Katy Perry

Katy Perry's capable of remaking herself for any promising target demographic. In her teens, she delivered achingly sincere contemporary Christian fare that didn't turn out to be achingly sincere after all, and her One of the Boys persona — flirty, snarky tart — feels equally phony. The production, by a...

By Michael Roberts

July 10, 2008

Audio By Carbonatix

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Katy Perry's capable of remaking herself for any promising target demographic. In her teens, she delivered achingly sincere contemporary Christian fare that didn't turn out to be achingly sincere after all, and her One of the Boys persona — flirty, snarky tart — feels equally phony. The production, by a gaggle of gimlet-eyed industry sharpies, is airless, vacuum-sealed, transforming tunes such as "Mannequin" and "Ur So Gay" into assembly-line fodder. As for "I Kissed a Girl," it's proof that a gal-crooned tune with that title will become a hit once a decade whether it's strictly advisable or not. Of course, Denver native Jill Sobule was cast as a novelty after her like-named ditty scored — but if Perry suffers the same fate, she can just change styles again. Opera, anyone?

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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