Believe it or not, life hasn’t been all sunshine, rainbows, and lollipops for Katy Perry.
In a new profile in The Los Angeles Times, the superstar singer opened up about the not-so-glamorous side effects of her storied career in pop music, sharing that she used to suffer from clinical depression when things weren’t going well for her.
As fans know, the 35-year-old’s career hit a valley after the release of her fourth studio album, Witness, which fell short of expectations after her previous three albums — One Of The Boys, Teenage Dream, and Prism — set records with chart-topping hits.
Related: Katy Says She & Former Nemesis Taylor Swift Fight Like Cousins
After Witness, an album Katy Kat dubbed as “purposeful pop” flopped in 2017, her social media became overrun with trolls; and that, combined with her temporary split from now-fiancé Orlando Bloom, took a toll on the Santa Barbara native’s mental health. She recalled:
“I think the universe was like, ‘OK, all right, let’s have some humble pie here.’ My negative thoughts were not great. They didn’t want to plan for a future. I also felt like I could control it by saying, ‘I’ll have the last word if I hurt myself or do something stupid and I’ll show you’ — but really, who was I showing?”
Other artists were concerned about Katy’s health, too.
Sia told the publication she grew worried about Katy when the I Kissed A Girl singer turned up at the Chandelier hitmaker’s home “in a bad way.” The Aussie songstress remembered:
“She had a real breakdown. She’s on stage with 10 candied lollipops and clowns and dancers, selling the dream, the joy, the happiness — and that’s really hard sometimes when you’re not feeling it yourself… I knew she was driven and ambitious, that was clear from the beginning. But I didn’t realize that she was so reliant on that validation for her psychological well-being. She did say ‘I feel lost.’ I think it was a big kick to her ego, but it was the best thing that could have ever happened to her, really, because now she can make music for the fun of it. Getting number ones does nothing for your inside.”
Who would’ve thought?
Thankfully, Katy started managing her depression: she did Transcendental Meditation, took medication, and took part in the Hoffman Process — a retreat she described as 10 years of therapy squished into a week. Now, Katy’s more comfortable taking on the tough criticism that comes with today’s social media — which she faced directly earlier this month after tweeting her support for the internet’s latest victim of cancellation, Ellen DeGeneres.
As we reported, Twitics called Perry, as well as fellow Ellen supporters Kevin Hart and Diane Keaton, tone-deaf when they voiced support for the comedienne amid reports that Ellen fostered a toxic environment at her talk show. Despite the backlash from her post, however, Katy doubled down on her support of the daytime queen, telling the outlet:
“I started that tweet off not undermining anyone else’s experience. I wanted to only speak from my own experience. I have over 100 million people that follow me on Twitter, so not everyone is going to agree with me. And I’m not here to make everyone agree with me.”
Perry also opened up about being deposed in Kesha’s legal battle against Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, whom Kesha accused of rape. According to the unsealed transcript from the deposition, Katy said she was hesitant to take a public stance in the matter because she feared being attacked and labeled as “the one woman that is against women.”
But in her interview with the Times, Katy noted she could only speak her own truth — and the truth is: her own experience with Dr. Luke, who produced some of the superstar’s biggest hits, was a “healthy one.” She explained:
“I knew both of them at the time. It sucks when you know both of the players. I can only speak for my own experience, and my own experience [with Gottwald] was a healthy one. I believe in due process. And I also believe that only they know the truth.”
Looking ahead, Katy is more focused on preparing for motherhood than chart success. But, of course, that doesn’t mean she isn’t putting out new material; in fact, she’s releasing the music video for her latest single, Smile, on YouTube Friday. We’re glad she’s being so open and honest about her struggles!
[Image via WENN]
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