Production Company Behind Katy Perry’s ‘Lifetimes’ Music Video Under Investigation in Spain

Katy Perry poses in the press room during a concert at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Dec. 1, 2011. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Katy Perry’s latest music video has sparked controversy in Spain for allegedly being filmed in one of Ibiza’s protected areas without proper authorization.

According to a press release issued on Aug. 13, the government of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Spain, has launched an investigation into WeOwnTheCity, the production company behind the video for Perry’s new single “Lifetimes,” which is featured on the singer’s upcoming seventh studio album, “143,” out Sept. 20.

The Balearic Islands’ Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment claims the production company failed to request authorization from the Ministry prior to filming scenes in the Ses Salines Natural Park, located between the two islands of Ibiza and Formentera, collectively known as the Pityusic Islands.

The natural reserve is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and covers almost 7,013 acres of land and more than 32,123 acres of sea, per Formentera’s tourism website.

Perry’s music video, which premiered on Aug. 8, allegedly shows the singer dancing on the natural park’s dunes—a protected area of the Pityusic Islands that serves as a stopover and nesting area for migrating birds.

Various clips also appear to show Perry splashing in the park’s waters, which are home to Posidonia oceanica, a type of seagrass that grows in the Mediterranean Sea and is vital to the local marine ecosystem.

In its press release, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment clarified that Perry’s music video is not being investigated for “crime against the environment.” Filming is allowed in the protected area as long as prior authorization is granted.

“In no case would it be a crime for environmental infringement,” the Ministry wrote, highlighting an excerpt from article 65 of its Natural Resources Management Plan, which states:

“The filming of photographic reports, cinematographic, videographic or of any other kind that involve the taking of images in any medium and format with an advertising or commercial exhibition purpose, requires the express authorization of the competent ministry for the environment, without prejudice to other authorizations that can be granted by the corresponding authorities and bodies, including those pertaining to property rights.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Perry’s publicist and WeOwnTheCity for comment but a response was not received by publication time.

After releasing her debut album, “Katy Hudson,” in 2001, Perry went on to find fame seven years later with the launch of her sophomore album, “One of the Boys.” Subsequent albums include “Teenage Dream” (2010), “Prism” (2013), and “Witness” (2017).

Perry released her sixth studio album, “Smile,” on Aug. 28, 2020, two days after the birth of her first child. The singer welcomed a daughter, Daisy Dove, with her fiancé, actor Orlando Bloom, who also shares a 13-year-old son with his ex-wife, model Miranda Kerr.

Earlier this year, during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” aired Feb. 12, Perry announced that she would be stepping away from her role as a judge on the hit singing competition show “American Idol” after seven seasons.

“I love the show so much,” she said. “But I want to go and see the world and maybe bring new music.”