SPARK up the Fireworks – Katy Perry is coming back to Blighty.
Today the American superstar announces in The Sun that she will play five huge arena shows across the country next October as part of her Lifetimes Tour — a celebration of her biggest hits.
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And from a hotel room in Los Angeles, Katy Zoom calls me to chat about all things British.
Turning on the camera, her face beams at me through my laptop and I kick myself as I warn one of the world’s biggest music stars that I am, embarrassingly, wearing my Primark pyjamas.
Katy smiles as she pans down to a very fluffy dressing gown and replies: “I am also in my robe. I have warned you,” with a huge grin on her face.
“I have seen EastEnders, I’ve had pie and mash, bubble and squeak and I love Sunday roasts,” Katy adds, as I quiz her on her excitement about returning to the UK to perform.
Undoubtedly Katy’s Anglophile nature is, in part, down to her fiancé, British actor Orlando Bloom, with whom she has a four-year-old daughter, Daisy.
“We love going for a pint,” Katy adds with a laugh.
“When we’re in the country we’re always going to the pub.
“We have a lot of pub dinners. I love pubs that are hundreds of years old. You just walk in and it’s just got so much history and storytelling. It’s so beautiful.”
Little Daisy will be joining her mum on the road, when Katy kicks off her shows in Glasgow at the Ovo Hydro on October 7, before playing Manchester’s AO Arena the following day, then Sheffield’s Utilita Arena on October 10.
Katy will then head to Birmingham’s Utilita Arena the next night before her final date at London’s O2 Arena on October 13.
“I’m really excited Daisy can join me on this world tour,” Katy explains when I asked about life on the road with her girl.
“She is four now and then she’ll turn five on the road. Time really does fly.
“Some of my single friends that don’t have children, whenever they come and visit, and they only see her every six months or what have you, they’re like, ‘Whoa, she’s grown’. It’s like, time is happening, it’s ticking.
“I’m so excited to introduce her to a lot of places in the world and we’ll be having a fun adventure together.
“I know our days off will be fun playgrounds and outdoor adventures. In the UK we love the parks. We already spend quite a lot of time during the summer in London so we love it so much.
“We have such a good feeling when we’re there. It’s so inclusive and it’s so built for families.”
‘Time is ticking’
Katy adds with a smile: “She’s never yet had beans on toast though, and I hope that’ll be soon.”
Back to business, Katy will be flying to the UK next month where she will film an ITV special concert, Katy Perry: Night Of A Lifetime, before playing Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball in London’s O2 on December 8.
Returning again to perform for her UK fans at her five — surely soon-to-be sell-out — shows next year, is something she is clearly relishing.
And after Prince Harry and Meghan revealed themselves to be fans when they danced all night during the final date of Katy’s Las Vegas residency this time last year, alongside stars including Celine Dion and Zoe Saldana — Katy says she is laying down the welcome mat for Prince William and Kate.
“Oh, they’re totally invited,” says Katy. “I love them so much and I am so proud of Kate.
“She is amazing. She is beautiful inside and out.”
We have such a good feeling when we’re there. It’s so inclusive and it’s so built for families
Katy Perry
Her first-ever show in the UK was at live music venue and pub-restaurant The Water Rats in London’s King’s Cross.
It is not far from Katy’s mind, though, as she recalls how her legion of fans have been with her since day one.
“I remember my first show at Water Rats,” she says. “It was amazing. I remember walking through and meeting my first fans, like my first English fans, and they’re still around, they’re still coming to the shows. I see them now and we’ve grown up together. And they’re still out there cheering me on.
“It’s so lovely. It’s a real reciprocated love affair.
“I called this tour the Lifetimes Tour because I feel like I’ve grown up with my fans.
“I’m so blessed to have already had a lifetime of familiar songs that fans have adopted as the soundtracks to their lives, and to continue making music for them my whole life.”
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She wasn’t kidding. Fans can expect a set list full of Katy’s pop-packed back catalogue, including her breakout hit I Kissed A Girl from 2008 album One Of The Boys, alongside California Gurls, Dark Horse, Roar and Teenage Dream.
Before the Lifetimes Tour, Katy’s sell-out two-year residency got rave reviews from critics thanks to her spectacular staging and killer vocals.
Katy hints she is planning a similarly impressive staging for these shows, which includes sold out dates in Mexico next April, 13 shows in Australia and several in South America, with more to be announced.
She explains: “I love to bring to my fans a super-high level, transformative experiential world. It’s a bespoke world that I create.
“The Lifetimes tour will have a sci-fi feel and tell a story of a hopeful future. You know, with all of the changes that are going on in the world and how we’re all progressing so quickly with information and AI. It’s trying to remember what sets us apart from the robots. It’s love.”
I wonder if her two decades in the music industry, with all the scrutiny that comes with being a global star, has changed her, especially after turning 40 last month.
I have seen EastEnders, I’ve had pie and mash, bubble and squeak and I love Sunday roasts
Katy Perry
“I guess I did step into what I call a ‘zero f***s 40,’” Katy says.
“A therapist told me one day, ‘No one can make you feel something about yourself that you already don’t feel about yourself’.
“So if someone says something about me that isn’t true, it doesn’t affect me because I know who I am now. I know myself better than ever.”
Katy adds: “I care a lot about the things that are worth caring about but if someone’s not being kind or saying untrue things, then it doesn’t really matter.”
Recalling her rise to the top, Katy, who signed her first record deal at 16, says: “I think people forget that I’ve been working really hard for over 15 years and that I did start at Water Rats. I didn’t really come from anything. My parents were both ministers and sometimes we were living off food stamps.
“We always looked to make ends meet, you know?
‘Crazy adventures’
“I started singing at the farmers’ market and was sleeping on couches, had my car repossessed a couple of times and got signed and dropped three times.
“There’s always an origin story. But I really believe that everyone has the capacity inside themselves to make their dreams come true.
“There’s definitely a lot of ingredients to actually making that recipe happen, but it’s all within you.”
With 143million track sales and 70million album sales under her belt worldwide, along with 15 UK Top Ten singles including five No1s, Katy has perfected that recipe.
She splits her time between the UK and LA with Orlando and Daisy, and credits the Lord Of The Rings actor’s down-to-earth personality for making her laugh.
“We try to normalise some of the crazy adventures,” Katy explains, when I ask about the comedy remarks Orlando regularly leaves under Instagram posts of her dressed up for red carpet events. “Or we try to normalise and ground some of the Instagram posts.
THE SHOWS
October 7 – Glasgow Ovo Hydro
October 8 – Manchester Ovo Arena
October 10 – Sheffield Utilita Arena
October 11 – Birmingham Utilita Arena
October 13 – London O2 Arena
“We started this thing where I’m like sharing something spectacular, he’ll be like, ‘Hey babe, where did you put the dog food?’ Or, ‘You forgot to put a toilet roll in the toilet’.
“It’s just funny because we are so privileged to live such big lives that we’ve created.
“But we do have very kind of normal lives as well.
“We have all the bits and bobs in between. But we never take it for granted. Every day is a blessing.
“I’m working as hard as I’ve ever worked and I continue to.
“I never put any terms, conditions or limits on my dreams. I suggest that no one else does either because you might surprise yourself how much you can achieve when you believe.”
- Tickets for the Lifetimes Tour go on presale on Wednesday, with the general sale starting at 10am on Friday. Katy, will be donating £1 from every ticket sold to the Music Venue Trust, the UK charity which acts to protect and improve UK grassroots music – in a nod to venues like Water Rats and Scala.