Katy Perry’s new single “Watch It Burn” misses many important Billboard charts, but it does earn the singer a new Adult Pop Airplay list win. PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 09: Katy Perry departs Balenciaga during the Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2025/2026 as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 09, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Neil Mockford/GC Images)
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Katy Perry has spent much of 2026 promoting not new music, but a tune she released more than a decade ago. The singer’s track “The One That Got Away,” the sixth official single from her massively successful sophomore album Teenage Dream, went viral on TikTok this spring, and the Grammy nominee jumped at the chance to return to the Billboard charts.
For months, “The One That Got Away” has been living on rankings in a number of important territories, and not long ago, it became her highest-rising smash on both of Billboard‘s global rosters. The success of “The One That Got Away” seemed to suggest that her luck had changed and that the public was interested in hearing from Perry again. Her most recent albums have not come close to matching up to the success of her first several albums, and a song she dropped in 2025 titled “Bandaids” underperformed.
A little more than a week ago, Perry shared “Watch It Burn,” her first taste of new music this year. Sadly, the song misses many of the most important charts in America…but it does manage to reach just one list.
Katy Perry Misses Several Major Charts with a New Single
Despite heavy promotion and a lot of excitement around what could be a new era for Perry, “Watch It Burn” completely misses many of the rankings it needs to reach in order to become a true smash. “Watch It Burn” does not make it to the Billboard Hot 100, nor several other non-genre-specific rundowns like the Digital Song Sales, Streaming Songs or Radio Songs charts. The track, which may or may not be the first taste of an upcoming album, also misses both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S., the company’s worldwide rankings of the most popular songs on the planet. While “Watch It Burn” could debut on any of those registers in the coming weeks, it’s likely that this frame was its best shot at becoming a true commercial win.
“Watch It Burn” Debuts on Only One Billboard Chart
“Watch It Burn” debuts on just one Billboard ranking this frame, the Adult Pop Airplay chart, one of three pop radio rankings published by the company. The roster focuses on what’s being played on stations throughout the nation that cater to a pop-loving, mature audience. This frame, “Watch It Burn” starts at No. 38 on the 40-space list.
Katy Perry’s New Single Marks Her Lowest-Peaking Hit
31 songs by Perry have appeared on the Adult Pop Airplay chart. Almost exactly half of those – 16 in total – have risen into the top 10. Half of those – eight smashes – have conquered the tally.
By just one rung, “Watch It Burn” becomes Perry’s lowest-peaking hit, at least in its first frame. Before her latest single arrived, that distinction belonged to “Cozy Little Christmas,” which spent a single week at No. 37 – just one space above where “Watch It Burn” lands – back in 2018.
Katy Perry Follows Benson Boone, Hilary Duff and Sabrina Carpenter
Four tracks debut on the Adult Pop Airplay chart this week, and Perry’s “Watch It Burn” is the worst performer of the bunch. Benson Boone’s “The Time of My Life” scores the loftiest start as it enters the race at No. 24. “Mature” by Hilary Duff opens at No. 30, while Sabrina Carpenter’s “House Tour” debuts one slot ahead of “Watch It Burn.”
Katy Perry’s Older Songs Outperform Her New Single
While “Watch It Burn” did not sell and stream well enough to appear on either the Billboard Global 200 or Billboard Global Excl. U.S., two decade-plus-old hits by the singer-songwriter do take up space on those rankings. “The One That Got Away” is present on both, living inside the top 40, while “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” another Teenage Dream single, reenters only the Billboard Global 200.
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