Katy Perry is finally paying the price for last year’s “Lifelines” music video shoot—and as it turns out, that price is steep. According to Majorca Daily Bulletin, Katy’s production company was fined €6,001 (or ~$7,000) for filming without permission in an environmentally-protected area, with officials classifying the offense as “serious.”
This drama first began in summer 2024 when Katy dropped the music video for her second single off 143, which showed footage from sand dunes in Spain’s Ses Salines Natural Park. The problem: Katy’s crew didn’t obtain the permit required to film there…which is why the environment department of the Balearic Islands opened an investigation to determine whether or not filming caused environmental damage.
The dune of s’Espalmador (as well as the neighboring Ses Illetes beach) are together considered the best-preserved dune system in Spain’s Balearic Islands, so the resulting outrage was understandable. And while the environment department’s press release noted that filming on the dunes isn’t necessarily a “crime against the environment,” it is considered an infringement of regulations.
Not long after the news broke, a spokesperson for the hitmaker’s label, Capitol Records, said that they believed they had the necessary permits to film on the beach.
“The local video production company assured us that all necessary permits for the video were secure,” the rep told Variety at the time. “We have since learned that one permit was in process, although we were given verbal authority to go ahead.”
They also insisted they had “adhered to all regulations associated with filming in this area and have the utmost respect for this location and the officials tasked with protecting it.”
A year later, it seems like the investigation has finally reached its conclusion. Per Majorca Daily Bulletin, Katy’s production company “promptly settled the fine” after the regional authorities issued the sanction—and more importantly, no evidence of lasting environmental damage was found.
So I guess that’s that on that!
