“Ididn’t even care where we went,” she says, amused by the unglamorous salon. “Iwas like, ‘I’ve just got to get these cuticles cut!’ ”
Betweenfielding interview questions, she directs those around her. “Yes, I want theairbrush,” she tells one staffer, her voice striking the same note as ParisHilton’s haughty whine. “My wallet should be in there,” she tells another. “Ifit’s not, then it’s in the pink bag.”
Theinterview blitz is typically a benign ritual for pop artists promoting theirnew album, but for Perry, it’s a little more delicate. Unlike other artists,who get to gloat about how much of themselves they put into their record, Perryhas to field questions about the controversy trailing her hitsinglecontroversy, of course, her promotional team was very much relying on.“I Kissed a Girl” has irked groups from across the political spectrum. Familyand religious organizations object to its glorification of promiscuity, feministstake umbrage with its message (that making out with a girl is a great way toget your boyfriend’s attention), and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) groups, well, they’re still miffed about Perry’s last single, “UR SoGay,” in which she cuts down her metrosexual boyfriend’s manhood using “gay” asa schoolyard pejorative.
Thenthere’s also the touchy matter of Perry’s authenticity. Perry fathoms herselfsomething of a Joan Jett rocker, but her Capitol Records debut, One of the Boys, is a pop album in everysense, crafted with a rotating crew of outsourced songwriters and producers whoturned Perry into a brazen, bad-girl version of Kelly Clarkson. More glaringly,Perry was raised in a strict religious household. She even began her career asa Christian singer, but at some point between her unassuming 2001 album and One of the Boysa five year purgatoryshe spent bouncing between three different labelsshe decided that if she everwanted to release a second album she’d best play down her faith and play up hercurves.
Theseare miserable topics to have to discuss over and over in interviews, but Perryknows how to control the conversation. She defuses a question about hercontentious singles by explaining, “If people are really listening to thestories behind the songs, and if they get invested in me as an artist, they’llsee that I’m a very sassy, spontaneous, like-to-have-fun type of girl,” thenspins her answer into a lengthy, entirely tangential rant about why she’s doingthe Warped Tour: “I think that it’s so important as a new artist that peoplecan come out to the show, see me, meet me and see that I’m a real person. Sure,I have amazing record-company people that back me, and I’m an unabashed popartist, but I still want people to think that I’m their homie.”
Similarly,she deflects a standard-issue question about what her pastor father thinks ofher bi-curious hit with an extended reflection on how happy she is that herdreams are finally coming true.
Askedhow much of the personality on One of theBoys is really her own, though, she shows a little more spunk. “Two hundredpercent!” she injects before the question is finished. That’s a curious thingto own up to, I respond, with all due respect, since frankly her album personais unflattering and mean.
“Well,”she replies, her voice softening uncharacteristically, “girls are very sweetcreatures until someone breaks their heart.”
Katy Perry performs as part of theWarped Tour on Friday, Aug. 1 at the Marcus Amphitheater.
