EXCLUSIVEThe REAL reason Katy Perry was determined to work with Dr Luke on her new album - despite being 'scared' that fans could 'turn on her'

• e-mail

Katy Perry is shrugging off critics after reconnecting with controversial producer Dr Luke – with sources claiming she believes he is crucial to ensuring she achieves a successful musical comeback.

The Dark Horse hitmaker, 39, sparked controversy last month when it was revealed that Dr. Luke, 50, co-produced her new single Woman's World - which is being marketed as a feminist anthem - along with other songs on her upcoming sixth studio album.

But, insiders claim Katy was desperate to collaborate with the Grammy-nominated producer – despite his lengthy court battle over allegations of sexual abuse – because of their previous chart success with tracks including I Kissed A Girl and Teenage Dream.

'She understands she is controversial by working with Dr. Luke again, but they work so well together, and they have such a rapport with each other that she knows him in a different way than others might,' a source told DailyMail.com. 

'Her relationship with Dr. Luke is an important one.

Katy Perry is shrugging off critics after reconnecting with Dr. Luke – with sources telling DailyMail.com she believes he is crucial to ensuring she achieves a successful comeback 

The Dark Horse hitmaker, 39, sparked controversy last month when it was revealed she had teamed up with the music producer on her new music 

'So to have worked with him again is something she isn't bothered about, even though plenty of fans are.

'She is scared as the music world today can be fickle, with artists here one minute and disappearing the next - but she has thrived before.'

They continued: 'Katy is ready to go through the fires and she believes in her new album and work. So many people want to see her fail, but she is using it as motivation. 

'She can't wait to support her album and prove everyone wrong. She wants this to be her renaissance.'

Dr. Luke - real name Łukasz Sebastian Gottwald - is behind many of Katy's career-defining hits, including 2008's I Kissed a Girl, 2010's Teenage Dream and 2013's Roar.

The music producer was locked in a bitter legal battle with Tick Tock singer Kesha, 37, for nearly a decade from 2014 after she accused him of drugging and raping her back in 2005. 

She also alleged that Katy was a victim – something she denied. A New York state judge ruled against Kesha in 2020 saying she had defamed her former producer with the claim, and an appeals court upheld that decision in 2021.

Amid the legal back-and-forth Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds called on musicians to stop working with Dr. Luke in 2019, and in 2021 Doja Cat declared she would not collaborate with him.

'She understands she is controversial by working with Dr. Luke again, but they work so well together, and they have such a rapport,' an insider told DailyMail.com

The Roar singer has also shaken up her image ahead of her new album as she enters her 'new era' (pictured, left, in 2023 and on the set of her new music video, right)

The pair finally reached a settlement in June 2023 – just one month before the case was set to go to trial. 

Besides roping in Dr Luke to ensure her comeback is a success, Katy has also dramatically changed up her look for her 'new era.'

She announced her new single with a picture of herself in a tiny white bikini before shocking onlookers at last month's Balenciaga show in Paris where she was pictured topless underneath a fur coat - prompting fans to accuse her of copying Kayne West's wife Bianca Censori.

'For Katy, leaving American Idol, reinventing herself for her new music and being a few years removed from becoming a mother, she is looking to go full throttle with some new edge and her new sexy look,' the insider added.

DailyMail.com has contacted Katy's rep for comment.

Fans took to social media to express their condemnation at her decision to work with Dr. Luke while others highlighted her apparent hypocrisy.

Kesha, whose full name is Kesha Rose Sebert, also tweeted 'lol' in the wake of the news. 

Days later Katy went viral after she appeared to dodge a question about working with the producer.

Last year, Dr. Luke settled a defamation lawsuit with Kesha after she claimed in a 2014 lawsuit that he had sexually and physically abused her (pictured in 2011)

Katy's new single Woman's World will be released on July 11 with a music video dropping the following day

The pop star was confronted as she exited a Paris Fashion Week event, as per footage obtained by TMZ.

As she made her way through the crowd, one fan asked the star point blank: 'Isn't your album about women empowerment? Why are you working with Dr. Luke?'

The fan was met with silence as Katy quickly slid into her chauffeured SUV.

A member of her team tried to shut the car door while the fan was speaking but a security guard got in the way.

It is unclear if the mother-of-one purposely ignored the fan's question or if it was simply drowned out by the noisy crowd.

Sources previously claimed Katy was advised against working with Dr. Luke, but she refused to listen.

'So many fans are already turning on Katy before she's even released new music because Dr. Luke worked on this album with her,' they told DailyMail.com.

'She is trying to promote it on female empowerment – but working with Dr. Luke screams the opposite.

Kesha, whose full name is Kesha Rose Sebert, tweeted 'lol' in the wake of the news that Katy and Dr. Luke were collaborating again 

'She was advised against working with him and was also advised to tone down the sex appeal – but she is ramping it up. She is listening to no one about how to promote the album, market it, etc.'

The source claimed that Katy's motivation for releasing a new album was for a 'paycheck' after bowing out of American Idol in May and selling her back catalogue to Litmus Music for $255 million in 2023.

They continued: 'All of this comes after she sold her entire catalogue for money. This album isn't about her showing how she is growing as an artist or her 'new era' – it's about a paycheck now that she's done with American Idol.'

Katy will release her new single Woman's World on July 11 with a music video dropping the following day.