'The lowlight of the evening was delivered in the form of a Dolly Parton/Katy Perry duet. Parton appeared bemused and insulted at Perry's grating, out-of-key vocal delivery on classic hit "Jolene", and Perry's attempts to nuzzle her breasts against Parton's were met with an outcry from angered parents on Twitter. Things went from bad to worse in a painful performance of Parton's "Coat of Many Colors", in which Perry failed miserably at conveying the emotion in the song as well as staying on key. One Twitter user compared her vocal stylings to that of a 'dying goat'.' - Rolling Stone
'AN INSULT TO A LEGEND: Katy Perry angers country fans as she delivers an out-of-key performance with legend Dolly Parton
Perry opted for a long, lacey gown which some Twitter users compared to a giant doily for her performance with Dolly Parton. But her odd fashion choices were not the focus of the criticism; most tweeters expressed disgust at her off-key vocals during renditions of Parton's classics "Jolene" and "Coat of Many Colours"
*Picture of Katy looking haggish*
FRUMPY: Perry opted for an outdated gown for the underwhelming performance.' - Daily Mail
'Good job Boss Mom! You SLAYEEDD it up there honey! ;D' - Mia Moretti on Twitter following the performance
'they may try
to bring
you down but
I like to see
you rise.' - Cleo Wade on Instagram following the criticism
'The Dolly Parton/ Katy Perry duet performance during the ACM Awards was very painful. Dolly looked like she wanted to run off stage and Katy, full of energy, appeared oblivious to the fact that she was singing completely off key." - NYTimes
"This is not 'American Idol,'" Bradford Cobb said, in response to mounting criticism over Katy's less-than-stellar vocals during her duet with Dolly Parton. "This is not a competition of getting up and seeing who can sing the highest note. This is about a true artist and writer and communicator. It's not about that technically perfect performance." - Bradford Cobb ( Perry's Manager)
"I understand defending your artist obviously because I have done the same in the past for artists I like, including Katy, so you might see why its upsetting to read you attacking 'American Idol' for producing simply vocalists that hit 'the high notes,'" Clarkson wrote. "Thank you for that 'Captain Obvious' sense of humor because you know what, we not only hit the high notes, you forgot to mention we generally hit the 'right' notes as well." - Kelly Clarkson fires back at Perry's Manager
As the Teenage Dream juggernaut wrapped up, Katy Perry turned her attention to recording her third album. Appearing in October 2013, Prism signaled a more mature Katy Perry, something that was apparent from its motivating first single, "Roar." Prism received a lift from its third single "Dark Horse," which became her ninth number one ("Unconditionally" didn't crack the Top 10), and it was followed by "Birthday" and "This Is How We Do," both released as she supported the album with an international tour.
