Katy Perry is expected to receive $5 million for her performance at the AFL grand final in Melbourne next Saturday.
The ‘Woman’s World’ singer will perform at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to entertain a crowd of 100,000 before Sydney and Brisbane go head-to-head.
In exchange for the huge bonus, the 39-year-old singer is expected to have a pre-match show featuring classic hits from her previous albums instead of singing songs from her latest album “143”, according to the Daily Mail.
Reporter Tom Morris revealed that senior AFL officials had informed Perry that they expected her to perform songs such as “Firework”, “Roar” and “I Kissed A Girl” at the event.
He also claimed that the “Thinking of You” singer’s group refused the AFL’s request to only perform one new song.
“She’s playing about five songs and the AFL really wants her to play five classic tunes, she wants to play two new ones.”
Morris further mentioned that an agreement was reached between Perry and the AFL in this dispute, under which the singer was supposed to include only one new song in her setlist.
“They finally got together and she played a new song and four classics.”
Former AFL star Kane Cornes expressed his admiration for Perry and suggested the AFL should play a role in coordinating major events at the stadium.
“We just want your hits. We just want your rocking songs. We want ‘Roar,’ ‘Teenage Dream,’ ‘Firework.'”
Cornes added, “They wanted all the songs that we know and love. And she pushed back and said, ‘No, I want to play two of my new songs.’
“You know, when you go to a concert and maybe they’re old and all you want is their good music. You want their greatest hits.”
READ MORE: Katy Perry’s ‘143’ score is lowest on Metacritic since 2011, lowest ever for a female artist
Aside from the setlist rules, this week also brought some unexpected controversy for Perry.
The Lions’ training schedule at the MCG will be heavily impacted by Perry’s session, leaving them with just one session instead of the expected extra session on Thursday.
Additionally, the subject of Perry not performing her song “Roar” became a hot topic of discussion on Australia’s “Today Show” hosted by Karl Stefanovic. According to the Herald Sun, he criticized the decision, noting that Perry chose not to sing the song to avoid showing favoritism or giving the Queensland team an advantage.
“This is one of Katy Perry’s best and best-selling songs, but there’s a nasty rumor going around.”
Stefanovic added, “Katy Perry cannot sing her hit song Roar because it would be unfair to support the Brisbane Lions in their quest to win the final.”
“It would be absurd if she couldn’t play that card. It’s ridiculous.”
Speculation is also rife that Australian pop icon Tina Arena will share the stage with Perry at the upcoming major sporting event.
“There’s going to be a surprise performance by an Australian artist that I’m really looking forward to,” Perry said in an interview. “She’s going to sing a little bit with me, I’m going to sing a little bit with her. I’m sworn to secrecy, locked up, chained, the whole thing.”
By mentioning the word “chains”, the mother-of-one sparked speculation among viewers that she could be referring to a potential collaboration with Turner, who is best known for his chart-topping 1994 hit of the same name.
READ MORE: Katy Perry’s ‘143’ score is lowest on Metacritic since 2011, lowest ever for a female artist
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