Given Katy Perry’s recent track record of hit-and-miss standalone singles, the emphatic “Never Worn White” is a breath of fresh air.
The piano-driven ballad sees Perry, 35, croon about finding true love and wanting to start a family, as well as expressing regret about past relationships and being afraid to make commitments, especially in terms of marriage. This directly links to the American singer’s own life, as she is currently engaged to English actor Orlando Bloom.
Stylistically I find the single to be similar to the work of Adele, being specifically akin to songs like “Hometown Glory” and “Someone Like You”; there are also underlying lyrical similarities, as Katy’s openness regarding love and past decisions, such as her marriage to comedian Russell Brand that ended in 2012, draw up connotations with sentiments often expressed by Adele and singers of her ilk.
“Never Worn White” is also particularly impressive vocally, especially when pitted against Perry’s more recent outputs like “Small Talk” and “Harleys in Hawaii”. It’s clear to the listener that she truly cares about the subject matter and is pouring her heart out for all the world to see – it’s been a long time since Katy has released anything like this, and it’s very refreshing to see given her recent dip in popularity after her last album, 2017’s Witness.
The music video for the single is wistfully metaphorical yet direct, constantly switching between two scenes: one of Perry wearing an elaborate garment made of flowers, and another of her emotively singing the song in a beautifully simplistic white dress. The clip ends with a profile shot of her cradling her baby bump, confirming her first pregnancy with Bloom. It’s no surprise that the video achieved over ten million hits in its first twenty-four hours of release.
The track is a declaration to music fans that Perry still has more to offer, even over ten years after her breakthrough with “I Kissed a Girl” and showcases her potential as a mature artist with a valuable opinion as a future wife and mother. It’s no “Wide Awake”, “Thinking of You” or “Firework”, and likely won’t carry the same success as those aforementioned singles, but it carries a special significance as the heartfelt and graceful songwriting draws directly from Perry’s own experiences of love, acting as a commentary on her romantic life up to this point over an organic and melodic style of instrumentation.
In short, though it’s not perfect by any means “Never Worn White” is a breath-taking output from Perry as she enters a new, more mature phase of her career, and a strong signal of good things to come. The single and its accompanying video are reminiscent of the pearly-white ancient depictions of angels and food in terms of visual and lyrical imagery, emphasising the beauty of human experiences and the joy of motherhood and being in love while providing the listener with endless relatability. Bravo, Katy. Bravo.
8/10
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