Katy Perry’s ‘national anthem’ snub leaves AFL supporters disappointed

Katy Perry left her Australian fans in disbelief after omitting one of her most beloved tracks during her AFL Grand Final performance on Saturday. 

The pop superstar dazzled the crowd at the MCG, performing eight of her hits, including Roar, Firework, and California Gurls, along with two new songs from her latest album, 143. 

However, fans were left disappointed that she didn’t perform her 2008 hit Hot N Cold, which has gained cult status in Australia as the theme song for MasterChef Australia.

Viewers quickly took to social media to express their frustration, with one fan tweeting, “As if they didn’t get Katy Perry to play Hot N Cold. Gotta be a joke with how big that song is here.” 

Another quipped, “Amazed Katy didn’t sing Hot N Cold. Surely that’s the one song that so many footy fans can relate to!”

Though Hot N Cold became iconic in Australia as part of the MasterChef intro, Channel Ten was forced to remove it due to high licensing fees.

Rumors had swirled that performing the hit might show bias toward the team, and Perry herself admitted she had been warned against singing it. 

However, the pop icon threw caution to the wind, opening the show with the empowering anthem, which many fans have embraced as the unofficial theme of the underdogs.

Despite the initial controversy, Perry delivered a high-energy performance, thrilling the crowd with hits. 

She even treated the audience to a duet of I Kissed A Girl with Australian singer Tina Arena.