Following a breathless medley of hits at the MTV Video Music Awards last week, Katy Perry clutched her gold-plated Moon Person to accept the Video Vanguard trophy. “There are so many things that have to align to have a long and successful career as an artist.

The singer tries to revive her imperial era — but her perfunctory pop music feels trapped in a bygone time.

Katy Perry’s new album, “143,” is hardly the comeback that she needed. It’s as if she became a has-been before her time on “American Idol.”