It would be fair to say that, from the outside looking in, it can be tough to understand why someone like Katy Perry would be remotely unhappy in life. She has the money to do everything she ever wanted, her career is also her passion and she is adored by millions of people around the world. However, she has had her battles.
Katy Perry hasn't always had the incredible life she now has. Born in Santa Barbara to Mary and Keith, two Pentecostal pastors, Perry left home at 15-years-old to pursue a career in music. “I was laser-focused and off to the races from the time I was nine years old,” she says.
Unsurprisingly, given her parent's strict religious beliefs, her first megahit, 2008’s I Kissed a Girl, didn’t exactly go down well around the family dinner table. “My mom has prayed for me my entire life, hoping I’d come back to God. I never left Him, I was just a little bit secular, I was more materialistic and more career-driven. But now that I’m in my 30s, it’s more about spirituality and heart wholeness.”
However, since then, Perry's career has gone from strength-to-strength and she is now one of the most recognisable people on the planet. She is believed to have a net worth of around $300 million and is the most followed person in the world on Twitter. However, for all the fame, money and love, Perry admits that she still struggles with her mental health.
The 33-year-old released her fifth studio album last year, and while it may have performed well and topped the album charts in the US, it received mixed reviews across the board. Also, unlike her previous records, Witness didn’t produce any number one hits, with its lead single 'Chained To The Rhythm' peaking at number four. According to the singer, reaction to Witness "broke her heart" and led to bouts of depression.
Speaking to Vogue Australia, the Swish Swish singer said:
"I have had bouts of situational depression and my heart was broken last year because, unknowingly, I put so much validity in the reaction of the public and the public didn’t react in the way I had expected to, which broke my heart.
"Music is my first love and I think it was the universe saying: 'Okay, you speak all of this language about self-love and authenticity, but we are going to put you through another test and take away any kind of validating “blankie”. Then we’ll see how much you do truly love yourself.’
Despite her struggles, Katy went to spend some time at a wellness centre and says that her mental health has improved and that the challenges she faced and came through have given her a "wholeness I never had."
Katy is now dating Orlando Bloom and has previously been open about struggling with suicidal thoughts. In a live-streamed therapy session to promote Witness last year, Katy said: "I wrote a song about it. I feel ashamed that I would have those thoughts, feel that low and that depressed.
"You can be right or you can be loved. I just want to be loved."
Katy's struggles with mental health issues show that they can affect anybody. Hopefully, she is over the worst of it and can get back to doing what she does best: selling out arenas and entertaining giant audiences.
