Katy Perry’s production company under investigation in Spain

Katy Perry’s production company is under investigation by Spanish authorities for allegedly filming a music video in an ecologically sensitive area of the country without government permission.

The video for Perry’s new single Lifetimes features images of the singer/songwriter frolicking on beaches, riding boats and motorcycles, and dancing in clubs on the island of Ibiza and its smaller neighbour Fomentera, both known for their raucous nightlife.

However, some scenes appear to have been filmed in the protected sand dunes on S’Espalmador, a roughly three-kilometre-long island that is part of Ses Salines natural park, which comprises the southern part of Ibiza, the north of Formentera, and the region of sea between the two islands.

A website for the park calls it “an example of the richness of Mediterranean biodiversity,” adding: “Formentera’s vegetation is characterized by the prevalence of coastal pine and juniper groves, as well as the vegetation surrounding the lagoons, dune systems and cliffs, with a predominance of endemic communities of marine fennel. The abundance of communities typical of mobile and semi-mobile dunes is another noteworthy feature.”

While filming is not prohibited in the park, it does require prior authorization, as do research projects, scuba diving and building fires.

The video was directed by Stillz, who frequently works with musician Bad Bunny, and was produced by We Own the City. A statement from the Spanish government said the production company had not sought permission before filming.

In a press release translated from Spanish, the local ministry of agriculture, fisheries and the natural environment stated “that in no case had the production company requested authorization from the Regional Ministry to carry out the filming, and that is why preliminary investigations have been initiated.”

It added, however, “that in any case it cannot be considered a ‘crime against the environment,’” since filming and photography is allowed once authorization has been given.

Lifetimes is one of the tracks on Perry’s seventh album, titled 143 (meaning “I love you”) and due out in September. Reviews of Woman’s World, the first single from the album, have not been kind. Headlines included, “What regressive, warmed-over hell is this?” in the Guardian newspaper; “Perry is stuck in 2016” from The Cut; and Rolling Stone’s rhetorical: “Did Katy Perry release the worst comeback single of all time?”