Katy Perry Defends Collaboration With Dr. Luke On New Album “143”

Katy Perry has defended working with Dr. Luke on her upcoming album ‘143’, despite accusations the producer drugged and raped Kesha.

During an appearance on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast on Wednesday, the “Dark Horse” singer, 39, was asked why she decided to work with the songwriter, born Łukasz Sebastian Gottwald.

“Look, I understand that this started a lot of conversations. He was one of many coworkers that I worked with. But the truth is, it came from me,” she replied.

“The truth is, I wrote these songs based on my experiences throughout my life, going through this metamorphosis. And he was one of the people who helped facilitate all of that. One of the writers, one of the producers.”

Perry, whose real name is Katheryn Hudson, said she was speaking from her own experiences with the new project, which is set to be released on September 20.

“When I say ‘Woman’s World,’ I mean I feel empowered now as a mother, as a woman, giving birth, creating life, creating another set of organs, a brain, a heart — I created a whole heart,” says the pop star, who has 4-year-old daughter Daisy Dove with fiancé Orlando Bloom.

Perry, who said she is still the “matriarch,” added: “I created this whole thing with a few different collaborators — people I’ve worked with in the past, from Teenage Dream, all of that.”

In 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke, accusing him of drugging and raping her after a party in 2005.

The “TiK ToK” singer, 37, claims the eight-time Grammy-nominated producer, 50, sexually, physically and verbally abused her throughout the decade they worked together, and that his behavior caused her to develop an eating disorder.

Dr. Luke denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim against Kesha, claiming she had legally defamed him by making “false and shocking” accusations.

In April 2016, a judge dismissed all charges against Kesha of sexual assault, sexual harassment and gender-based violence in New York.

Four months later, the “Blah Blah Blah” singer dropped her California lawsuit against Dr. Luke.

The parties finally settled their legal battle in June 2023.

“Only God knows what happened that night, as I have always said,” Kesha said in a statement at the time. “I cannot tell you everything that happened.”

The “Joyride” singer added that she “can’t wait to close the door on this chapter of my life and start a new one.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Luke continued to maintain his innocence, writing that he was “absolutely certain nothing happened.”

“I never drugged her or assaulted her, and I would never do that to anyone,” he continued. “For the sake of my family, I have fought vigorously for almost 10 years to clear my name.”