Smile is the fifth album released by Katy Perry on August 28th, 2020, and it is available on all music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Smile resembles Katy Perry’s story of getting rid of old love to rebirth and reclaiming her strength of being a woman. This album is easy to recommend, because of its meaningful songs, as well as its positive, upbeat melodies that people can dance to.
The album cover shows Katy Perry dressed up like a clown, looking melancholy, with the title Smile at the bottom in red. She hints that the cover looks like this, because she has gone through a tough time but wants people to know that she has managed to reclaim her smile. Following her downfall in the music industry back in 2017, Perry admits that she struggled a lot with being “number one”.
The album starts off with a song called “Never Really Over”. It is a very interesting song that talks about Perry’s struggling relationships from the past and her regrets. She also says that the song is about rising back up, despite the “flop” she had before with her album Witness.
Smile has 12 songs and Perry wrote most of them within the last three years. “Not the End of the World” parallels what is happening today, as the world is facing a pandemic crisis. In the song, Katy sings, “What a time to be alive. Don’t say goodbye,” which is a short but powerful verse. It reminds people that this is the time to stay awake and pay attention to the things happening around the world.
“Daisies” and “Resilient” are two songs about not caring what others think and just stepping out into the world as yourself. An iconic moment in the “Daisies” music video is when Perry stands on top of a rock, looking like she is free, and showing off her pregnant belly. In “Resilient”, Perry sings, “‘Cause I died every winter. But survived all the weather. Look at me now…. I’m in full bloom”. This shows Perry’s resiliency, as she has gone through many trials in the past, but today she is still here and is living her best life.
“Only Love” is my personal favorite track from the record. It has a soft pop melody and poses us with the question, “What would you do if you had a limited amount of time on Earth?” Perry sings about how she would pay more attention to her parents, which is relatable. She also sings, “Let me leave this world with the hate behind me and take the love instead.” In a time like this where everything is so crazy, there is a lot of hatred spreading around, and this verse reminds us that we should stop hating and start loving one another.
There are other great songs on this album that have catchy beats like “Cry About It Later”, “Tucked”, and “Smile”. There is also a song called “Harley’s In Hawaii” that is the weakest track on the list. Though the music video looks cool with Perry driving a motorcycle through the highways of Hawaii, the song is just not a vibe.
Smile ends off with a song called “What Makes A Woman” which Perry says is an appreciation for women. In an interview with Apple Music, Perry claims that women “are very chameleonic” and “they are not just one thing.” It amazes her that women have the ability to evolve and multitask. Like her, even if she is a rising mother, she says that she will never stop making music and impressing fans.
Following the release of Smile, Katy Perry also gave birth to a baby girl named Daisy Dove Bloom, which definitely is a reason for her to be so happy. Overall, Smile is a really good album. The record is sold on Apple Music, as well as the physical copies in Target , which include a message from Katy Perry and a bonus track. If Smile is something that interests you, then it is definitely worth the time to buy. If not, then, other albums that you can definitely check out are Taylor Swift’s folklore or Harry Styles’ Fine Line.
