Katy Perry looks gorgeously blue on Teen Vogue’s May 2020 cover in a Zac Posen gown and her fab cobalt locks. The famous 27-year-old songstress chats with the magazine about fame, friendship, fashion, future, and ‘Katy Perry: Part of Me,’ a documentary that reveals the incredible performances and behind-the-scenes drama of her California Dreams tour.
“One of my main reasons for doing this is that people think of me as though I’m Dorothy in the ruby slippers,” she says. “I want them to see everything else that’s involved. Yes, I am her, but at the end of it all, I’m also the guy behind the curtain.”
Asked whether she was inspired by other pop documentaries, like Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never or Madonna’s Truth or Dare, the singer confesses that, “A little. Madonna is everything to me, and that movie is amazing because it caught her at a time when she was a bit more vulnerable. I wanted to do that too, to capture a snapshot of who I am now so that I can remind myself what I’ve lost if I ever do become totally jaded.”
On being excited about getting positive responses when it comes to her music, Perry admits that, “Of course! I’m not like, ‘Ugh, number one again.’ It’s funny, though — my label gets so caught up in the statistics, just because they’re excited. But for me, I don’t need to grind it into anyone’s head that I’m popular. If you like my music, great, and if you don’t, whatever. I’m going to keep making it either way. This does feel a bit like the record that never ends. But I wanted to release The Complete Confection for the hard-core fan who wants everything: three new songs, the remixes, and it’s all in a cute little package.”
Speaking about her friends, Katy told Teen Vogue that, “My friends are so awesome and hilarious. They’re the same friends I’ve had since I first moved to L.A., and they can make anything fun. We could literally be in a padded room with no furniture and we’d be able to have a dance party, play games, and just have the best conversation ever.”
On the possibility of making a movie, Perry confesses that, “I would love to. There was a time when I was going to be involved in The Help — just a small part, I wasn’t going to be Emma Stone or anything — but I couldn’t because the shooting schedule conflicted with the release of my record. And I was upset about that; I knew it was going to be an important film. Not that I need to do drama first, but I do want to do something that makes a strong impression. You don’t really get off the hook being a musician first … I feel like the stakes are really high.”
Well, one must admit that Katy’s fashion choices were always quite quirky and fun. “I don’t like to take fashion too seriously. I love it, and I am so grateful when big brands want to associate with me, but mostly I just want to take chances and have fun and truly live. And sometimes that means wearing some ridiculous, cat-inspired outfit rather than whatever happens to be in this season,” the singer says. But who inspires her? “Definitely. I love Agyness Deyn, Chloë Sevigny, Daphne Guinness, Natalie Wood, Judy Jetson, and Wonder Woman,” she reveals in the cover interview.
On whether she sees herself getting tired of being famous, Katy says that she already is. “I’m tired of being famous already! But I’m not tired of creating. Fame is, I think, just a disgusting by-product of what I do. It’s quite a delicate creature — it’s a wild animal of sorts. It can love you, and then it can attack you.”
She then explains that, “I still want to be as approachable and relatable as possible — when I meet fans and they’re crying, I’ll say, ‘Calm down, there’s nothing to cry about. I’m not going to bite you or attack you or grant you three wishes. Let’s just hang out and have a good time.’ But really, I stopped focusing on what other people think a while ago. If you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll only end up completely confused.”
Photos courtesy of Teen Vogue