Today, Katy Perry helped launch a “massive, yearlong music campaign” with none other than the Pokemon Company. Weird, I know. In a press release for the 25th anniversary celebration of the brand and its many colorful minions—most notably Pikachu—here’s what Perry had to say: “Pokémon has been a constant in my life from playing the original video games on my Game Boy, to trading Pokémon TCG cards at lunch, to the adventures of catching Pokémon on the street with Pokémon GO. I’ve even visited the Pokémon Café in Japan while on tour!”
Ok, sure, Katy Perry plays Pokemon.
There’s a lot to this celebration, according to said press release from The Pokemon Company. But most notably is what it has called “P25 Music,” a collaboration with Universal Music Group that will include “some of the biggest names in music, from rising artists to award-winning global superstars.” Makes sense they went with Perry, whose last album sold barely 50,000 units at launch—35,000 of those units being bundled with other merchandise, and 14,000 having trickled down from streaming. You can listen to the 2 second long Katy Perry clip at the end of this video:
I like the way she belts “ELECTRIC,” at least.
In reality, Perry’s kitsch aesthetic pairs perfectly with the most famous children’s entertainment conglomerate of all time. It’s just too bad The Pokemon Company snubbed Rita Ora, whose own original song “Carry On” from Detective Pikachu was much better than whatever that was above. Sadly, her character was murdered by Mewtwo in that movie, or perhaps there would have been future hope for collaboration.
This is what a “25th Anniversary Celebration” looks like! Imagine, however, if Ora was one of the aforementioned “rising artists.” That would make me scream.
In its press release, UMG teased:
“We are honored to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon and the significant cultural impact this beloved franchise continues to have around the world. Working together, we have developed dynamic year-round programming involving artists from across UMG’s labels — because what better way to create a global celebration than through the power of music.”
If there’s still time, I would strongly recommend resuscitating The Pokemon Company’s relationship with Rita Ora. But what do I know! I’m just the human adult with Pokemon Sword still booted up on my Nintendo Switch.