Katy Perry Announces Release Date and Tour for New Album ‘Witness’
News about and new music from Katy Perry’s upcoming fifth album keeps coming fast and furious. Just days after releasing the music video for the album’s second single, “Bon Appétit,” Perry has finally revealed the name of her upcoming album: Witness.
Witness is set to be released on June 9. The new album was announced alongside news about a North American tour set to begin on September 7. The two items are very much hand-in-hand; a copy of the album will be provided to fans who purchase Witness tour tickets, so if you’re jonesing for a double dose of Perry, be ready to pull the trigger on Ticketmaster when the tour pre-sale starts on May 18.
Watch the official announcement video for the tour below. You can register your interest in buying concert tickets via Perry’s website.
Perry teased the news about the album and tour with a post on her Twitter page over the weekend, giving fans nothing to go off of aside from a 15-second snippet and a mysterious-looking eye with the number “5/15” in the center.
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) May 14, 2017
Billboards of the same image popped up in New York City, with the same date featured on it. Perry also threw a curveball when pressed on the matter by fans, claiming ahead of time it was not a tease for a new single or the album itself.
SAY SOMETHING @katyperry ?⚡️ pic.twitter.com/5YrwjqMCK8
— hugo (@ootboys) May 14, 2017
@Harleys_Puddin_ guess again
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) May 14, 2017
Turns out, that claim wasn’t exactly truthful—it is an album, it just came with a tour as well—but we’ll let Perry slide for bending the truth a little bit.
Up until now, the promotional run for Witness hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride. Though the team-up on “Bon Appétit” with Migos was a smart play given the rap trio’s recent success, Perry’s recent path has been marred by controversy. She appeared to throw shade at former President Barack Obama in April, which prompted years old accusations to resurface from producer Mano, who claimed Perry repeatedly called him the n-word once. Whether or not the bad press will impact the reception of her upcoming work remains to be seen.
The Witness tour will kick off in Columbus, Ohio in September and conclude in Vancouver in early February 2018.