Katy Perry on motherhood, and how her "darkest place" inspired a new album
Katy Perry has had a busy week — before the release of her new album Friday, titled "Smile," the superstar and her fiancé Orlando Bloom welcomed a baby girl into the world Thursday. As Perry tells it, she and Bloom are ready to face the challenge together, but she had to overcome both personal and professional challenges to get there.
Perry, born Katheryn Hudson, spoke to "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King just before baby Daisy Dove Bloom was born, telling her she "really enjoyed" the pregnancy.
"Also, my body has felt so strong and I have so much respect for women's bodies and the things that we can do," Perry said.
Perry told King that she felt more "grounded and rooted" than she had ever been — at 35, the singer is confident in who she is and her successes. However, as reflected in some of the songs on her new album, the journey there was not easy.
"I started writing these songs when I was in my darkest place," Perry said. "I was clinically depressed. I wasn't even having bouts of depression, I was like, I could not get out of bed."
Asked what got her to that point, Perry said it was a combination of "a lot of things" from 2017.
"My career didn't really meet my own personal expectations. Things started to shift. And I had broken up with Orlando… I wasn't getting high off of my own supply anymore."
She said she felt as though she had given up responsibility of her own self-worth — and even began "fantasizing about not being around."
"You start thinking about things like that," she said. "If I did that, I would kind of have the last word or be able to control the chaos and the sadness. I'm so grateful that it didn't go there."
Her new album, "Smile," is a reflection of the "brokenness" Perry felt.
"The release of 'Smile' is just my own personal touchstone of coming out of hell," she said.
Now, Perry said she is very excited to become a mother and start a family with Bloom. After their high-profile breakup in 2017, the couple gave their relationship another try and were engaged in 2019.
She called Bloom a "solid rock" and said he was "always just there."
"I know that bringing a child into the world sometimes can make things even more stressful… And I feel like if I can go through that stress with anyone, it's him," Perry said.
Their personal change comes amid a year of upheaval for the world, as the coronavirus pandemic combined with racial tensions and a political election roiled the country. But Perry said she would "refuse to write off 2020" for the sake of her daughter.
"That would not be fair to her," she said. "I think you have two ways to think of things. You can say, 'Oh, it's the year of the loss of certainty' or, 'It's the year we learn to surrender'… you know? And if we surrender, sometimes in that stillness we can get the message."
