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Katy Perry Smashes Britney Spears On iTunes Chart

By Daryl Deino
Published on: 15:43 PST, Jul 16, 2016

Both Katy Perry and Britney Spears released new singles on Friday, but Katy Perry is far ahead in sales. As of Saturday evening, Perry remained far ahead at No. 1 and, based on percentage numbers, was easily outselling every other song. Britney Spears was at No. 2 with “Make Me,” which was colored in dark pink; that indicates the song is losing sales at a very fast rate.

Still, it’s important to note that “Make Me” did hit No. 1 and the fact that it has stayed in the top 2 for more than a day is a huge achievement for Britney Spears. Most of her previous singles, including 2015’s “Pretty Girls” with Iggy Azalea, have been major flops. As things stand right now, “Make Me” could be her biggest hit in several years.

“Make Me” has received mostly positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave the track an “A-.”

“This time, she’s tapped breakout rapper/songwriter G-Eazy, British producer BURNS, and songwriter Joe Janiak for a woozy, future-funk burner called ‘Make Me,’ which is packed with whooshing synths and a seductive, dub step-esque boom-bap.”

However, the writers at Idolator thought that Spears’ “Make Me” was mediocre. Critic Robbie Saw gave it a 6/10 and said that it’s rather safe, which isn’t really a good thing for a risk-taker like Britney Spears. Carl Williott also gave “Make Me” a 6/10 and said that although Britney sounds more fresh than she has in years, there is something too “try-hard” about the whole record.

Twitter has mostly given Britney Spears’ record rave reviews.

However, Britney Spears has been overshadowed by the success of Katy Perry’s new Olympic theme “Rise,” which instantly hit No. 1 upon its release and has stayed there all weekend. Rolling Stone is just one of the many sources that like Katy Perry’s new song.

“Katy Perry unveiled her first new song in three years with ‘Rise,’ the singer’s theme for NBC’s broadcast of the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio…Produced by pop extraordinaire Max Martin, ‘Rise’ is a galvanic sequel to her 2013 smash hit ‘Roar.'”

“This is a song that’s been brewing inside me for years, that has finally come to the surface. I was inspired to finish it now, rather than save it for my next album, because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite,” Perry said in a statement picked up by Rolling Stone.

Entertainment Weekly liked Perry’s new song as well, although they didn’t rate it as high as Britney’s new single.

“So will you hear this blasting at the next session for the UN General Assembly? Probably not – she had the inspirational anthem thing on lock with her killer 2013 hit ‘Roar,’ which was also co-written by Martin. But Perry does succeed in the uplift department and ‘Rise’ feels genetically engineered for sporting events and political rallies.”

The consensus seems to be that Katy Perry’s new song “Rise” is good, but not outstanding like some of her others. [Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
The review adds that the song certainly doesn’t deserve a gold medal, but a silver one is definitely for the taking. The reviews for “Rise” were very mixed on Twitter.

Katy Perry is working on a new album that should be available sometime in 2017. However, Britney Spears is getting ready to release her new album soon. While Katy Perry hasn’t sold as many records as she did during her Teenage Dream days, Perry is still considered a top-tier star. Britney Spears, however, can use a hit. Her last album Britney Jean was one of the biggest sales disappointments of 2013, and the fact that Spears has already become a Vegas act doesn’t bode well either. However, judging by the early reaction of “Make Me,” it looks like Spears may be in for a comeback.

[Photo by Kevin Winter and David Becker/Getty Images]

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