It’s hard to imagine now, but a year ago, most of us had never heard of “I Kissed a Girl” or the 24-year-old phenom behind it. But after topping the charts in 10 countries with both her signature anthem and its even catchier follow-up, “Hot N Cold,” Katy Perry is as much a fixture on the pop culture landscape as any new artist of the ‘00s.
On the eve of the kickoff of her first headlining world tour, we spoke to Perry via a press conference call on which reporters were reminded to “please not mention boyfriends or feuds.” So, rather than comment on her recent breakup with Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy or her ongoing war of words with British singer Lily Allen, Perry instead revealed what her pastor father’s tattoos all say, how close “I Kissed a Girl” came to never being recorded, and the truth behind that alleged vow of celibacy she took after her breakup with McCoy.
You’re credited as the lead writer with three other songwriters for “I Kissed a Girl.” How did that song come about in the first place?
I’d always heard about artists having a notepad on the side of their bed if they were to have dreams of lyrics or an idea for a song in the middle of the night, and I thought it was all bollocks…but it actually happened to me. I woke up one morning and I was starting my day and I had this song literally pop into my head, the chorus of it: “I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry Chapstick”…and I thought, what a peculiar little idea. I presented it a couple of times to different people and they didn’t really understand it fully. So I thought that it was just like a fluke accident of an idea and nothing will ever happen with that, until the end of my record-making process. I had this idea still and it wouldn’t go away…it was kind of like a pebble in my shoe. I just decided since it’s still so prevalent in the back of my mind after a year and a half of dreaming it up, I should probably finish this song.
The song was everywhere, played constantly—how much did that surprise you when it went number one in so many countries?
Last year, I traveled all around the world from Australia to Mexico to Japan to Belgium to just all kinds of different places in Europe and it didn’t matter, anywhere I went, everybody was singing along. It didn’t matter what their language was and that was hugely surprising. I thought maybe the song will be popular with a certain group of people or maybe it’ll be popular in the L.A. and the New York coasts, but it would never reach beyond that. I never realized that it would be a worldwide sing-along.
Now that you’re on tour, do you have a specific regimen to stay healthy and in shape?
One thing I can swear by is jumping rope. I don’t really do anything else. I hate working out, but I love jumping rope. I think it’s because it’s like dancing, there’s a rhythm. I can say this very unashamedly: I’m a really good rope jumper. I can double jump, I can cross, I can do all of it. I look like Rocky when I jump rope.
Your parents are ministers; do they support your music? And how do you think that your Christian upbringing ties into your music now?
My family definitely are very supportive. I have pushed their envelope from the day I was born. I was always the kid at the dinner table who, if there was a line you shouldn’t cross, I took a big leap over it. That kind of has always been me; there’s never really been an edit button on my keyboard of life. And I guess my parents weren’t ever so shocked when I was singing very frank or honest songs. They’re a different breed of Christians, my family. Like, sometimes people think my parents are wearing the priest outfit and I’m like: no, actually, my dad has four tattoos. They all happen to say “Jesus,” but he’s just kind of like a modern rock ‘n’ roll pastor himself. I definitely think that we agree to disagree on some things, but I don’t think that is unusual with a kid and their parents’ relationship. So they’re very, very supportive. They are always telling me they’re praying for me and I appreciate it.
Your parents are probably happy about your yearlong vow of celibacy…
By the way, that was a joke and any fine journalist would have got that joke and inserted that, you know, in the context [of ending a relationship]. I’m not going to be celibate.
You’re not?
No. I mean, I guess I’m just going to be looking for the right one but…please, celibacy for a whole year? I’d rather die.
See Katy Perry at the Wiltern on Jan. 31
