Katy Perry: Part Of Me DVD
Katy Perry: Part of Me is released on DVD & Blu-Ray tomorrow as the documentary lets you into the world of the singer songwriter.
In this interview Perry talks about how the movie came around and what it was like letting the cameras into her life.
- How did this film come about?
I had this idea in 2010 to document everything. To catch it all with a big, wide net because I felt like it may be important for me, especially for my professional life.
- And people responded to your idea?
Yes. I could feel people responding to Teenage Dream and really reacting to the music videos and connecting to the songs and the tour was expanding and expanding and I never played in front of this many people. It was a lot of responsibility.
- What or who inspired you?
I was inspired by 'Truth or Dare' which is Madonna's concert documentary. But I didn't know it was going to turn into this big film. I'm glad though. I'm very excited to show my point of view and I kind of like the all access.
- You are telling your life story and your career story in this movie - from struggle to success. What do you think is it that people can learn from your journey? What do you want the message to be for people walking out of the movie theatre?
I guess the movie is about overcoming obstacles because sometimes if you want to do something great in life, life can send you some curveballs and test your strength and that's what happened with me from an early age I kind of came from this black and white sheltered, a bit suppressed, childhood and then I got out of that and I went and I tried to fulfill my dream in Los Angeles.
- But it wasn’t as easy as you might have thought, right?
No, it wasn’t that easy. The record labels didn't want me to live up my vision, they wanted me to be a copy cat and I didn't want to be a copy cat so I was just really persistent until someone gave me the opportunity to have my own vision in my eyes and on a personal struggle, I didn't let that take me down and kill me.
- In a way 'Part of Me' gives hope to everyone who has ever been let down?
Yes. Basically, I lived through that and so hopefully people are
inspired and see that they too can get through whatever they're going
through, if they are going through something.
- What do you think will surprise the audience when they see this film?
In this movie you get to see all of where I came from and that I wasn't born into anything. I didn't come from heaps of money. You know, even to this day or growing up I didn't feel like I needed anything in order to achieve my dream besides the gift that I had.
So hopefully people can be inspired to go for their goal and even if there are obstacles or things or people that trying to take you down while you are knowing that together you can get beyond it . . .
- ...knowing you can make it?
Yes, or, can make it even if life serves you some nasty lemonade some times.
- How important is this film for you?
It's very important for me because it shows people who I really am and it shows who I hope to be in the future and hopefully it encourages people to really go after their dreams and not to let anyone get in their way.
- How did you feel seeing yourself so close and so very personal?
I do in my songs I share a lot of information in my songs and this film is like reading my diary and watching it come out in 3D.
With my songs I try to keep them as honest as possible and hopefully people learn from them or get inspired by them or don't feel they're the only one going through whatever they're going through because I put it out there in my songs.
- What part of Katy Perry do you like the most in this film, and which part do you think is the hardest for you to watch?
Well the painful scenes were not always fun to watch again because I've already lived through that once and gotten through it, but I think again, you know, sometimes there were scenes where I didn't look cute at all.
I look exhausted, bloated, tired, full of acne, but it's important for people to see that so they don't think well I have to be perfect to succeed in whatever capacity I want to succeed. That's not true.
I was, you know, just a young girl from Santa Barbara, a normal plain Jane, actually, and I had an idea and a dream.
- What's the best part of touring and what's the worst part if you had to explain it?
The best part of touring is having a great support system with my fans and the people around me.
I had over a hundred people on tour with me and you see so many times where I'm just sharing all of the opportunity that I get with them and we're having the greatest moment of our lives.
And then at times it can get monotonous and sometimes I don't feel well. You know, I get sick and I can't sing because my voice hurts or I'm going through something at home that's really upsetting me, but I kind of have to turn it on, especially now that I'm given this opportunity and that's kind of my job.
Sometimes we go to work and we don't like doing some of the work, but we have to do it in order to do a good job.
- When we see you at the beginning of the tour when you go on stage for the first time, we hear you say: "This is a childhood dream come true. This is what I have always wished for." Then we see you on this emotionally and also physically challenging journey. Was there ever a point when you thought: Katy, next time you better be careful what you wish for?
It's not what you wish for but, yes, there are a lot of different things behind the scenes that people don't know that go on and you have to continuously find a balance.
And you see me trying to find the balance and sometimes losing my footing like in Brazil I have a moment where you can see the cracks.
You can see what was happening that I didn't have a good time and I was going through something separate and it was coming through the cracks but my audience which has always been there for me and my fans they keep saying: "Katy, we love you, we love you!" I had no idea what they were actually saying that but I could feel this support.
- You said you want to make people happy with your music. You want to put smiles on their face. You want to send out messages of love. Is that a burden when the expectations are so high, especially on really bad days when you are down in your personal life?
I remember what it was like when I was younger, especially when I first came to Los Angeles and I would run into someone that I admired like Gwen Stefani, and when I was 17 or 18 I met her and she was just so cool and lovely, and like I really related to her as a human being in that one or two minute period that I met her, and I decided from then on that I was always going to be a fan.
So I know that sometimes I am having a bad day, but I have to separate the personal from the professional, and if I don't want to interact with the public because I am having a bad day, then I'll just stay inside. It's not their problem they didn't do this. They have always been so supportive.
- Did you think about after everything that you have experienced that you maybe want to cut down on career ambitions in order to maintain relationships or a private life?
I maintain my private life pretty well. It's a balancing act. You have to be very careful about what you put out there and how you put it out there.
And I understand that and I am trying not to cross the line and do everything with integrity, but you know what I think, that my dream was always to be a singer and a songwriter and to be on stage and I hope that in the future that someone will accept all that from me.
- We saw you interact with fans, friends and family. This is obviously part of you. But is there a part of you we haven't seen yet?
Of course, and that part you will see in the songs in the future, I am sure. But I am always changing and evolving and learning new things and experience my single life in different ways and I am happy to show these experiences. This movie is literally like you have found my diary and I am letting you read it (laughing).
Katy Perry: Part of Me is out on Blu-ray Triple Play, DVD and Download to Own on 5th November from Paramount Home Entertainment
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