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. hjuniorrrr
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    ''Power'' and ''Witness'' are the only songs that you can rescue from the album, the rest are very simple. ''Swish Swish'' is also good, but actually everyone likes just for the verse of Nicki Minaj.
  2. pxdmndh
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    I thought we would see an evolution of what was PRISM, but it looks like she threw everything she learned into the trash, Katy Perry got realy lost in this work, the concept of the album is so confuse, I realy dont enjoy the album, not bad but, not good.
  3. JoanPanola
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    Witness es un viaje a travez de sonidos diferentes que Katy no habia tocado pero, apesar de tener buenas canciones su voz no llega a acoplarse correctamente, y no llega a ser agradable a mi gusto, un disco muy bueno y arriegado, pero ese riesgo no fue del todo bueno.
    Recomendable si les gustan los sonidos diferentes, aun mas que sus 3 singles.
  4. BonnieBerry
    Jun 14, 2017
    4
    Witness, sem dúvidas, é um marco pra carreira da Katy, ele mostra um lado mais maduro da cantora. Porém, o álbum não tem hits aparentes e chega a ser cansativo de ouvir.
  5. regisgustavo
    Jun 20, 2017
    4
    Could not understand what she wanted to do with this album. No matter what, it did not work. Let's wait for the next one. PS: Power should be released as a single urgently.
  6. FruitJuice
    Jul 18, 2017
    4
    it was okay........................................................................................................................................................................
  7. gomespedro
    Dec 17, 2017
    4
    Toda vez que Katy Perry anuncia um novo álbum, eu fico em ânsia. 'O que ela aprontará dessa vez?', me pergunto; afinal, Katy Perry foi responsável por me introduzir ao pop contemporâneo com o excelente 'Teenage Dream', um álbum pop incrível e condizente com a artista revelada pelo também bom 'One Of The Boys'. 'Witness' foi decepcionante; não existe nenhuma linearidade no disco - pareceToda vez que Katy Perry anuncia um novo álbum, eu fico em ânsia. 'O que ela aprontará dessa vez?', me pergunto; afinal, Katy Perry foi responsável por me introduzir ao pop contemporâneo com o excelente 'Teenage Dream', um álbum pop incrível e condizente com a artista revelada pelo também bom 'One Of The Boys'. 'Witness' foi decepcionante; não existe nenhuma linearidade no disco - parece que Katy Perry, um pouco cansada, pegou várias músicas de diferentes teores e adicionou a um disco, criando um compilado, não um LP. O álbum é pobre em composição, em melodia, e falhou miseravelmente na missão de 'pop-activism' proposta pela cantora, que só transparece pelo debut single 'Chained To The Rythim' (que é a única música realmente boa do CD). A cada álbum que Katy Perry se propõe a lançar, mais eu sinto falta da Katy Perry de 2012, com composições pop genuínas e, embora desprezadas pela crítica tradicional, eram identificáveis, dançantes e boas de se ouvir. Tenho a impressão que Katy Perry está cada vez mais perdida em suas tentativas e não sei se sua intenção é recuperar a artista que foi há cinco anos. Não a julgo por tentar ser diferente daquilo que já foi um dia (Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, todas se propuseram da mesma forma); eu só espero que, nessas investidas em encontrar a Katy Perry que tanto procura, Kate Hudson se encontre definitivamente.… Expand
  8. Josewandersonts
    Aug 23, 2019
    4
    O álbum consegue sobressair com algumas músicas, mas soa tão forçado em alguns quesitos.
  9. MilesW1998
    Feb 26, 2018
    4
    Witness is a down-trodden, weak pop record that stands as a major blemish in Katy's discography. It tries to be empowering and woke, but ends up failing for Katy, as she sacrifices personalty with generic lyrics and production.

    Best: Witness, Hey Hey Hey, Pendulum, Swish Swish, Roulette

    Worst: Bon Appetit, Chained To The Rhythm, Mind Maze, Into Me You See, Save As Draft
  10. iamkakaindecent
    May 30, 2018
    4
    This is the worst album of 2017, it's awful, bad, how dare she throw it ???? Still not understanding.
  11. notAvillan
    Jul 14, 2018
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's mediocre. Chained To The Rhythm, Power, and Witness are all high points of this record with how bold, catchy, and personal songs all these three songs are. Swish Swish was alright (I do like the groove and the Nicki feature), Bon Appetite is rather a guilty pleasure, and Tsunami was pretty neat, but then the album takes a nose dive. Hey Hey Hey has cringy lyrics and tries so hard to have an alt pop and dream pop kind of sound but fails. Mind Maze while being unique and different, the autotune is a major turnoff. The rest of the album is forgettable, yes even the ballads, and tries way to hard to be woke.… Expand
  12. StavoSwift13
    Oct 18, 2018
    4
    En esencia su peor trabajo. Sí bien los anteriores pueden llenarse la boca con ser "exitosos" con ritmos sumamente pegadizos, buena producción y medianamente buenos liricamente, este solo quiso jugársela a lo "oscuro y maduro". El problema con Katy era que cuando gustaba en sus anteriores trabajos era fuerte, luchadora de una causa, con voz adulta y segura, pero en otras infantil, boba,En esencia su peor trabajo. Sí bien los anteriores pueden llenarse la boca con ser "exitosos" con ritmos sumamente pegadizos, buena producción y medianamente buenos liricamente, este solo quiso jugársela a lo "oscuro y maduro". El problema con Katy era que cuando gustaba en sus anteriores trabajos era fuerte, luchadora de una causa, con voz adulta y segura, pero en otras infantil, boba, inmadura y con mensajes sexuales tontos y comerciales. Con Witness paso todo eso pero en 1 sólo disco. Quiso ser madura, dar voz al movimiento feminista, hablar sobre su dolor y más, pero involucró ritmos tontos, que buscaban ser infantiles pero a la vez no lo querían y una producción confusa y sin rumbo, aunado a la sensación que en un afán de querer hacer algo diferente quiso hacer en parte lo mismo y termino no haciendo nada arruinando todo. Sin contar el tema de política y de contradecirse en que ella no busca pelearse o dar importancia a comentarios sobre ella. E inevitablemente el peor error del disco: Migos y Swish Swish, que es hasta cansado y repetitivo hablar sobre estos dos desaciertos. Solo 2 baladas de este álbum se salvan y después de tanto escucharlas se vuelven aburridas, cutres y planas. Una era que sí bien marco un cambio en ella no fue cómo se esperaba quedado un 30% bueno y 70% malo. 4.5 para Katy Perry… Expand
  13. Brzuchaczyk
    Sep 1, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For me it is a album for 14 years old girl, not for a 30 years ol woman. Swish Swish and Bon Appetit are at least catchy, Changed to the Rhythm is apparently meaningful - not for me. The rest of the songs are just fillers for me - every of her album is full of fillers, but Witness doesn't have any major bop song. Album's best ones are jsut today's average.… Expand
  14. Coolguymike
    Aug 29, 2020
    4
    Katy loses her identity with this album with a huge step down from Prism. While this album does have some good singles, Chained to the Rhythm and Swish Swish, it deviates from the bubbly pop Katy Perry is known for.
  15. Wael
    Jun 11, 2017
    3
    Katy Perry's much anticipated fourth studio album is as disappointing as its two buzz singles 'Bon Appétit' and 'Swish Swish' promised us it would be. It is a hugely flawed record, and it feels like each song suffers from a different type of mistake. While some songs start up real good but fall short the second their chorus hits ('Pendulum', 'Tsunami', 'Roulette'), other songs have veryKaty Perry's much anticipated fourth studio album is as disappointing as its two buzz singles 'Bon Appétit' and 'Swish Swish' promised us it would be. It is a hugely flawed record, and it feels like each song suffers from a different type of mistake. While some songs start up real good but fall short the second their chorus hits ('Pendulum', 'Tsunami', 'Roulette'), other songs have very shallow lyrics, so superficial. they sound like they've been written by a 10-year-old (for example: 'I saw a balloon floating away/ I wondered did someone let go, or did they lose it?' on 'Miss You More'). Next to that, there are tracks that are just full-on annoying ('Mind Maze' comes to mind). KP tries to channel 'Ghost' by singing songs like 'Save As Draft', or tries to end the record with 'Into Me You See' on a similar note to that of 'By the Grace of God', but she just fails to do so. The only aspect remotely close to being very-good on this record is the production that glows from start to finish. Highlights are lead single 'Chained to the Rhythm', and probably the title track 'Witness'.
    The problem is that Perry's still trying to imitate her own work on 2010-pop-perfection-album 'Teenage Dream', but the outcome turns out to be 'Witness': a bunch of un-related non-cohesive wanna-be tracks influenced more by the A-Listers who worked on them, than by Perry herself.
    3/10.    … Expand
  16. chidime
    Jun 9, 2017
    3
    One of the most boring albums I have ever listened to. Only good thing about it is that the instrumentals are, for the most part, interesting. The singing drags on and on, all sounds the same and is not memorable in the least. Even worse, her voice sounds thin and off-tune in many parts. There was hardly a song on this that I wanted to listen to again (or even remembered) after I listenedOne of the most boring albums I have ever listened to. Only good thing about it is that the instrumentals are, for the most part, interesting. The singing drags on and on, all sounds the same and is not memorable in the least. Even worse, her voice sounds thin and off-tune in many parts. There was hardly a song on this that I wanted to listen to again (or even remembered) after I listened to the album. Hard to imagine the same Katy Perry who wrote 'Teenage Dream', 'ET' and all those hits that will probably never leave my head was responsible for this mess. Sad.

    BEST (more like OK): Chained To the Rhythm, Pendulum
    WORST: Swish Swish

    3/10    … Expand
  17. hipnose1
    Jun 10, 2017
    3
    Não sei nem como começar a resenha desse album, muito bem produzido, mas com proposta de nada, apenas para encher os bolsos da gravadora e até mesmo de katy perry, pois temos faixas ótimas no meio de fillers (a grande maioria), e tem mais, o que cada musica tem de propósito?? Nada, apenas o primeiro single deixou uma expectativa que o álbum não entrega. Nota 3, se não fosse a produçãoNão sei nem como começar a resenha desse album, muito bem produzido, mas com proposta de nada, apenas para encher os bolsos da gravadora e até mesmo de katy perry, pois temos faixas ótimas no meio de fillers (a grande maioria), e tem mais, o que cada musica tem de propósito?? Nada, apenas o primeiro single deixou uma expectativa que o álbum não entrega. Nota 3, se não fosse a produção seria 0.… Expand
  18. mat3uus
    Jun 16, 2017
    3
    This album is a hot mess! I love Katy but nothing matches here, the ballads are weak (usually they are wonderful in her albums) and the song that gives title to the album is a failure. The singles are really the highlights of 'Witness', Pendulum and Power are good though. But they seem to not fit in the concept of the album, if there is one.
  19. luixhlima
    Jun 9, 2017
    3
    She grow up as an artist but, she keeps with the same despair to get a #1 hit single, so this era are so messed up. Generic songs & bad sounds. Excited for KP5.
  20. SirFaulty
    Jun 18, 2017
    3
    God this new Katy Perry album is f*&king awful.

    I can see why iTunes music is recommending it to me because I do enjoy the occasional pop album (although I am not generally a fan of these big superstar pop albums because they all sound the same). This album however, is all over the show. There is not a single cohesive thread to the entire thing. Not to mention the lyrics are    God this new Katy Perry album is f*&king awful.

    I can see why iTunes music is recommending it to me because I do enjoy the occasional pop album (although I am not generally a fan of these big superstar pop albums because they all sound the same).

    This album however, is all over the show. There is not a single cohesive thread to the entire thing. Not to mention the lyrics are literally cringe-worthy. Most of this sounds like stuff I heard all the way back in 2007 and it wasn't even particularly good then. Now it's just sad.

    I read somewhere that she had coined this phase of her career as "Purposeful Pop". Well if this is what "Purposeful Pop" sounds like then please pass me the club while I bash its head in.

    If this doesn't sink her career then I don't know what will.    … Expand
  21. spongeswift
    Nov 10, 2017
    3
    Witness is Katy's weakest album to date. Album's like Teenage Dream and Prism were good 7 or 8's but this album is a trainwreck. Instead of the hits that she used to create she decided to do more ballads and they fell flat. Chained To The Rhythm was ok but was it mind blowing? No and Bon Appetit was a disaster, it had a good beat but the lyrics were just cheesy as could be. Katy Perry'sWitness is Katy's weakest album to date. Album's like Teenage Dream and Prism were good 7 or 8's but this album is a trainwreck. Instead of the hits that she used to create she decided to do more ballads and they fell flat. Chained To The Rhythm was ok but was it mind blowing? No and Bon Appetit was a disaster, it had a good beat but the lyrics were just cheesy as could be. Katy Perry's new music was supposed to be bolder and louder but it's cringe worthy songwriting says the opposite. Overall the only decent tracks are Witness and a few others but the majority of this album is just meh.… Expand
  22. Gretusca
    Nov 14, 2017
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Apesar de ter ampliado sua sonoridade em seu novo álbum Witness, Katy Perry não corresponde ao desejo do público em entregar um álbum bem polido e coerente liricamente.
    Músicas como “Power” “Hey Hey Hey” e “Roulette” são músicas que as letras se demonstram tolas e desconexas. Outro fator interessante é que apesar de mudar sua sonoridade e convidar novos produtores para executarem o projeto, ela não soube guiá-los com maestria, gerando faixas algumas vezes densamente produzidas como as citadas anteriormente e outras totalmente entediantes como “Mind Maze”, “Tsunami” e “Miss You More”.
    Katy Perry falha até em sua maior especialidade que é criar faixas com refrões cativantes e catchy mirando o top 40 da rádios americanas, deixando faixas como “Bon Appétit”, outro exemplo de porcaria lírica; e “Swish Swish”, sua mais recente diss track para arqui-inimiga Taylor Swift que não possui uma letra nenhum pouco inteligível, no vácuo e demonstrando que o álbum não segue exatamente nada da proposta que a Ex-Hitmaker havia prometido: “Uma era consciente e com propósito” que a mesma apenas belisca a superfície com a letra aleatória de seu lead single “Chained To The Rhythm”.
    Há essa altura do campeonato, no jogo da Indústria Musical, Katy Perry já deveria ter entregado algo que nos fizéssemos lembrar dela no futuro, mas pelo contrário regrediu e entregou uma bagunça sonora e lírica que faz nós implorarmos pelo retorno de Taylor Swift para quebrar a barreira de homens no mainstream.
    Ela mostrou apenas uma regressão e que era uma artista que mirava em singles passageiros e imemoráveis, que não é nada sem sua antiga equipe de trabalho, que esgotou sua fórmula com Max Martin em nossos ouvidos, que nunca conseguiu entregar um álbum completamente digno sem se esbaldar em fillers e também mostrou que hoje é apenas a sombra do que já foi quando seus singles atingiam o topo das paradas.    … Expand
  23. EmanueleBerton
    Jun 20, 2017
    3
    Her worst album. Katy Perry lost her soul in this work, i can't feel her. Prsim was even more mature. I don't think if she's going to sell again like she did before.
  24. Clasire
    Jun 9, 2017
    3
    Boring, i spect more of KP, only the leader single and Swish Swish are better than the full album.
    I hope she do a better album next, because this is just meh.
  25. nroBXL
    Jun 9, 2017
    3
    where's the magic from "prism"? The lyrics are more mature, true. but no real memorable songs on this album. And the UK and US chart performances of the first singles are proving me right.
  26. DangerousGagz
    Jun 9, 2017
    3
    The album is so weak compared to Katy's other. Swish Swish was a cringiest dis-track i've ever head. I love Katy but this album is really something. It's different i agree, but in a terrible way.
  27. turksevend
    Jun 9, 2017
    3
    she has die-hard fans that is why she got +8 user score but we all know this album is cheap and simple even tho her best,of course there are good songs like pendulum,into me you see etc but rest of the songs look like just filler songs to me and i have no idea what was katy thought when she did bon appetit,or swish swish or mind maze..anyway i am giving 3 points because i feel sorry forshe has die-hard fans that is why she got +8 user score but we all know this album is cheap and simple even tho her best,of course there are good songs like pendulum,into me you see etc but rest of the songs look like just filler songs to me and i have no idea what was katy thought when she did bon appetit,or swish swish or mind maze..anyway i am giving 3 points because i feel sorry for you katy i know that you are sad and this album wont cross over +60 metacritic score i know..… Expand
  28. nels64
    Jun 9, 2017
    3
    Okay how are so many people giving this a 10. Also a "comeback"? where did Katy Perry go? I don't recall her leaving. I'm sorry but this album is awful from start to finish. You can tell her previous work was heavily co-authored by Dr. Luke. I don't know how her first two albums have such low scores. They were thoroughly enjoyable, but this album is quite terrible. Every song sounds theOkay how are so many people giving this a 10. Also a "comeback"? where did Katy Perry go? I don't recall her leaving. I'm sorry but this album is awful from start to finish. You can tell her previous work was heavily co-authored by Dr. Luke. I don't know how her first two albums have such low scores. They were thoroughly enjoyable, but this album is quite terrible. Every song sounds the same. They're overproduced but at the same time unfinished. The direction is all over the place and the lyrics are borderline ridiculous.… Expand
  29. beizxzx
    Jun 9, 2017
    3
    Didn´t really like the album it was lacking sounds, it sounds the same.
    really boring and not fun to listen to at all.
    i was hopping better from her this time but failed
  30. PauloRoberto
    Jun 11, 2017
    3
    Esperava mais. Parece que essas músicas são demos ou versões ruins de outras músicas. A mais animada é Roulette. Perry tentou evoluir, mas não foi dessa vez.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#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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