Katy Perry treated herself to fresh tattoos on the red carpet of the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Wednesday (September 11).
Before the ceremony at New York’s UBS Arena, the 39-year-old pop star posed for photographers in a tattered white bralette and matching skirt.
On her lower back she showed what looked like a temporary tattoo of a QR code.
Pictures of Perry’s new makeover began to circulate on X, and some people wondered if it had actually amounted to anything.
While scanning certain photos was difficult, after reading them, users were directed to the site of their upcoming studio album. 143.
In addition to vinyl and other merch for the record, the site also offered users the opportunity to pre-save the album, which is scheduled for release on September 20.
“Katy Perry has a fake tattoo of a QR code that takes you to the 143 pre-save site, she is so untrustworthy,” tweeted one fan.
“Katy Perry’s tramp stamp QR code for her presave link is amazing,” marveled a second, with a third agreeing, adding that she was a “genius.”
“Design the mark of the beast in style,” said another.
Perry, who is hoping for her highly anticipated comeback, 143was one of the artists who took the stage at the VMAs.
Before being honored with the Vanguard Award, a lifetime achievement award, she sang a medley of her biggest hits, including “Teenage Dream,” “I Kissed A Girl,” and “California Gurls.”
Later that night, she won the Most Iconic VMA Performance category at the 2013 VMAs for her performance of “Roar.”
In July, Perry’s “Woman’s World” was released – the first single from 143 – was heavily ridiculed online when a clip of it leaked.
The track landed at a painfully low number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 43 on the UK music charts.
The Adam White described the text as a “fake feminist pastiche” that sounds “alarmingly old-fashioned” in 2024.
The song’s music video was also mocked, with viewers baffled by the seemingly tongue-in-cheek scenes that featured Perry in a Rosie the Riveter-style outfit, a Stars and Stripes bikini, and work overalls with visible underwear.
The “Hot N Cold” singer also came under fire for her collaboration with producer Dr. Luke (real name Lukasz Gottwald) on the song. Last year, he settled a nine-year legal battle with pop star Kesha after accusing her of defamation. He claimed that he drugged and raped her after a party in 2005. He has always vehemently denied the allegations.
At a recent appearance at Call her daddy In the podcast, Perry was asked about her decision to work with Dr. Luke.
“Look, I understand it sparked a lot of conversations, and he was one of many collaborators I worked with,” she said. “But the reality is it came from me.
“The truth is that I wrote these songs out of my lifelong experience of this metamorphosis, and he was one of the people who made it all possible, one of the writers, one of the producers.”
