Witness
by Katy Perry
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Jun 9, 2017
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3037 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,112 out of 3037
  2. Mixed: 289 out of 3037
  3. Negative: 636 out of 3037
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  1. RTAir
    May 3, 2020
    6
    It's a solid pop album with a surprisingly cohesive sound, and while the songwriting leaves a lot to be desired, the melodies and hooks more than make up for it. It feels like it might have had a concept (the ever cited purposeful pop) that somehow got lost in the making, saving up room for harmless streaming-friendly tunes for Teen Party playlists. However, the album definitely showsIt's a solid pop album with a surprisingly cohesive sound, and while the songwriting leaves a lot to be desired, the melodies and hooks more than make up for it. It feels like it might have had a concept (the ever cited purposeful pop) that somehow got lost in the making, saving up room for harmless streaming-friendly tunes for Teen Party playlists. However, the album definitely shows glimpses of greatness here and there, and when it's good, it's really good.… Expand
  2. raafaelmenezes
    Jun 9, 2017
    6
    I miss the katy perry who made good songs. The album has more bad than good songs. I do not really like the voice of Katy, Roulette and Chained to the rhythm are the best songs of the album
  3. marcmyworks
    Jun 21, 2017
    6
    I really wanted to like this album and give it the benefit of the doubt. Witness does start off with a bang, with Katy really bringing a strong new direction to her music; however towards the end of the album the tracks start to fizzle, the lyrics become weak and bland and the production seems muddled. There are some great songs such as "Bon Apetit", "Witness" and "Swish Swish", but aboutI really wanted to like this album and give it the benefit of the doubt. Witness does start off with a bang, with Katy really bringing a strong new direction to her music; however towards the end of the album the tracks start to fizzle, the lyrics become weak and bland and the production seems muddled. There are some great songs such as "Bon Apetit", "Witness" and "Swish Swish", but about 5 or 6 tracks could have been cut to make what remained seem even more incredible.… Expand
  4. carlosmartinez9
    Jul 24, 2017
    6
    This album is meh, not so good but not so bad, it's regular. The first songs are the best the other ones not so much. I think Tsunami, Mind Maze and Power are the worst, the ballads are so simple and boring, and the best ones are Deja vu, Roulette and Bigger than Me
  5. bennlittlebenn
    Jul 25, 2017
    6
    So, Witness is a good pop album, but it has a lot of flaws. The singles shouldn't be there, some songs are clearly fillers, and I think it's too long. But it's the more mature Katy Perry's album so far.
  6. Julia1d
    Aug 24, 2017
    6
    É um álbum até que bom, mas algumas letras deixam a desejar. Katy perdeu sua raiz dos seus trabalhos anteriores (Prism/2013). Não que esse álbum seja ruim, é apenas mediano para uma hitmaker.
  7. iDimitris
    Nov 17, 2017
    6
    This album is a let down, compared to Perry's previous works, especially her previous album, which was definitely her best work. There are some solid songs, however, like "Power", "Bigger Than Me" and "Roulette".
  8. josecab1998
    Jun 9, 2017
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really thought that it will be the first complete album that i will love of Katy perry but... toooo much auto-tune in some song, and in other songs the verses are good but suddenly the chorus appears and it sucks... I only like 6 songs... PRISM still the jewel of katy perry...… Expand
  9. thienluan
    Oct 9, 2018
    6
    The most mature album by Katy Perry to date as she sings about politics, self-loving and feminism, the subject that most artists don't want to mention in their efforts. However, she's playing the game safe a little bit as she still collaborates with Max Martin, the one that made her debut album. We can also see a few new producers here, but only Jack Garratt really stands out with theThe most mature album by Katy Perry to date as she sings about politics, self-loving and feminism, the subject that most artists don't want to mention in their efforts. However, she's playing the game safe a little bit as she still collaborates with Max Martin, the one that made her debut album. We can also see a few new producers here, but only Jack Garratt really stands out with the track 'Power'. The 'Chained To The Rhythm' collaboration with Skip Marley was a good start for the album, but 'Bon Appetit' featuring Migos and the 'Swish Swish' duet with Nicki Minaj weren't good follow-ups as they talk about more personally themes like sex and vengeance (her long-going feud with Taylor Swift).… Expand
  10. orengue
    Aug 14, 2017
    6
    Even though this album has good songs like Roulette and Chained to the Rhythm. I think she could do better next time. Favorite song: Witness, very awesome and beautiful song
  11. ultimatemusic
    Jun 12, 2017
    6
    Unfortunately, I do have to admit that of all Katy Perry albums, this is definitely the worst. Making experimental albums are always the riskiest and it’s literally make or break, as we all know with the ‘ARTPOP’ era with Lady Gaga but even then, Gaga managed to get a couple of hits off the album and the album itself debuting at #1, and Katy hasn’t really managed to get a mainstream hit.Unfortunately, I do have to admit that of all Katy Perry albums, this is definitely the worst. Making experimental albums are always the riskiest and it’s literally make or break, as we all know with the ‘ARTPOP’ era with Lady Gaga but even then, Gaga managed to get a couple of hits off the album and the album itself debuting at #1, and Katy hasn’t really managed to get a mainstream hit.

    It’s such a shame because all of Katy’s albums have been amazing in their own way, especially with them all sounding slightly different from each other but I think this one has been taken too far off the edge. It screams desperate if I’m honest, and the truth is, is that everyone loves Katy just the way she is so I’m not entirely sure why the big change. There’s no real creative process with this album whatsoever. The lyrics are average, the production as a whole seems cheap and rushed, and I can’t see any future releases of this album becoming a hit either.

    I hope that Katy realises by the albums reaction that maybe taking the risk wasn’t such a smart move, even though she had the balls to do so, it didn’t work, and that by the next album she just goes back to being the Katy that we all know and love and releases hit after hit and an album that we can all enjoy together, because this one has fallen relatively flat unfortunately.    … Expand
  12. elijahpandlr
    Jun 9, 2017
    6
    INTRO
    WITNESS 10/10 - Uma das melhores músicas da Katy
    AS MELHORES HEY HEY HEY 8/10 - A música é ótima, tem um pré refrão arrebatador, mas o refrão podia ser melhor. ROULETTE 10/10 - Uma das melhores músicas da Katy Perry, é uma Gaga + Kylie. SWISH SWISH 10/10 - Uma das melhores do ano. AS PIORES DEJAVU 0/10 - A música é extremamente monótoma, não tem ápice e não é cativante. POWER    INTRO
    WITNESS 10/10 - Uma das melhores músicas da Katy
    AS MELHORES
    HEY HEY HEY 8/10 - A música é ótima, tem um pré refrão arrebatador, mas o refrão podia ser melhor.
    ROULETTE 10/10 - Uma das melhores músicas da Katy Perry, é uma Gaga + Kylie.
    SWISH SWISH 10/10 - Uma das melhores do ano.
    AS PIORES
    DEJAVU 0/10 - A música é extremamente monótoma, não tem ápice e não é cativante.
    POWER 0/10 - A música é tão bagunçada que se torna irritante ouvir.
    Mind Maze 5/10 - Nice try…
    Miss You More 6/10 - Não é ruim, mas tá longe de ser boa. Podia ter uma letra melhor.
    PRECISA OUVIR MAIS DE UMA VEZ
    Chained to the Rhythm 10/10 - A príncipio a música soa mediano, mas depois da terceira vez escutando você percebe que tudo casa na música. Inclusive Skip Marley, que carrega a melhor parte da música.
    Tsunami 0/10 - ?
    Bon Appetit 8/10 - Com o clipe melhora.
    Bigger than Me 6/10 - O começo da música parece Bon Appetit. Ouvi três vezes e continua esquecível.
    Save As Draft 6/10 - Preciso ouvir mais vezes, é esquecível.
    ENCERRAMENTO
    Pendulum 3/10 - A música é ruim, não entendi os elogios sobre ela, o que salva é o coro.
    Into Me You See 5/10 - Me lembra vagamente Pearl no refrão, mas é fraca.
    Se o álbum focasse mais nas farofas, teria sido melhor. Sempre achei a Katy boa em baladas (Thinking of You, Pearl, Ghost, Unco, TOTGA… Mas essas estão péssimas)    … Expand
  13. dallre
    Jul 18, 2019
    6
    She took a risk, and you can not take it back from her.

    Lyrically it is far from her best work in my opinion. Some metaphore are as if she tried too hard. "Figure out the Rubik's Cube" "You suck my hope up in a vacuum" "You're 'bout as cute as An old coupon expired" for exemple. The production of the songs, taken individually, are excuisite. I'd give 10/10 for the album if it was    She took a risk, and you can not take it back from her.

    Lyrically it is far from her best work in my opinion. Some metaphore are as if she tried too hard.
    "Figure out the Rubik's Cube"
    "You suck my hope up in a vacuum"
    "You're 'bout as cute as An old coupon expired" for exemple.

    The production of the songs, taken individually, are excuisite. I'd give 10/10 for the album if it was all about the productions. Swish Swish has one of the best production i've ever heard. She set a mood and a tone, wich fit perfectly with her visual. Good job for that.

    Finally an other negative point, was the album's songs order. It didn't made it for me. It's very good from the beggining to the mid adlbum. After miss you more, its too much ups and down in an uncontroled way. CTTR (up), Tsunami (down), Bon Appetit (up), Bigger Than me, Save As Draft (down), Pendulum (up), Into me you see (down).
    I love the idea of a slow and calm song at the end of an album, it's a technique that always worked (its very much effective in Taylor Swift's Reputation), but when it follows that kind of emotional roller coaster, I think it's pretty uneffective.

    I give it a 6/10    … Expand
  14. Legaspi
    Jan 19, 2019
    6
    You have to listen Witness twice if you want to really appreciate some songs. Despite being a experimental production-songwriting mess, the record ends up bringing to us a few decent songs, that (obviously) you can't dance to but they still are enjoyable.

    Highlights: Chained to the Rhythm; Miss You More; Power; Swish Swish; Witness
  15. segovi20
    Jun 10, 2017
    6
    This is a good album, but not excellent, visually is stunning. Is good that Katy decided make a change in her style of music, wich is sometimes catchy, regrettably its not commercial, this will be a let down for Katy's carrer if we talk about charts. Lyrically its not enough, its half finished, don't show what it was promoting us (social critic about the world), in exception of chained toThis is a good album, but not excellent, visually is stunning. Is good that Katy decided make a change in her style of music, wich is sometimes catchy, regrettably its not commercial, this will be a let down for Katy's carrer if we talk about charts. Lyrically its not enough, its half finished, don't show what it was promoting us (social critic about the world), in exception of chained to the rhythm.
    Besides some songs could sound the same.
    I think its an ambitious album that stay in there only promises.    … Expand
  16. diamandiss
    Jun 12, 2017
    6
    Tem alguns hinos como Roulette, Hey Hey Hey, Miss You More, Pendulum, e algumas bombas como Mind Maze, Bon Appetit, Power, no geral foi um álbum bem mediano. Infelizmente esse não é o melhor trabalho da Katy Perry, Teenage Dream pisa.
  17. AnnieBitencourt
    Jun 12, 2017
    6
    Um bom álbum. Pessoalmente achei Pendulum e Roulette as melhores músicas. É praticamente diferente de tudo que ela já fez e isso é muito bom. Vale a pena conferir.
  18. DramaticFighter
    Jun 24, 2017
    6
    In general, the idea is good but during the album, i could see that it was an album full of strange sounds and no catchy songs at all, however I could realize she did try to innovate, it didn't work, maybe the next one.
  19. sherlock765
    Jun 25, 2017
    6
    A lackluster album that seems to have been thoughtlessly thrown together in hopes that anyone buying it wouldn't notice its painfully obvious lack of cohesion. after months of shoving the hype down everyone's throats, this album simply proves it was not worth the wait due to an overwhelming lack of upbeat and in your face anthems that are one of katy's specialities. witness is not all bad.A lackluster album that seems to have been thoughtlessly thrown together in hopes that anyone buying it wouldn't notice its painfully obvious lack of cohesion. after months of shoving the hype down everyone's throats, this album simply proves it was not worth the wait due to an overwhelming lack of upbeat and in your face anthems that are one of katy's specialities. witness is not all bad. it has its moments with the satisfyingly simple witness, the semi edgy swish swish with a fantastic nicki minaj verse. a catchy but sort of hypocritical chained to the rhythm, the cool throwback roulette, and the edm laced deja vu. everything else screams overproduced or filler minus the annoyingly catchy bon apetit that makes you want to cringe while dancing using the controversial and wildly umnecessary rap group migos.. overall katy tells us she wants to be witnessed but doing what? making a better album? i would like that too katy.… Expand
  20. ManuelContreras
    Apr 7, 2018
    6
    Un album un poco flojo, podria ser el peor de su carrera, aunque no significa que sea malo
  21. etbwicca
    Jul 25, 2017
    6
    It was OK album. 6/10
    Highlights: Witness, Tsunami, Power, Hey Hey Hey, Dejavu and Chained to The Ryhthm. Lyrics and vocals are good but it could be better.
  22. stringellig
    Aug 11, 2017
    6
    Katy Perry aparentemente está se perdendo a cada disco que passa. Sem conseguir refazer os feitos de ''Teenage Dream'' e até mesmo o mais morno de ''Prism'', o álbum ''Witness'', com sua fraqueza de singles, começa bem com ''Witness'' e ''Hey Hey'', mas o álbum não apresenta nada além de um POP genérico, com melodias repetitivas e letras um pouco mais críticas, mas que acabam não seKaty Perry aparentemente está se perdendo a cada disco que passa. Sem conseguir refazer os feitos de ''Teenage Dream'' e até mesmo o mais morno de ''Prism'', o álbum ''Witness'', com sua fraqueza de singles, começa bem com ''Witness'' e ''Hey Hey'', mas o álbum não apresenta nada além de um POP genérico, com melodias repetitivas e letras um pouco mais críticas, mas que acabam não se encaixando. ''Roulette'' é a melhor faixa do álbum, seguida de ''Pendulum'', mas ainda não chegam nem perto das faixas de ''One Of The Boys'' e ''Teenage Dream''.… Expand
  23. workesha
    Oct 15, 2017
    6
    Gosto bastante da katy, e como um todo gostei do witness tambem. Um álbum coeso porém com músicas um tanto quanto esqueçíveis com exceção dos singles e de Roulette.
  24. TheOnlyLuis
    Dec 4, 2017
    6
    Katy Perry, reina de las canciones sin sentido, y con poca capacidad para profundizar, éste álbum tiene la pinta de estar buscando dentro de ella misma al verdadero talento el cual nunca ha demostrado por si sola, siento decir que en busca de esa formula, recibió el fracaso con los brazos abiertos, el cual considero que es bueno, esto quizá ayude a formar verdaderas buenas canciones, enKaty Perry, reina de las canciones sin sentido, y con poca capacidad para profundizar, éste álbum tiene la pinta de estar buscando dentro de ella misma al verdadero talento el cual nunca ha demostrado por si sola, siento decir que en busca de esa formula, recibió el fracaso con los brazos abiertos, el cual considero que es bueno, esto quizá ayude a formar verdaderas buenas canciones, en este disco no hay consistencia, y difícilmente puedo decir que es coherente, más sin embargo la artista trata de dar desesperadamente un mensaje fuerte, que no llega a concebirse por los sonidos desarrollados en el álbum, veo progreso, pero poca capacidad, nada innovador.… Expand
  25. u137288reddit
    May 17, 2018
    6
    Witness has a lot of really fun tracks, but also a good amount of filler. Ending and beginning of the album are the best parts.
  26. prestonhung
    Apr 1, 2019
    6
    'Witness' is a fun collection of pop music but is somewhat flawed due to a lack of quality songwriting and production in some tracks.
    Strongest Tracks: "Witness", "Roulette", "Swish Swish", "Deja Vu", "Power", "Miss You More", "Tsunami"
    Weakest Tracks: "Hey Hey Hey", "Save As Draft"
  27. MarceloPaz
    Aug 28, 2020
    6
    some of her songs are great to hear, but every album released until that parace is the same, I exalt the musical construction, I'm ashamed of the lyrics.
  28. Psicobruh
    Mar 28, 2020
    6
    There are good songs like "Chained to The Rhythm", "Swish Swish" and "Roulette", but some of them are good after seen them on Witness: The Tour - Tsunami, Hey Hey Hey, etc. I'm sad because a great song like Roulette could be the perfect single to win an Grammy but is not released. The same thing happened with "Legendary Lovers" from PRISM. Sorry, Katy, I'm a katycat but this wasn't a great album.
  29. daebu_char
    Sep 30, 2020
    6
    This is, hands down, the worst album Katy Perry has put out so far (which, however, doesn't mean it's trash because Katy Perry at her worst is still better than some of her peers at their best). I could go into a lot of things and write a 10-page long essay on why the entire era surrounding the album was a failure, but frankly--I don't have the time, nor do I have the audience. This reviewThis is, hands down, the worst album Katy Perry has put out so far (which, however, doesn't mean it's trash because Katy Perry at her worst is still better than some of her peers at their best). I could go into a lot of things and write a 10-page long essay on why the entire era surrounding the album was a failure, but frankly--I don't have the time, nor do I have the audience. This review will most likely get lost in the sea of other reviews so I'll keep it short and to the point.

    The music is overproduced and generic. Lyrically, Katy is repeating herself A LOT on the 15 songs that comprise this record, and vocally, she's had far more impressive moments (e.g. Firework, Roar). Thematically, there's everything you'd expect from a modern Pop album: empowering anthems, slutty songs, melodramatic songs, a song on which Katy drags her archenemy. There's one exception to the standard Pop fare, *one* politically charged song most likely ghostwritten by Hilary Clinton about how we're all zombies chained to the rhythm. Yes, Katy Perry, a super privileged pop star & multimillionaire suddenly had a political awakening, as well as a feminist one which she had expressed by getting a short pixie cut hence the album cover. The eyeball in her mouth is another story though *wink, wink.*

    I should also mention that there's this trend now where many people call this album "underrated" and think the public was "not ready" for Katy trying something "new" and "provocative." That's not the case, because this album was anything BUT new and provocative at the time of its release--it actually was just extremely generic and calculated. Katy basically went from singing catchy songs about love that had her signature zany songwriting style to singing music any other industry puppet could've released. All you need to do is to check the liner notes to see what went wrong. Every song on this album has at least five hit songwriters with as many as four people (or more) handling the production. It's as if Katy contacted every single "it" girl and "it" boy in the industry to create a foolproof collection of guaranteed number #1 hit records. Well the result was the exact opposite. The only songs that I thought showed potential and sounded unique were Roulette, Power, and Tsunami but even these three tracks pale in comparison to the highs of Katy's previous material.

    To end the review on a more positive note, I'd say "Witness" is probably the most cohesive album in Katy Perry's discography in the sense that there are no clearly defined highs and lows like on her past releases. Rather, the same underwhelming mediocre sound is maintained throughout the entire record which might have actually ended up working in its favor. My overall rating is a solid 6/10.    … Expand
  30. ScarTissue1990
    Jun 13, 2017
    5
    Though I liked only one of the singles, I went in to listening to this record wanted to love at least some of it. Here, Katy definitely takes a big step outside of her signature "bubblegum pop" style. However, lyrically and sonically I felt it didn't really go anywhere. Perry's vocals in some songs are strong, whilst others sound bleak, as if she's not truly in it.
    Songs I liked:    Though I liked only one of the singles, I went in to listening to this record wanted to love at least some of it. Here, Katy definitely takes a big step outside of her signature "bubblegum pop" style. However, lyrically and sonically I felt it didn't really go anywhere. Perry's vocals in some songs are strong, whilst others sound bleak, as if she's not truly in it.
    Songs I liked: "Pendulum", "Witness", "Chained to the Rhythm", "Power"    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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#1 Most Discussed Album of 2017
4
#4 Most Shared Album of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Aug 13, 2020
    75
    While it's certainly missing any form of coherency, Witness does feel like you're growing with Perry - going on this journey that's helped her find new ground and a reinvigorated appreciation for all walks of the pop music spectrum.
    Read full review
  2. Prefix Magazine
    Jul 6, 2017
    70
    While she may have slipped down the pecking order, Witness proves she’s still a more interesting pop star than she’s often given credit for.
    Read full review
  3. Drowned In Sound
    Jun 28, 2017
    50
    It’s a real shame Witness has come out as a bit of a disjointed mess, as there’s a decent record somewhere in there, but it gets lost in the fog of endless guest productions and co-writes that miss the point entirely.
    Read full review
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