Songwriter Linda Perry Calls Katy Perry Music ‘Crap’

Them’s fightin’ words. Songwriter Linda Perry, who has penned massive hits for Christina Aguilera, Pink and Gwen Stefani, may share the same last name with Katy Perry (albeit it being Katy’s stage name) but that’s where the similarities end. In an interview backstage at the Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles, Linda lets ‘er rip, attacking Perry’s music and labeling it “crap.” Ouch.

When asked how the industry has changed, Linda said, “It’s just different.” She goes on to say while she’s not a huge fan of Adele‘s best-selling ’21,’ she thinks it’s a solid record. “It’s selling, okay? That means people still buy records.” But the problem that undermines a “solid” record like ’21′ is that “crap,” according to the opinionated Linda.
She asks, “Who wants a f—ing Katy Perry record. Two songs are good, but the rest of the album is going to be crap. It’s going to sound like s— so who cares about buying that record. People download the single and that’s it.”
Okay, while we appreciate Linda’s right to feel how she does, there are a few holes in her argument that we’d like to point out. First, she was in a band in the ’90s called 4 Non Blondes that had one hit, ‘What’s Up,’ and that was about it. Sure, Linda has gone on to write huge hits like Xtina’s ‘Beautiful’ and Stefani’s ‘What You Waiting For,’ but she is ignoring the fact that Katy has had five No. 1 singles from her latest album ‘Teenage Dream,’ which has pushed sales. That’s more than the one or two songs she references earlier. Perry has set a record, so there has to be something there, right?
Linda did pay Katy a bit of a complement, saying, “I’m not saying that Katy is bad. She is great for what

she does, but she is not reinventing the wheel or giving substance.” She compared Katy’s music to “microwave popcorn for you to feast on right at this moment. That’s what she wants to do obviously, not looking to change the world musically, all the power to her. I am not saying it’s bad, but it’s not what I participate in. But that is part of the reason why music business is in turmoil.”