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Katy Perry<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s risqu\u00e9 appearances at her recent comeback gigs have friends rolling their eyes in a big way and blaming sex-obsessed husband Orlando Bloom<\/strong> for cheapening her look, a family friend of the couple and industry insider exclusively tells Life & Style<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s actually a little scary that Katy\u2019s decision to return to her sex-appeal roots has fallen flat with her fans,\u201d the source says. \u201cShe\u2019s all but admitted that this was something Orlando wanted her to try, but that doesn\u2019t make the bad reviews and \u2018who cares?\u2019 response from the industry any easier to swallow.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The \u201cDark Horse\u201d singer, 39, released her latest album, 143<\/em>, on September 20 to overwhelmingly negative reviews, throwing cold water on Katy\u2019s high hopes of a roaring career resurgence. The theme of the album featured heavy feminist messaging that many felt was undercut by the pop star\u2019s choice of collaborators \u2013 chiefly the controversial producer Dr. Luke<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n While that may have left fans with a bad taste in their mouths, more criticism against the album piled up, which amounted to the general consensus that Katy\u2019s music had failed to evolve in the decade since she last dominated charts. The album\u2019s hit single, \u201cWoman\u2019s World,\u201d stalled at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a hard fall for an artist that has more diamond singles \u2013 singles that have sold over 10 million units \u2013 than any other singer besides Rihanna<\/strong> at 6.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With new pop queens to contend with, mostly the current cultural domination of Taylor Swift<\/strong><\/a>, the insider says Katy just isn\u2019t holding her own when it comes to making hit songs anymore.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHer entire category of radio pop exists in the shadow of Taylor Swift at the moment and Katy was foolish to think she could be the exception to that rule,\u201d the source explains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo, it\u2019s back to the drawing board and hopefully this time she will take less of Orlando\u2019s advice<\/a> and not more of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The insider suggests that Katy look back to what made her a household name in the late 2000s and early 2010s \u2013 abandoning the gimmicks suggested by her horny hubby Orlando<\/a>, 47, and focusing on her craft.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cKaty\u2019s strongest work \u2013 like her mega-hit \u2018Roar\u2019 \u2013 was popular because of the songwriting, not the videos and certainly not her skimpy outfits. When she has the right collaboration with a songwriter she is still capable of making hit music,\u201d the insider says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat she doesn\u2019t have is an extremely loyal songwriting collaborator like Billie Eilish<\/strong> has with her brother Finneas<\/strong> and Taylor has with Jack Antonoff<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cKaty likes to work with a lot of different people instead of just one or two writers or producers, but Billie and Finneas have shown how a creative partnership can grow and deepen over multiple album cycles and continue to yield hits.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cKaty needs to find a writing collaborator she likes and then really invest in that relationship.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n