American Music Artiste and Phenomenal Woman Katy Perry is on the Cover of Vogue India’s sustainability Issue. In it she shares on fighting depression, love, using her platform to steer change and more.
On Orlando Bloom, She Said I have a partner who is also all about finding a balance—Orlando, who is on a spiritual journey of his own. He’s an anchor who holds me down, and he’s very real. He’s not the number one fan of Katy Perry, but he’s the number one fan of Katheryn Hudson.”
The couple share a lot in common. Entertainers living in the public eye, they’ve both experienced broken marriages, and this evolution has only strengthened their bond. “Love is different from dating. You date in your twenties. Love is partnership, friendship, truth and being an absolute mirror to someone,” she says, fidgeting with her flower-shaped engagement ring. “Orlando is like a sage. When we first met, he said we would pull the poison out of each other, and we really do. It’s exhausting, but we really hold each other accountable. I’ve never had a partner who was willing to go on an emotional and spiritual journey like Orlando. It’s challenging, because you’re facing all the things you don’t like about yourself. It’s like a never-ending cleanse.”
ON FIGHTING DEPRESSION – Katy Perry Said “I became depressed and I did not want to get out of bed. In the past, I had been able to overcome it, but this time something happened that made me fall down too many flights of stairs. I had to really go on a mental health journey,” she shares.
Living in the hyper-scrutinised world of celebrities presents its own challenges and vulnerabilities, but Perry has emerged a vocal advocate of mental health. “We talk about all our different organs but never talk about out brain, which keeps us functioning the most,” she notes.
As fearless and unapologetically outspoken as Perry has been to speak her mind, the media has been less than forgiving. “For the press, every few months I turn into ‘Perry, the Piñata’. But thankfully, I don’t get my validation from them anymore.”
ON STEERING CHANGE THROUGH HER PLATFORM, Katy Perry During the 2016 US presidential campaign, Perry established her position as Hillary Clinton’s biggest cheerleader and wrote ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ as a wake-up call for fellow Americans to fight the good fight. At the 2017 Grammys, when she performed the song, she wore a suffragette white pantsuit with the word ‘Persist’ emblazoned on an armband. “If you have a big spotlight and you’re sharing it for good, it’s going to be better for everyone,” says the pop star with a purpose, who, as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, has undertaken trips to impoverished parts of Vietnam and Madagascar to advocate for children’s education and clean water resources. “At 35, I’ve checked many boxes off my list and I’m now being challenged to dream new dreams,” she says. “I want to be involved in environmental companies, I want to go back to school [psychology and philosophy will be her subjects of choice] and I want to influence good people to run for office.”
The complete interview in Vogue India’s January 2019 issue that hit stands on January 6, 2019.