143 features guest appearances from German singer Kim Petras and American rappers 21 Savage, Doechii and JID.

and announced her exit from the American Idol judges' panel following the conclusion of the twenty-second season, wanting to "go out and feel that pulse to my own beat" and release new music after being "in the studio for a while".

[7] Rolling Stone reported in June 2024 that Perry had "reconnected" with producers who worked with her before, including Max Martin, Stargate, and Dr.

[15][c] Perry revealed on July 10, 2024, that her seventh album is titled 143 and will be released on September 20, 2024, by Capitol Records, aligned with her headlining live performance at the Rock in Rio Festival, in Brazil.

Several journalists attributed it to the "bad taste" of the album's marketing, which they found unhelpful to Perry's perceived commercial decline with Witness and Smile.

"[11] The New Yorker critic Amanda Petrusich, Financial Times's Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, and PopMatters' Peter Piatkowski said that Perry has lost the frivolity and "cheeky, cartoonish eccentricity" that used to make her songs "dexterous and funny".

[13][55][56] Clash's Robin Murray,[42] Slant's Tom Williams,[57] The Times's Ed Potton,[58] and NME's Nick Levine felt the album was a dull, unsatisfying listen with very little highlights.

[60][43] Slate's Carl Wilson,[61] Business Insider's Callie Ahlgrim and The Arts Desk's Guy Oddy said the album has no redeeming songs after its three singles.

Petridis,[11] Murray,[42] and Los Angeles Times' Mikael Wood felt that Perry's music does not fit in a pop scene defined by the fresh sounds of newer artists, specifically those like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan.

[10] Multiple critics speculated if artificial intelligence was used in the process of making the album, due to the perceived low quality of content.

[64][4][65][14][43][66] Chris Kelly of The Washington Post, Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone, and Hunter-Tilney agreed that 143 is a failed attempt in rekindling Perry's prime, resulting in pop music that is "as dated as a Vine".

[67][13][68] Rich Juzwiak of Pitchfork noted the underperformance of 143 after the commercial failures of Witness (2017) and Smile (2020) and quipped that releasing albums that are so-bad-it's-good could be a part of Perry's appeal.

[69][70][71][72][73] A more positive review came from Billboard author Rania Aniftos, who regarded 143 as a "characteristically Katy Perry" album that her fans are "sure to enjoy".

[11][4][60] Hunter-Tilney remarked that "a so-bad-it's-good reassessment" is 143's last resort and pondered if the album could be "reborn as a kitsch classic for its sheer badness".

Nick Levine of the BBC opined that the album's reception "may also have been hampered by a toxic combination of misogyny and ageism that tends to affect female artists over 35.

[79] The album fared better in Europe, surpassing the first-week performance of Perry's previous release, Smile (2020), in multiple countries.

[84] In Australia, 143 debuted at number two on the ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart, remaining in the top-twenty in its second week, aided by Perry's performance at the 2024 AFL Grand Final.