Synopsis

Set in "Memphis, Egypt, a crazy long time ago," the video presents Katy Perry as the glamorous and ruthless Queen Katy Patra. Seated on an elaborate throne, she entertains a succession of suitors who offer extravagant gifts in hopes of winning her favor. Each proposal ends badly as Perry uses magic, lightning, and other supernatural powers to eliminate those she rejects. Juicy J appears in a colorful rap interlude, while the video combines Egyptian imagery, hip-hop style, comic-book effects, and Perry's deliberately over-the-top pop spectacle.

Factoids & Trivia

• The Egyptian setting came from Perry's desire to combine Memphis, Egypt, with Memphis, Tennessee, the hometown of featured rapper Juicy J.

• The production team researched ancient Egyptian symbolism online before filming. No Egyptologist was present on set, although several scholars later told TIME that many of the references were surprisingly accurate.

• Perry's character is called Katy Patra, a pun on Cleopatra. The video also mixes Egyptian references with Greek mythology, including the lyric about Aphrodite.

• The clip's bright colors, extravagant costumes, special effects, and comic fantasy imagery continue the highly stylized visual approach associated with Perry's Prism era.

• A scene showing a suitor wearing a pendant bearing the Arabic word for Allah prompted a petition accusing the video of blasphemy. After more than 65,000 signatures, the pendant was digitally removed from the video.

• The video became the first by a female artist to reach one billion views on Vevo in June 2015.

• In July 2025, "Dark Horse" passed four billion YouTube views. Together with "Roar," it made Perry the first artist to have two music videos reach that milestone.