POP PRICESS
Pop Superstar Katy Perry Blasts Off
By Tom Zenner
Katy Perry Interview Katy Perry Interview
As she strolled to center stage, in a typical day in the life of a world-famous superstar, pop music and pop culture icon Katy Perry gave Jetset a little sample of what it is about her that makes her so successful, so famous, so likable and so fresh: her abnormal ability to appear normal.

Oh, there's nothing normal about her talent, her straight-from-the-heavens ability to charm a microphone and an audience, combined with her mind-blowing ability to create fun, listenable, radio-friendly, groove-inducing music. And the gift she possesses to make cash registers sing and iTunes downloads ping is something the music industry hasn't seen before. Simply put, Katy Perry sells songs and moves product.

As she explained some of the methods of her magic to Jetset on the syndicated entertainment show Extra as she launched her brand-new perfume Meow (appropriate for someone whose cat has its own blog), it was easy for a person to understand how Perry has basically gone from being an unknown up-and-comer with three recording deal failures to a globetrotting chart-topper who travels the world with her entourage in Gulfstreams. And what's really amazing is, she's done it in the time between opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Which brings up another aspect of the Katy Perry phenomena that helps explain where all the success has come from and where it appears to be going: She's still grounded enough to know how magical things have been for her lately — while also smart and savvy enough to know she's going to have to keep working as hard as she has to keep the machine humming.

While changing the color of her hair might elicit more buzz on the Internet and headlines in tabloids, what Perry has accomplished in regards to record sales is, well, to put it bluntly, off the charts. Her second studio album, Teenage Dream, has produced five No. 1 hits. That feat has only happened one other time, when Michael Jackson cranked out the same number on his iconic album Bad. For Perry, that record is still within grasp.

"Listen, I don't know if it's going to happen," she told Jetset. "We'll see. I've had such an insane run this year that I don't need to top anything. I'm good. If it works, it would be great, but I've just had a great year so I feel like I'm fine, and I'm so happy with all the support the fans give me, and that people have decided to come onboard to my whole vision. That feels great."

Considering the fact that her hit song "Firework" was nominated for a Grammy in February, the year 2012 is already off to a bang. Outside of the honor of the nomination is the fact that "Firework" also just happens to be Perry's favorite song. "It really is important to me because it was an important song for me to write," she says. "'Girls' ('California Girls') is fun and nostalgic, but I feel that 'Firework' is doing something right because people are affected by it in their own personal way. I'm really proud of it, so I'm really proud the Grammys have nominated that song."

Yes, things are going to be exciting and unpredictable in 2012. And that's just how this Southern California native with evangelical parents and a tattoo of Jesus (to remind her where she came from) likes it. And quite frankly, she has no choice now, because her life and career have been swept up in a tsunami of stardom that shows no signs of dissipating any time soon. Which is why she has to, and loves to, keep her friends and fans guessing. Take her appearance, for instance. The natural blonde has had almost as many hair colors as No. 1 hits. From black, to blue, to pink, to the shorter, dirty blonde coif she more recently unveiled. Combined with the fine-fitting, muted pink dress and black bow tied around her neck, she resembled a 1960s flight attendant. Well, a sexier, more daring and dangerous one, whose outfit on this day undoubtedly cost more than a first-class ticket from Miami to Morocco.

If there's one thing you can count on from Katy Perry, it's that she is going to keep surprising people. It comes with the territory, fits her personality and goes with the job. She can also easily morph from serious to silly at Mach speed, such as in the way she explained her association with felines, which have become symbols of her image and brand. Even though her perfumes' names have gone from Purr to the aforementioned Meow, her love of cats, she says, actually sprung from her annoyance with them.

"I'm allergic [to cats]," she says. "Half my family is as well, unfortunately, but I was such a dog person growing up, I didn't really understand cats until my first cat, Kitty Purry walked into my life and wouldn't leave. I had to get to know her, be patient with her. I was interested in all her little characteristics and idiosyncrasies, and I started to realize, 'Gosh, women are like cats.' They want to be loved on their own time. They want people to earn their affection and they'll eat whenever they want. Do not shove food down their throat. Plus, they won't meet you at the door unless you're really, really nice."

Its that tongue-in-cheek wit that sets Perry apart from other music superstars — many of whom seem completely out-of-touch and weird, despite the number of monsters following them on Twitter or the level of shock they manufacture with bizarre outfits and outlandish hats. "I just thought a lot of people know me as the cat lady," Perry continues, "which I'm trying to turn more chic than she typically is, and it went with my whole thing. My fans are called Katy Cats. They all know I'm madly in love with my cats now."
Katy Perry Interview