Perry, born Katheryn Hudson, said she was “wallowing” in her “own sadness” after hitting rock bottom in her personal and professional life.
“I lost my smile,” said the California native to host Tom Power. “I don’t know if my smile was totally authentic, like mine, but I was on top of a smile for a long time. Which was validation, love and admiration from the outside world, and then it changed.”
“I broke up with my boyfriend, who is now my future baby, and then I was excited to fly high on the next record and the record no longer put me high … Validation no Don’t drug me, so I fell,” recalled the 35-year-old singer.
During the candid conversation, Perry, whose parents were Pentecostal pastors when she was little, described the experience as “a necessary breakup” and added that she believes gratitude saved her life.
“It was so important to me to break down so I could find my integrity in a whole different way. And to be more dimensional than just living my life like a thirsty pop star all the time,” he said.
“Gratitude is probably what saved my life, because if I didn’t discover that I would have wallowed in my own sadness and probably would have jumped, but I found a way to be grateful.”
She added that her faith helped her recover. After navigating depression and anxiety for years, she said, she has a different perspective on life.
“Hope has always been an option for me … because of my relationship with God and something greater than me. If I am the only one who controls my destiny, of course it will be, I will lead him to the ground”, said.
“My hope is that something greater than me has created me for a purpose and created me for a reason, and that I am not disposable, and that, you know, every person that has been created has a purpose.”
This is not the first time that Perry has spoken about his mental health issues.
In 2017, he broadcast a live session with therapist Siri Sat Nam Singh on YouTube as part of Vice’s “The Therapist” series. During the conversation, Perry admitted that she was “ashamed that (she) felt so depressed or depressed.”
“I am really strong like Katy Perry, and sometimes I am not as strong as Katheryn Hudson,” he said at the time.
The following organizations provide confidential help and support to anyone with suicidal thoughts.
In the USA
National Lifeline for Suicide Prevention: 1-800-273-TALK
Crisis Text Line (Free 24/7 Text Messaging Resource): Text HOME at 74174
In the United Kingdom
Samaritans (24-hour hotline): 116 12
Papyrus: 0800 068 41 4
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