Katy Perry appeared on the latest episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and was asked about Dr. Luke ‘s controversial involvement in her upcoming sixth album, “143.” The pop star has come under fire for collaborating with Dr. Luke, who was behind some of her biggest hits like “I Kissed a Girl,” “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream” and more. The producer was accused of drugging and sexually abusing fellow pop star Kesha in a 2014 lawsuit, which was settled last year. Perry’s new album includes songs written and produced by Dr. Luke, including the singles “Woman’s World” and “Lifetimes.”

“I understand that it started a lot of conversations and he was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with. But the reality is, it comes from me,” Perry answered when asked about Dr. Luke producing her new album. “The truth is, I wrote these songs from my experience of my whole life going through this metamorphosis, and he was one of the people to help facilitate all that. One of the writers, one of the producers. I am speaking from my own experience.”

“When I talk about ‘Woman’s World,’ I'm talking about feeling incredibly empowered now, as a mother, as a woman, having given birth, created life, and formed another set of organs. A brain! A heart! I made a whole heart! And I accomplished it, and I'm still doing it,” she continued. “I'm still a matriarch and feeling deeply connected to that, that's where I'm speaking from. So I created all of this with a variety of collaborators, individuals I've worked with in the past, from the ‘Teenage Dream’ era. All of that.”

Dr. Luke’s involvement in Katy Perry’s new music has triggered backlash against the pop star on social media. “Woman’s World,” the lead single from “143,” received largely negative reviews from music critics and debuted at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song’s performance on streaming services was also relatively low upon its release on the evening of July 11, landing at No. 110 on Spotify’s U.S.-based chart and No. 58 on the Spotify global chart.

Perry’s “143” will be released on Sept. 20. The pop star is scheduled to perform at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 11, where she will also receive the Video Vanguard Award.