Katy Perry’s “Cryptic” Fourth Of July Post Leaves Fans Totally Baffled

In addition to celebrating the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Fourth of July is also a day on which the biggest names in showbiz take to social media to show off their celebrations and share Independence Day messages with their millions of fans. This includes pop sensation Katy Perry, who this year left her 107 million Twitter followers baffled after sharing a seemingly “cryptic” Fourth of July post.

The post in question displayed five emojis without an accompanying caption — including a baby, a pointing finger, the letter “A,” a flame, and an email inbox emoji. “What does this mean? I’m confused miss California Gurl,” one puzzled fan commented, referencing another of Perry’s biggest hits. As fans struggled to decipher what the “cryptic” social media post meant, some users began to speculate if the post was in reference to a new album, a pregnancy announcement, or a subtle political statement. “Baby point a fire email?” another fan guessed.

Eventually, Twitter users decoded the American Idol judge’s Independence Day post, which translated to the lyrics “Baby you’re a firework” from the singer’s smash hit single “Firework.”

Released in 2010, the Teenage Dream cut went straight to No. 1 in several countries, including the United States, where it became her fourth chart-topper. The track has since become an unofficial Fourth of July anthem and has been certified 12 times platinum by the RIAA for selling at least 12 million copies. The song was also nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2012 Grammys.

In 2022, Perry took to social media to clarify the lyrics to “Firework” after her American Idol co-star, Luke Bryan, flubbed the lyrics while performing an off-key rendition of the chorus. “For the official record, it is ‘Awe’ not ‘Up.’ It is ‘Firework’ not ‘Fireworks,’” the singer wrote on Instagram, along with a clip of herself correcting Bryan on the show.