A futuristic standout off Katy Perry’s sixth album ‘143,’ “Artificial” pairs the ever-evolving pop star with rapper JID for a cosmic, electropop exploration of reality, disguise, and the fragile truth of human connection.
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Stream: “Artificial” – Katy Perry ft. JID
The title of Katy Perry’s sixth studio album, 143, is said to be a code for “I love you.”
Released a year ago this September, the record finds the best-selling artist leaning into dance and electropop, with a few standout moments – including “Artificial.” While some of the album’s songs feature collaborations with artists such as Doechii, Kim Petras, and 21 Savage, “Artificial” pairs Perry with American rapper JID, who is appreciated for his dynamic delivery and fast-paced verses. The result is a track that blurs the lines between reality and the artificial world – something deeply relevant to humanity’s present-day situation.
Who’s gonna save us
From losin’ our minds?
Oh, you’re so dangerous
Devil in disguise
Why you so, why you so
Why you so, why you so artificial?
You get me divin’ deep in your system
I’m just a prisoner in your prison
You got me hooked on your algorithm
Are you real or artificial?
So what’s the deal, huh?
Musically, “Artificial” feels strikingly familiar to one of Katy Perry’s earlier hits, “E.T.” Not only do both songs incorporate electropop and hip-hop elements with robotic tones, but they also focus on connection. While “E.T.” centers on attraction and a captivating human who feels otherworldly, framed through science and space metaphors, “Artificial” flips this idea: The context has changed, more than a decade has passed, and now the question is whether something so futuristic, so foreign, can truly be real and human.
In a world already immersed in the Information Age – where technology is increasingly woven into society and into individuals’ lives – Perry seizes the opportunity to restate the question of what human connection and individuality really mean.
Tell me, are you fake or are you real, huh?
How do I connect if I can’t feel ya?
Sooner or later, I will reveal ya
Artificial, so what you thinkin’?
Do you put emotions over reason?
Are you gonna love me like a human?
Can you touch me in a simulation?
Who’s gonna save us
From losin’ our minds?
Oh, you’re so dangerous
Devil in disguise
Baby, tell me, tell me
Does your heart beat, heart beat? (Oh)
Who’s gonna save us
From losin’ our minds?
Why you so, why you so
Why you so, why you so artificial? (Uh, look)
While artificiality has long been a theme in the film industry, one of the music industry’s biggest pop stars now brings it to the forefront.
Verses include descriptions such as “dangerous,” “devil in disguise,” and “bitterest forbidden” – words that resonate with both the song’s subject and society’s complex relationship with technology. The lyrics acknowledge a truth many already sense or struggle with: people often conceal or pretend when using technology and online communication, and this is dangerous to the extent that human qualities like trust, empathy, and emotion might be lost. Perry drives this point home in the chorus, asking, “Does your heart beat, heart beat?” and “Who’s gonna save us / From losing our minds?”
Rapper JID’s verse adds an even richer perspective on humanity in the digital era. Thought-provoking and self-aware, JID rephrases the concept of “disguise” in the modern world, but he’s conflicted by what he sees around him. Using metaphors such as “trapped in a maze” and “lost in the matrix,” he signals the blurred realities of social media, where someone may appear kind and peaceful, problematic, or simply desperate to prove something – hence the lyric, “Angels, demons, a lot of demonstrations.”
Am I trapped in a maze? Are we lost in the matrix?
Animalistic instinct, it’s all nature
Behind enemy lines of animation
Scribbled upon a page, we’re stuck in a simulation
Stuck in between a rock and a hard place
You know the sayin’, I’m dealin’ with similar situations
I see the angles that everybody takin’
Angels, demons, a lot of demonstrations
Artificial intelligent information
I been developin’ truth
I took a bite into the bitterest forbidden fruit
It’s not a vitamin, venom, it’s unpredictable
Too many vices, I hear the voices, silence then silence
It’s gettin’ closer, I’m closin’ my eyelids
But when it’s over, my head to the sky
And I realize everybody wears a disguise
Overall, “Artificial” is worth listening to not just for its rhythm, but for its sharp lyrics and striking message.
Despite critics who suggest this may be far from Katy Perry’s best era, it’s important to remember that the “I Kissed a Girl” singer is once again urging us to question the society we live in – and the one we are becoming – as we navigate an age of overwhelming information and increasingly artificial realities.
Who’s gonna save us
From losin’ our minds?
Oh, you’re so dangerous
Devil in disguise
Baby, tell me, tell me (tell me)
Does your heart beat, heart beat? (Oh)
Who’s gonna save us
From losin’ our minds?
Why you so, why you so
Why you so, why you so artificial?
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Stream: “Artificial” – Katy Perry ft. JID
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© Jack Bridgland
© Jack Bridgland
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