WW L L INTERVIEW
AN INTERVIEW WITH KATY PERRY
Katy Perry is one of the best-selling music artists in history, having sold over 143 million records worldwide. The world ' s highest-paid female musician in 2015 and 2018, Billboard named her among the greatest pop stars of the 21st century. Here she talks to Wirral Life in an exclusive interview ahead of her performance in Manchester in October this year.
BY MARIE FITZSIMMONS
The tour is called The Lifetimes Tour, what was the inspiration for the theme? It’ s loosely based on a video game and I am a character called KP143 and there is a player that picks me to play in this game and I am battling the main frame or the evil forces which are in the form of a sci-fi computer situation that is about believing in yourself and leading with love, those are always my messages no matter how I wrap it or whatever tour I bring it’ s love and empowerment. It’ s kind of like a Disneyland on wheels!
Would you say you are happiest when on stage? I am happy to discover the world, to meet the people, to partake in the culture. I am very curious about everything, maybe I should have studied anthropology. I just love people, and I love why they are the way they are, so really when I tour, it’ s really just a big trip around the world to connect with all kinds of different people. I love being on stage, its one of the places you find connectivity. Like in sport when you go and cheer on your team, everybody is in unison and when you go to a show everybody is singing the same song, so there is this feeling of being part of a community which I feel is less and less these days.
It’ s been a long time since you last toured. What happens with your daughter Daisy( with British actor Orlando Bloom) when you’ re on tour? She will be in kindergarten, but when I’ m in the UK of course she will come visit and see her Grannie, Grandpa and Auntie. We take her to the UK all the time in the summer. There is a park everywhere you turn! There is just beauty that has been created everywhere you turn and keeping families in mind, its lovely.
You’ ve been the judge on American Idol, how was your first audition, how did you get discovered? I was discovered when I was 17 my mentor was Glen Ballard who produced‘ Jagged Little Pill’ for Alanis Morissette. My dad drove me to his house, auditioned for him, played one song on my acoustic guitar, and then he took me under his wings. I was writing songs from ages 17 to 23. At 23 is when I got my first big break, thank God it wasn’ t any earlier as rejection is sometimes gods’ protection,
especially when you’ re young and you think you know everything! Do you remember the moment that everything changed for you? I do remember Madonna shouting me out on the radio and that was when a shift started to happen, and I was so grateful for that. That’ s why I always want to bring new artists with me on tour, I have a song featuring Doechii, Kim Petras and with a couple of artists that are not new, just artists that are newer than I am. I love championing their voices and giving them a little shine because that happened to me and that’ s what changed my life.
You’ re a very spiritual person aren’ t you? My spirituality is evolving; I am definitely a seeker. What I’ m looking to do is just live out my purpose, clear my karma and be of a service to the betterment of humanity in any way I can, and that’ s through my music. I just love people, and I want them to hopefully live their best lives and find their joy and spark. That’ s why I wrote‘ Firework’, it’ s about finding your spark and making it a firework.
143, your newest album and is your seventh, are we in a new era? Its 7 including my gospel album! I am creating from a space that just wants to bring light and joy and hopefully encourage people to be free and just dance. The world is moving at such an intensely fast pace, and I am trying to bring light in any little way I can. It’ s a record I always wanted to make, this record checks a life goal for me, so I am hoping that when I play this live it will be the same feeling, I want everybody moving and sweating.
You’ ve recently turned the big 40! What is your secret to looking young? Doctors and‘ Botox’! Confessions, someone finally came out and said it! Actually, my husband Orlando( Bloom- he ' s on the back page of Wirral Life this month- by the way) is a really good influence when it comes to diet, he eats so well, and he works out all the time which is pretty annoying. But I love swimming, I am pretty good swimmer, I swim a really long pool in a club I’ m a member of back home and I do the turns in the water and wear the cap and goggles, Its very meditative. I also like dancing, I like anything that’ s a veiled workout, going to the gym and lifting weights is boring. Hope to see you all soon! wirrallife. com 29