It could – and perhaps should – have been the definitive pop moment of the year: Katy Perry and Britney Spears releasing new songs at exactly the same time on Friday, July 15.
But the divas have conspired to create a chorus of mid-summer “mehs.”
Perry’s “Rise,” which has been written for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and will soundtrack NBC’s coverage, finds the California girl belting out a towering, electro anthem of courage that’s really more bluster than brawn.
“This is a song that’s been brewing inside me for years, that has finally come to the surface,” Perry explains in a statement. “I was inspired to finish it now, rather than save it for my next album, because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite.” Spotify listeners might struggle to hear this rallying cry of unity, however, as Perry has made “Rise” available only on Apple Music. UPDATE: The “Rise” music video is now available.
Spears, meanwhile, is making another attempt at a comeback. With the just-released “Make Me,” she has at least moved away from the weak EDM aspirations of her 2013 album, “Britney Jean.” Instead, it’s a neo-R&B affair with a guest verse from Oakland rapper G-Eazy, and a revitalized-sounding Spears cooing a sultry hook. The Good Ship Britney has at least been steadied, but “Make Me” isn’t quite the full-steam-ahead moment fans will have hoped for.
So it’s a slightly anticlimactic Friday in pop music. But hey, at least it’s still Friday.