Maps of Music

Witness (2017)

Where the lyrics of Witness take you, and where it was really made.

Witness debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, then fell to number 13 the following week.

Key places

Recording location: The Grove (2017)

Recording site The Grove — The source credits The Grove in Australia as a recording location for this album. No city is given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Tree Sound, Atlanta (2017)

Recording site Tree Studios — The source lists Tree Sound in Atlanta, Georgia as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Glenwood Place, Burbank (2017)

Recording site Glenwood Place Studios — The source lists Glenwood Place in Burbank, California as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Green Oak, Los Angeles (2017)

Recording site Green Oak — The source lists Green Oak in Los Angeles next to Henson Recording as a recording location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Henson Recording Studios (2017)

Recording site A&M Recording Studios — The source lists Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: The Record Plant (2017)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The source links The Record Plant in Los Angeles to the album as a recording location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Stockholm (2017)

Recording site Master Plan — The source names MXM in Stockholm, Sweden as a recording location; the point is set at city level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Secret Garden, Santa Barbara (2017)

Recording site Secret Garden — The source lists Secret Garden in Santa Barbara, California as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Jungle City Studios, New York (2017)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — The source lists Jungle City Studios in New York City as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Witness: fifth studio album by Katy Perry
• Released June 9, 2017 by Capitol Records
• Electropop album that leans into dance-pop and EDM
• Lyrics focus on self-empowerment and feminism
• Perry described it as an album of "liberation" and "purposeful pop"
• Five singles; lead single "Chained to the Rhythm" featuring Skip Marley
• Guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Skip Marley and Migos

Background

• Followed Prism (2013) and the 2014–2015 tour
• Perry took a hiatus to protect her mental health and return afresh
• Album marked a departure from long-time producer and co-writer Dr. Luke
• Producers include Jeff Bhasker, Mark Crew, Duke Dumont, Jack Garratt, Oscar Holter, Illangelo, Ilya, Max Martin, Ali Payami and Shellback
• Partly inspired by Hillary Clinton's loss in the 2016 US presidential election
• Perry had earlier performed at Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign in Philadelphia
• Supported by Witness: The Tour, her fourth concert tour, held in 2017 and 2018

Recording

• Studios credited in the source include The Record Plant, Henson Recording, Tree Sound, Jungle City Studios and MXM
• Other recording locations listed include Glenwood Place in Burbank and Secret Garden in Santa Barbara

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, born October 25, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California; known professionally as Katy Perry.
• Released the gospel album Katy Hudson (2001) under Red Hill Records at age 16; it was commercially unsuccessful.
• Moved to Los Angeles, then signed to Capitol Records in 2007 and rose to fame with One of the Boys (2008).

Members

• Solo artist. Her sister Angela influenced her early singing; her brother David is also a singer.

Career

• "I Kissed a Girl" from One of the Boys topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
• Teenage Dream (2010) became the only album by a woman to produce five U.S. number-one singles.
• Prism (2013) yielded "Roar" and "Dark Horse" as U.S. number ones; later albums include Witness (2017), Smile (2020) and 143 (2024).
• Performed the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015, which drew 118.5 million U.S. viewers.
• Prismatic World Tour grossed $204.3 million worldwide.
• Estimated sales of over 151 million records worldwide; seven RIAA Diamond certifications.
• Judge on American Idol from the sixteenth season (2018) to the twenty-second season (2024).
• Flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-31 in April 2025.
• Named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in December 2013.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: 53 out of 100 from 20 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews"
• The Guardian (Hannah J. Davies): 4 out of 5 stars, praised "Swish Swish" as a house-fuelled banger
• NME (Leonie Cooper): same 4 out of 5 rating, complimented "Swish Swish"
• USA Today (Maeve McDermott): praised the album as sonically coherent and personal
• Entertainment Weekly (Kevin O'Donnell): B rating, highlighted "Déjà Vu" and "Swish Swish"
• Consequence of Sound (Wren Graves): C rating, called most other songs filler
• Rolling Stone (Christopher R. Weingarten): 3 out of 5 stars, said the voice was devoured in effects and reverb
• AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine): 2 out of 5 stars, called the record a conceptual muddle
• The Daily Telegraph (Neil McCormick): 2 out of 5 stars, panned the use of the term purposeful pop
• The Independent (Andy Gill): 2 out of 5 stars, criticized the Max Martin production
• Los Angeles Times (Mikael Wood): critical of the musical direction
• Spin (Jordan Sargent): said her artillery of undeniable pop songs felt depleted
• Variety (Chris Willman): said it counts at least as a sparkler

Records

• Billboard 200: debuted at number one with 180,000 album-equivalent units, including 162,000 pure album sales
• Perry's third album to top the Billboard 200
• Dropped to number 13 the following week, spending 23 weeks on the chart
• Billboard Canadian Albums Chart: number one, 23,000 units in its first week
• Spanish Albums Chart: number one, Perry's first chart-topper in Spain
• ARIA Albums Chart: debuted at number two, later certified Gold
• UK Albums Chart: debuted at number six, 106,206 copies sold, BPI Gold
• Top five in Belgium (Wallonia), the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Slovakia
• 1.25 million pure copies sold worldwide; 15th best-selling album globally in 2017 per IFPI
• Platinum or higher in Canada (two-times Platinum), India (three-times Platinum), Mexico, Norway and Poland

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Urban Outfitters released a limited-edition exclusive vinyl of the album with alternate cover art on September 29, 2017.
• Billboard's Tatiana Cirisano listed the album cover among the worst of 2017, calling its "freaky alien theme" "just a tad too horrifying."
• The night before release, Perry hosted a live countdown on her YouTube channel, performing and discussing tracks.
• Perry streamed Katy Perry Live: Witness World Wide on YouTube for four days, ending with a live concert on June 12.
• Tickets for Witness: The Tour included a copy of the album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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