On the Cover Covergirl: Katy Perry
The singer talks about the men in her life, concerts, and only sleeping with a guy she knows well!
Give her a song and she sings the hell out of it. Give her a stage and
she owns it. Give her a boyfriend and, well…okay, she battles the same insecurities
we all have. Katy Perry, she’s just like us— hangovers, heartbreak, anxiety, and all.
All right, if there’s anything I know as fact, it’s that while David Hasselhoff is appreciated only in Germany, Katy Perry and her music are loved by everyone, everywhere. My nieces tell me every time they text me that I really need to get it together and hang out with Katy Perry already. When I informed them that I would in fact be speaking with Katy for Cosmo just a few weeks before she starts her Prismatic world tour, my nieces insisted they be there for the interview as well. I gently reminded them of how asinine they had behaved when they met Oprah. They too recalled the incident and instead settled for tickets to Katy’s upcoming New Jersey show...from Katy herself. CHELSEA: Be honest—how often do you Google yourself? KATY: “I go through phases. I wish there was a Google rehab. It’s not that I do it a lot, it’s just when I want feedback on something I did. If I’m putting out a new record or video, I want to feel what’s going on—take a temperature of the world and see if my ideas are working. I’m very analytical in that way. I’ll check a few websites and my replies on Twitter. I want to hear from the kids who follow me more than I want to hear from some biased, boring, bougie blogger.” CHELSEA: It feels like you’re always on tour—when I do one, I’m like, okay, not touring again for two or three years. How do you keep it together psychologically and physically? KATY: “You have to practice self-control, which is one of my least favourite words. I do small things. I cut out dairy. I’m such an almond-milk, cashew-cream type of girl now.” CHELSEA: What about alcohol? KATY: “I don’t think I’ve ever had a drink before I got onstage. But I always have one waiting for me when I get offstage—a glass of champagne. It’s a real dance with the devil, learning how to be professional and have a celebratory time. In your late 20s, you’re
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THIS SH*T TO GET YOUR GRIPS ON LIFE, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE MUD IN ORDER TO FIND THAT PEACEFUL PLACE."
trying to figure out what your drinks are and if they agree with you and your blood type. I’ve definitely blacked out on whiskey, so I don’t drink it anymore. Champagne usually gives people a headache, but I can have like five glasses and be completely fine.” CHELSEA: What’s the most nerve-racking thing about performing? KATY: “I’ll be nervous that the press will get weird up-skirt shots or zoom in on my thunder thighs. Or I’ll trip down some stairs and it will be on the Internet forever. But that’s just a part of life. And I think people are okay with that with me. Like when my ex-husband accidentally posted a picture of me without make-up, I was like, “Oh sh*t! I was making faces for you, not the Internet. Take it offline!” But it’s online forever. And in some ways, I felt this huge relief. I didn’t have to be Betty Boop anymore.” CHELSEA: Speaking of your ex-husband, I met Russell [Brand] when he was a guest on my show. He had to have three espressos just to come out onstage, so I can’t even imagine... KATY: “I guess I happen to be attracted to high-frequency men.” CHELSEA: You were married to him for 14 months. Then you broke up and started dating John Mayer. These are two men that most people would say, ‘If you’re not going to date two people in this world, it should be these two’. What did you take away from
your relationship with Russell?
KATY: “It feels like a hundred thousand lifetimes ago, so it’s like digging up an old grave. A lot of therapy has happened and a lot of understanding and growth. Sometimes you have to go through all this sh*t to get your grips on life and figure out what the next boundaries in your love life are going to be. You have to go through the mud in order to find that peaceful place. In the long run, it was necessary for me to have more of a teammate.” CHELSEA: What is the thing you like most about yourself that attracts a guy? KATY: “I like when I can really be myself, wear less make-up, have off-colour humour right off the bat—when I can scare them with the truth and they’re not scared. There are no secrets or filters. I think when I’m myself is when I’m probably the most attractive to someone else.” CHELSEA: Do you have rules for sex—do you make a guy wait? KATY: “I’m not like Professor Higgins with my sex life. I’m not super strict. For me, the most important thing about sex is connection.” CHELSEA: So you’re not into sleeping with somebody you don’t know well? KATY: “I’ve never been that way.” CHELSEA: Maybe I’m confusing you with myself... KATY: “I mean, if I could bottle up oxytocin—that chemical that’s released when you’re having sex—and put it in a new perfume, I would do it for sure. I’m down for that chemical. It’s important.” CHELSEA: I’m going to bottle my own perfume and call it Regret—it’s going to come out in autumn. It’ll be on the shelf right next to your perfumes, Killer Queen and Purr. You’re also a new spokesmodel for CoverGirl. How involved are you in all your ventures? You’re the boss of everybody, right? KATY: “Everything goes through me, which is exhausting. I wish I could delegate more, but I think that’s what has gotten me to this place, so I just have to continue this way.”