On first listen, the song she and Sia ended up writing, Chained to the Rhythm, does indeed sound like a typical “club banger”. However, the lyrics reveal Perry taking a more openly political stance than she has done in previous songs, with lines alluding to fake news, social media echo chambers and America’s fractured political landscape.

A guest verse from rapper Skip Marley (grandson of Bob), meanwhile, states that “time is ticking for the empire”, adding: “We’re about to riot… They woke up the lions”.

Perry told Capital FM that writing Chained to the Rhythm was “a nice exercise of writing a song that at first listen is a really fun song, but I guess the more you dive in to it, it has a different sub-text.”

Playing with political subtext looks set to be a theme in Perry’s new album. When she performed Chained to the Rhythm at the 2017 Grammy’s, even her stage costume was packed with political references – from the feminist movement to Hillary Clinton and Planned Parenthood.

Images: Rex Features

Katy Perry thanks “best friend” Sia for helping her beat the Donald Trump blues