After dominating the Billboard charts with her third album Prism, Katy Perry took some much-needed time off for the last year or so. On Thursday night, she made her return with the dramatic new videof or her single "Rise," which will help soundtrack NBC's Rio Olympics coverage this summer. The song, a down-tempo power ballad, finds Katy doling out her typical bright and inspirational lyrics. "This is a song that's been brewing inside me for years, that has finally come to the surface," Perry said in a press release. "I was inspired to finish it now, rather than save it for my next album, because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite." In the video, Katy finds herself stranded in the desert after a parachute accident.
"When the fire's at my feet again/And the vultures all start circling/They're whispering/You're out of time but still I rise/This is no mistake, no accident/When you think the final note is in/Think again/Don't be surprise, I still rise," she sings.
Perry's Prism album and its many singles dominated the radio and the Billboard charts throughout late 2013 and early 2014. The album moved 286,000 copies in its first week, her best first-week sales ever. Both "Roar" and "Dark Horse" were No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Unconditionally," "Birthday," and "This Is How We Do" were also moderate commercial successes.
Although she took a break from music for a bit, Perry's celebrity has kept her in the spotlight. She's engaged in a very public, albeit mostly sly, feud with Taylor Swift. Many people believed that Swift's song "Bad Blood" was about Perry, and the two have exchanged some shade on social media since then.
Clearly, with "Rise" out, Perry is ready to put the celebrity drama behind her and focus on reclaiming her spot at the top of the pop world. Grab "Rise" on iTunes here, stream it on Apple Music, or watch the official music video here.
