Almost a decade after its iconic appearance in The sims 3, complete with a recording of “Last Friday Night” in Simlish, Katy Perry continues her evolution as a video game singer with a new musical partnership in a beloved franchise. The collaboration, entitled P25 Music, is part of Pokémon’s one-year anniversary festivities celebrating Pikachu, Charmander, Snorlax, Cubone, et al. (Pocket Monsters launched in Japan in 1996 and directed to North America two years later, renamed as Pokémon.)
Although celebrity statements about brand partnerships tend to sound affected and empty in press releases, we totally believe in Katy when she says, “Pokémon has been a constant in my life, from playing original video games on my Game Boy to exchanging Pokémon cards TCG at lunch, for the adventures of catching Pokémon on the street with Pokémon GO. I even visited Pokémon Café in Japan during the tour! “The woman loves Japanese culture (sometimes a little too much) and video games (she launched a circus-themed browser game along with her 2020 album, Smile.)
Perry is the headliner of the event, a partnership between the Pokémon Company and the Universal Music Group, with “surprise global activations throughout the year with even more of the hottest names in music from emerging artists to global superstars” on the way. Pokémon and Universal have not explained what exactly “global surprise activation” means in this context, but will likely include some timed events in Pokémon GO. If it’s just another Pikachu with an idiot hat, I will revolt.