 100 for four weeks and spent more than a year on the chart.
Half of a theoretical Play set list consists of No. 1 hits, five of which came from her 2010 album Teenage Dream. Now songs such as “Firework,” “Hot N Cold,” “E.T.” and “California Gurls” will be in a residency context, with Perry’s effervescence ensuring a high-energy atmosphere, high-concept set designs, high-fashion costuming, high-stepping choreography and meet-and-greets for faithful Katycats.
Perry, who reportedly earns $25 million annually as an American Idol judge, clearly doesn’t need to have two main gigs. If she’s going to be a working mom, work needs to feel like Play.
Resorts World Las Vegas, axs.com
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