What is the Meaning of Katy Perry's '143' Album Title? Singer Shares Nostalgic, Deeper Meaning

Katy Perry announced plans to drop her long-awaited new album 143, and she revealed the hidden deeper meaning to the project’s title.

The 39-year-old announced the new album, the follow-up to 2020′s Smile, on Wednesday (July 10). The project’s lead single “Woman’s World” arrives on Thursday.

Her team spilled some tea about the project, including insight into the title’s nostalgia-inducing roots.

Keep reading to find out more…

“Katy set out to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a throughline message,” her website teased.

If you were unaware, “143″ is a form of text speak that was popular back in the day of pagers… Aka the ’90s. People sent the numbers as a shortform way of saying “I love you.”

Why? According to AirDroid, “each number in 143 just counts the letters in each word: I (1), Love (4), You (3).”

Interestingly, the meaning predates pagers by decades. The site noted that it got its start in 1894 as a way for lighthouses to communicate with boats. It’s also been used in Morse code!

Here’s what fans should expect from Katy‘s album: “The result is a sexy, fearless, return to form for the multifaceted musician with an album jam packed with the empowering, sexy, & provocative pop anthems you’ve come to love. This is an album with a lot of heart and a lot of BPM. Get ready to pop off!”

Did you know that Katy regrets releasing one of her biggest hit singles?

143 arrives on September 20.