SWOON: Fall In Love With Katy Perry’s “Roar”

The queen of the teenage dreams may set her blue hair on fire earlier this month, but in about five minutes you’re never going to question Katy Perry‘s pop reign again.

Popping up online a few days ahead of its insanely anticipated debut, Katy Perry’s new single “Roar” has been made available for streaming. The song is the first to surface off Prism, and just as critics and fans had hoped showcases a new, evolved sound for the girl once known for kissing other girls. Much like Miley’s “We Can’t Stop,” the track strips away the Guetta-influenced wall of sound that has dominated pop in recent years and takes a much simpler, albeit more powerful approach. It’s not as much about creating a dance track from beginning to end, though your toes will be tapping in no time, but rather creating a fitting musical accompaniment to drive home the inspirational lyrics. Perry wants you to want to scream the chorus from the top of your lungs, and thanks to brilliant production she accomplishes that long before the larger-than-life final refrain kicks in.

An accurate representation of myself at UTG HQ this morning upon hearing “Roar” for the first time.

Consider this post the official starting pistol of Katy Perry’s return to radio domination. The remainder of 2013, not to mention all of 2014, is hers to lose. Prism was already our most anticipated pop release of the fall, and with “Roar” the bar for the competition has been set not one, but four or five notches higher. The game is changing, and Katy Perry (Smurfette, as she’s sometimes known) is leading the way.

Prism arrives in stores this October. Comment below and let us know what you think of “Roar.” If you like what you hear, be sure to purchase the single when it hits iTunes September 8.

James Shotwell
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12 Responses to “SWOON: Fall In Love With Katy Perry’s “Roar””

  1. Brian Lion says:

    Well apart from 90% of lyrics being borrowed, this is decent.

  2. whodafakru says:

    tbh it is boring

  3. I’m generally not a fan of female pop, but something about Katy and her music is different. The best way I can describe it is Cameron Crowe for pop music. She paints an audio picture, sometimes cheesy, of a place or time very, very well. I would say that this song is similar.

    The chorus is very strong, from “I’ve got the eye of the tiger” forward. I suspect the song will do very well and be picked up as an anthem for teen/preteen girls. But the verses, and particularly the opening, come off rather weak and disconnected from that anthem-like chorus. Reminds me a little of teenage dream, which is constructed similarly, but became a solid radio play.

    Given that the first single from any album is typically not the strongest, Prism will likely be a great album and I think it will be more focused around a specific theme than her first two albums were. Artists need pain to write inspired music and I think she’s seen her share of it lately…

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  4. utgjames says:

    What bores you about it?

  5. utgjames says:

    She never said she was original.

  6. semicolon says:

    I don’t know why everyone is exaggerating about this. It’s average good, expected, catchy and generic.

    There is nothing groundbreaking or mesmerizing about it. Much of the praises should go to Bonnie Mckee who wrote the song and Dr Luke,the producer. Katy is just putting her voice on it.

    In short, it’s a 6.5/10.

  7. Brian Lion says:

    The formulaic structure maybe. The trite lyrical content perhaps. The weak songwriting. Maybe all three? That gif is visual hyperbole lol.

  8. Aaron Bronlund says:

    TOTALLY OVER-RATED PAP

  9. Aaron Bronlund says:

    IF THIS IS THE BEST, YOU GOT LOW STANDARDS, Bring on Lorde, now theres a GENIUS….

  10. Brian Lion says:

    We cover Lorde a lot. You’ll be able to tell by my posts that I prefer her.