Katy Perry totally owned the stage for her first time in Saudi Arabia at the 2026 Joy Awards in Riyadh it was electric, and social media went nuts over it. This happened on January 17, right in the middle of Riyadh Season, which is basically Saudi Arabia flexing its Vision 2030 plan to snag big-name stars and crank up the tourist appeal. Her show was this perfect mash-up of her flashy pop style and the country’s budding entertainment world, and it spread like wildfire online.
She rocked a solid 30-minute set, jamming through her hits like “Roar,” “Dark Horse,” and “Firework.” The visuals were insane drones turning into a massive tiger mid-air, fireworks lighting up the sky, and a crew of dancers in these killer red leather getups that just amped everything up.
A tweet from X.
Perry rolled out first in this dazzling champagne-gold pantsuit covered in rhinestones from Giuseppe Di Morabito, channeling that classic Hollywood sparkle. Then she flipped to this oversized, glowing feather coat by Clara Daguin that practically stole the show. Earlier on the lavender carpet, she showed some love for local designers with a bespoke gown from Saudi’s own Waad Aloqaili nice nod there.
She hyped the crowd with a simple “Welcome to the Joy Awards,” and popped back later to give the Favourite Female Singer nod to Egyptian sensation Angham. Perry dropped this gem:
“Music’s like magic; it brightens up the gloomiest spots… Artists take those emotions we struggle to name and make ’em sing!”
The Joy Awards are all about shouting out wins in music, movies, sports, and social media, run by Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority. It went down at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, with fans voting on everything, and it mixed regional stars with global heavy-hitters.
The lineup was stacked think Shah Rukh Khan, Millie Bobby Brown, Forest Whitaker, Nancy Ajram, Oscar Isaac, you name it. Other performers like Robbie Williams and Il Divo kept the energy high. As part of Riyadh Season, it’s a prime example of how Saudi’s gunning to be the next big entertainment spot, pulling in crowds by the millions and stacking up serious dough.
Perry gushed about the “luxurious” vibe and how pumped she was for her Saudi debut, even dropping hints about maybe circling back on tour someday.
Word on the street is she cashed in $10 million for the performance, but that’s just rumors no official word from her people, the event folks, or anyone solid. Places like Hungama Express and LatestLY floated the number, and it blew up on X thanks to accounts like @PopTingz and @kperrystats, hitting over 100,000 views in a flash.
Her fans were stoked, dubbing it a smart “bag-securing” play, especially with her $400 million fortune and gigs like pulling $25 million a season on American Idol. Some X post just straight-up said “major bag.” Folks drew parallels to BeyoncĂ©’s supposed $24 million spot in Dubai.
But not everyone’s cheering critics hit hard over Saudi’s track record on human rights, stuff like curbs on LGBTQ+ folks and women’s freedoms. Called it “blood money,” kinda like the flak Nicki Minaj got before ditching her 2019 gig there. Under @PopTingz’s posts, replies piled on about “sportswashing” and how it clashed with Perry’s pro-LGBTQ+ stance.
On the other hand, backers point to the cash flow one tweet from @malshareef99 bragged about these events raking in over $1 billion. They frame it as real cultural mingling in a market that’s booming, with Vision 2030 pouring in upwards of $64 billion.
It’s the same old story in celeb land: weighing morals against those sweet international deals, while Saudi keeps reeling in the stars to buff up its global image.
