Katy Perry takes down Theresa May and Donald Trump at the Brits 2017

People


Katy Perry takes down Theresa May and Donald Trump at the Brits 2017

By Kayleigh Dray

8 years ago

Katy Perry dominated the stage at the 2017 Brit Awards, thanks to her showstopping performance of her latest song, Chained to the Rhythm.

The politically aware popstar kept things high energy as she danced alongside scores of backing dancers dressed as white houses (yep) and was joined on stage by two huge dancing skeletons.

Her bony companions were wearing pretty familiar outfits, too: one was dressed in a black suit with a bright red tie, while the other wore a belted red skirt suit.

Remind you of anyone?

That’s right: they were well and truly dressed up as President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Theresa May, even holding hands in what appeared to be a reference to the attention surrounding the pair’s close contact during May’s recent US visit.



At the end of the song, the sinister skeletons shot fireworks out of their hands, and Perry shared a hug with fellow performer, Skip Marley – grandson of Bob Marley.

The point that Perry was trying to make with the costumes is still up for debate, with some suggesting that she was pointing out that the USA and the United Kingdom are being governed by “out of touch” and “wasted zombies”.

Others, meanwhile, guessed that the fireworks represented the fact that Trump and May have the power to lead us into war.

At this point, there are no correct answers, though Perry has previously said the song was strongly influenced by how she felt following Trump’s election victory:

“Happily numb
So comfortable, we live in a bubble, a bubble
So comfortable, we cannot see the trouble, the trouble
Turn it up, keep it on repeat
Stumbling around like a wasted zombie
Yeah, we think we’re free.”

Reggae artist Marley then joins in with a guest verse, in which he adds, “Ay, up in your high place, liars. Time is ticking for the empire.”

Perry has previously been vocal about the political message of Chained to the Rhythm, tweeting: “We gonna call this era Purposeful Pop.”



And, in a new interview, she explained that her song is all about her feelings following Trump’s victory at the US presidential election.

“After the election… I was kind of depressed,” she said. “You know, I definitely didn’t want to write a club banger. I was like, ‘How are we writing a club banger when the world is on fire?’”

She first performed the song at the Grammys, while wearing a ‘PERSIST’ armband and a black-and-white pantsuit (clearly a nod to Hillary Clinton, of whom Perry was an avid supporter).

Featuring a house and fence, with a series of dancers moving the set pieces across the stage, the performance also saw the US Constitution projected onto the wall behind her.

Perry, who dubbed her Brits performance the “second chapter” to the song, is set to take to the stage again 5 March at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Images; Rex Pictures

undefined

By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy

Thank you!

You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.