But Perry seems uninterested in projecting the kind of rough edges that have come to define pop stardom in the years since she was regularly topping charts. At 34, maybe she views that position as being out of reach; perhaps her prime-time gig on “American Idol” makes edge a liability rather than an asset. Either way, she still believes in the idea of the untouchable persona, which aligns “Never Really Over,” with its willfully imprecise lyrics and its carefully reverbed vocals, with “Me!” by her old frenemy Swift.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 31, 2019 22:18 UTC