Katy Perry reflects on backlash from beaming Blue Origin trip
Katy Perry expressed regret over the "public spectacle" she created during the Jeff Bezos-funded space trip, which received widespread media criticism.
On April 14, the 40-year-old American singer joined the first all-female crew in over six decades for an 11-minute space voyage aboard the Blue Origin rocket launched from the Texas desert. She was accompanied by Bezos' fiancée, American journalist Lauren Sánchez, presenter Gayle King, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
Wave of criticism following the flight
Although the event was portrayed as a historic moment, it was met with significant criticism. Many accused it of being merely a marketing gimmick for Bezos's space tourism program, which is part of Blue Origin's commercial initiative. Celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Wilde, and Amy Schumer openly condemned the mission. Actress Jessica Chastain shared an article on her social media profiles that described the voyage as a "perverse funeral for the America that once enabled both scientific advancement and feminist progress."
Katy Perry was notably criticized for her "over-the-top" behaviour during and after the expedition. During the flight, she was filmed holding a daisy and singing Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" towards the sky. Upon returning to Earth, she kissed the ground and said at a press conference that she felt "super connected with love."
According to the "DailyMail," Perry now regrets making the mission a "public spectacle." "Katy doesn't regret going to space. It was life changing. What she does regret is making a public spectacle out of it," the source claims.
The American fast-food chain Wendy's mocked the singer on social media, asking, "Can we send her back?" in response to the news of her return from space. Pictures of Perry kissing the ground after landing were shared with the caption: "I kissed the ground and I liked it," referencing her hit song "I Kissed a Girl."
Model and activist Emily Ratajkowski called the Blue Origin mission "the end of the world." "Like this is beyond parody," she stated in an Instagram story. "That you care about Mother Earth and it’s about Mother Earth, and you’re going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s single-handedly destroying the planet?" she added.
In response to the criticism, Gayle King said that those criticizing the mission "don't understand what's going on." "We can all speak to the response we're getting from young women, from young girls about what this represents," she emphasized. A great deal of work went into making it possible for us to fly and return to Earth, she said.
Katy Perry doesn't seem to be bothered by the criticism. She shared a photo of the school lunch she prepared for her daughter Daisy Dove Bloom, whom she shares with her husband, British actor Orlando Bloom. "Back to the best reality – packing a school lunch," she wrote, adding a daisy and a heart emoji.
During the press conference, the singer thanked a journalist who called her an astronaut and stated that this journey "was always about love and belonging." "It's not about singing my songs," she said. "It's about a collective energy in there. It's about us. It's about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging and it's about this wonderful world that we see right out there and appreciating it."
Perry added that she plans to write a song about her space journey. We wait eagerly.
