Spain investigates pop star Katy Perry’s Lifetimes video for filming without permit in protected area

NEW YORK – The production company behind American singer-songwriter Katy Perry’s music video for her single Lifetimes is under investigation in Spain for filming in a protected area without clearance, the authorities said on Aug 13.

The government of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago off eastern Spain, said in a news statement that its Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment has opened an investigation into the filming in the Parc Natural de Ses Salines.

According to Formentera Island Council Tourism’s website, this national park includes rich, biodiverse land and marine habitats stretching from southern Ibiza to northern Formentera. The park has been listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco since 1999, the tourism agency said.

According to several published reports, part of Perry’s video was apparently filmed within the dunes on the islet of S’Espalmador, a preserved area that the Balearic Islands tourism authorities say is “highly valuable” ecologically because of the plants and animals that live there.

“In no case had the production company requested authorisation from the Regional Ministry to carry out the filming,” according to the statement, which is in Spanish.

The government agency also said that filming was not an environmental crime and is permitted with appropriate authorisation. The authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the evening of Aug 13.

Lifetimes, which premiered on Aug 8 and is a single from Perry’s upcoming studio album 143 to be released in September, features the star singing and dancing on a beach and on a boat, cliff jumping and performing in a crowded nightclub.

The video was directed by Colombian-American photographer Stillz and produced by American creative production company WeOwnTheCity, according to the end credits.

WeOwnTheCity did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A representative for the singer had yet to comment.

The song itself has not been a big performer for Perry, 39. According to Forbes magazine, the track barely made it onto Spotify’s list of the most-streamed songs in the United States after its first full day of activity finished on Aug 9, debuting at No. 198 on the 200-spot list. It has not been seen on the American Spotify ranking since then.

Perry teased the video’s release in several posts on her Instagram account in recent days. “Sending love from Ibiza,” she wrote on Instagram on the day the video premiered, using an orange heart emoji for love.

The post features lyrics from Lifetimes and a series of postcards from locations including Ibiza and Formentera, where the national park is, set against images of what appears to be seaside cliffs. The postcards appear to be out-takes from Perry’s video.

According to Formentera Island Council Tourism’s website, the park is also a nesting area for more than 200 species of migratory birds and is home to Posidonia, a seagrass endemic to the Mediterranean Sea that plays an important role in maintaining and protecting the water and marine life.

The islet of S’Espalmador is part of the park and has “one of the best-preserved and most amazing beaches” with crystal-clear waters and a forest of pine trees and junipers, according to the Balearic Islands tourism authorities.

NYTIMES