Pokémon’s 25th-anniversary celebration continues with today’s release of iconic recording artist Katy Perry’s new single and video, “Electric.” Katy, whose love for all things Pokémon dates back to childhood, when she played the original video games on her Game Boy, created the track especially for “Pokémon 25: The Album,” which will be released this fall by Universal Music Group’s Capitol Records. “There’s no reason that this life can’t be electric,” sings Katy in the anthemic track, which celebrates the joy inherent in pursuing a dream, buoyed by the love and support of friends. Katy’s collaborators on the song include The Monsters & Strangerz and Jon Bellion – who teamed up with her on “Daisies,” a song from her new album, Smile – and Bruce Weigner.
Listen to “Electric” here: http://katy.to/electricPR.
The official video for “Electric” – helmed by Carlos Lopez Estrada, who directed the Disney feature film Raya and the Last Dragon – received a YouTube Premiere with a fan watch party earlier today. The clip follows Katy and Pikachu as they take time out to enjoy nature and reflect on how they have evolved over the years. After a day of exploring, the pair stop at a lighthouse to meditate. Falling into a reverie, they’re taken back in time to the earliest days of Katy’s career. Thanks to encouragement from her friend Pichu, Katy goes from busking at a farmer’s market to her first club performance.
“When I visited the Pokémon Café while touring Japan, I got so nostalgic. It took me back to my junior high years. So when I got the call to be a part of the 25th anniversary celebration alongside Post Malone and J Balvin, I was elated,” says Katy Perry. “The song’s themes – resilience, igniting your inner light – have guided my life and also parallel Pokémon’s story and characters. Pikachu is the evolved form of Pichu, so in the video, you see the younger version of me with Pichu and myself in the present day with Pikachu. We both evolve, yet retain a sense of playfulness.”
“Katy Perry has created a vibrant anthem to help us celebrate 25 years of Pokémon with ‘Electric,’ an amazing song about recognizing one’s own journeys and evolving,” said Colin Palmer, vice president of marketing, The Pokémon Company International. “We also hope fans around the world enjoy seeing Pikachu team up with Katy in the music video for ‘Electric,’ which is a wonderful visual accompaniment to the inspirational song.”
Since Katy Perry’s Capitol Records debut in 2008 with One of the Boys, she has racked up a cumulative 50 billion streams alongside worldwide sales of over 48 million adjusted albums and 135 million tracks with her albums One of the Boys, Teenage Dream, PRISM and Witness. Her summer 2019 single, “Never Really Over,” off her latest album SMILE, is certified Platinum and was the biggest streaming launch of Katy’s musical career. 2020’s SMILE release has sold over 1.25 million adjusted albums, with nearly 2 Billion combined streams to date. Views of her 2013 video “Roar” recently surpassed three billion views – making Katy the first female artist to reach this milestone, while “Dark Horse” is close behind with over 2.9 billion views. Katy was also the first female artist to have four videos surpass a billion views each. Her videos for “Firework” and “Last Friday Night” have over one billion views. Katy’s 2015 Super Bowl performance is the highest-rated in the event’s history. She is one of only five artists in history to have topped 100 million certified units with their digital singles – and the first-ever Capitol Records recording artist to join the elite RIAA 100 Million Certified Songs club.
Aside from being one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, Katy is an active advocate of many philanthropic causes. In 2013, Katy was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador as a result of her commitment to improving the lives of children worldwide. From traveling to Vietnam and Madagascar to highlight the needs of some of the world’s most vulnerable children, to empowering girls and supporting adolescents living with HIV/AIDS, as well as raising awareness for UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts, Katy has used her powerful voice to advocate for children and support UNICEF’s mission to ensure every child’s right to health, education, equality, and protection. She was awarded with the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award in 2016.
Katy has also been a champion for LGBTQ+ equality. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Trevor Project’s Hero Award in 2012, the Human Rights Campaign’s National Equality Award in 2017, and amfAR’s Award of Courage in 2018. She has also performed at various events to raise funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS, including 2009’s Life Ball and 2016’s amfAR Cannes Gala.
