Katy Perry surprises everyone with surprising song choice as she kicks off the AFL Grand Final’s main show

Katy Perry stunned everyone with her outstanding song choice as she kicked off her AFL Grand Final performance at the MCG on Saturday.

The 39-year-old US pop star took to the stage in front of 100,000 AFL fans as he headlined the pre-match show ahead of the Brisbane Lions-Sydney Swans clash.

However, despite the popular theory that he wouldn’t be playing the hit, he almost immediately stunned fans as he kicked off his five-song set with smash hit Roar.

There was heated speculation that the song was blacklisted because it would indicate alleged bias against the Brisbane Lions.

However, Perry distracted the attention by performing what some fans considered an unofficial anthem of the underdogs.

Katy previously believed the rumours, admitting she was told to remove her song from the setlist because it wasn’t ‘fair’.

‘Oh Lions! I have to remove my song Roar from the set because it’s not fair. “That’s what everyone was saying on The Fox’s Fifi, Fev and Nick earlier this year,” he said.

‘No, you have to play!’ said host Brendan Fevola. ‘Because you were booked long before Brisbane arrived,’ Katy agreed.

Before taking to the stage, Katy’s headlining gig in the AFL, the announcement of her multi-million salary sparked controversy among Australians.

The Fireworks hitmaker reportedly earned a whopping $5 million for performing just five songs at the MCG, with local musicians sharing their surprise at the huge figure.

A Melbourne artist has criticized the AFL on Facebook for making international talent lose millions while local musicians struggle to perform.

Australia’s live music industry has also struggled to stay afloat in recent years; Many major local festivals are being canceled due to low ticket sales.

“Just heard on the radio that Katy Perry will be getting $5 million for 5 songs at the AFL gf (sic) tomorrow,” a local singer wrote in a post shared with her followers.

‘Of course, given the state of the music industry in this country, this money could have been better spent.

‘Will all Australians be lining up at an outdoor stage featuring local acts to showcase the best of the Melbourne music scene? ‘I get the startup factor, but $5 million for five songs?’

Followers flocked to the musician’s comments and agreed; some said recruiting the international pop star for the AFL Grand Final “didn’t offer much bang for the buck”.

‘Perhaps we can get a name already in the country to produce a song or two. “This is a huge amount of money,” they added.

‘Absolutely stupid,’ wrote another, while another agreed: ‘Something needs to change. This is crazy!’

While many people complained about the Australian dollar going to Katy for its upcoming performance, there were also those who disagreed.

One person commented, “Well, he’s probably paying for his own sound crew and other expenses like insurance and pension per capita.”

Katy reportedly hopes the AFL show will “revive” her “floundering” pop career and help promote her new album 143, which has been met with divisive reviews.

Another wrote: ‘No law in Australia has the profile and appeal. I tried to think of one but I can’t. Every legendary show is too old now.’

Another user noted that the AFL Grand Final is broadcast not only in Australia but many other countries as well, so it should appeal to a wider audience.

katy It was said that he hoped to perform a few songs from his new album to the crowd in order to promote the LP, which was roundly panned by critics.

But AFL chiefs were said to have quickly turned down the suggestion and told Perry to stick to her well-known hits from her previous album Teenage Dream.

Channel Nine reporter Tom Morris claimed the AFL big wigs told the hitmaker they expected him to perform his old hits such as Firework and I Kissed A Girl.

The veteran AFL journalist, who appeared on SEN Breakfast ahead of his show, claimed they had reached a compromise where Katy was limited to playing a new song.

Her long-awaited seventh studio album, 143, which references the phrase ‘I love you’, did not get off to a good start with music critics as it did not receive many positive reviews.

In a damning review of her first album in four years by a leading entertainment outlet, Katy’s ‘143. It was stated that he had difficulty regaining his past victory in the circle.

Meanwhile, The Guardian gave the album two out of five stars, saying the album ‘is not the expected disaster, but it’s not good either’.

One review called Wonder’s final track the “worst” song on the album, writing that it was “a cynical attempt to get the mothers in the audience to wave their hands in unison as balloons float, even as it condemns the sarcasm.”

The Independent also gave it two stars and said it was ‘painfully dated and dazzlingly irrelevant’.

Even before the album’s release, much of the criticism was directed at Katy’s former music producer, Dr. Kesha, who settled her long-running sexual harassment lawsuit with Kesha last year. It was about her decision to work with Luke, which he vehemently denied.

Despite the critical blows, Katy received positive reviews from fans on social media as she also performed on the 2024 MTV VMA stage.