14 DAY TRIAL // “I Kissed a Girl” singer Katy Perry is featured in the latest issue of Nylon magazine and, as expected, her love life is not the only topic she touched upon in the interview. Aside from singing the praises of her fiancé, Russell Brand, Perry also talks about what it’s like to be compared with the other female pop stars of the moment and how she’d like to be seen in a few years from now.
Starting things on a high note, the singer says being with her British beau has definitely influenced her music in the sense that she’s now no longer writing songs about being annoyed with boys but about love. However, she wouldn’t want to be stuck in that zone where she’s the “I Kissed a Girl” singer for life: Katy Perry wants to evolve and, if she were to have her way, she’d want to be what Alanis Morissette was for pop music a few years ago.
“You’ve got Gaga, who’s like, from outer space,” Katy says about the other pop princesses on the scene, “you’ve got Ke$ha, who’s the beer-drinking, house-party girl; and then you’ve got Rihanna, who’s transforming the urban world into her own outer space. But I feel like you’re missing an Alanis Morissette, in 2010. I love how she was a voice for a lot of people who couldn’t explain their feelings. But it’s not like I’m not gonna compete. I love a good dose of healthy competition. It’s not going to be the same that they’re doing…”
However, until she’ll become the next Alanis, Katy sees herself more like a Taylor Swift, a story-teller. “Sometimes I really feel like I’m more of a Taylor Swift. She tells stories, and I think that’s why she resonates with a lot of people. She hits the hidden chord in them [where they say], ‘Oh my God, I’ve been through that too,’ or ‘You said it in a way I could never explain’.” she explains.
In the same piece, Katy also goes to explain how she literally had to go through the five stages until she came to understand and appreciate Lady Gaga. She may look like she’s out to shock just for the heck of it, but there’s substance behind her lyrics and she’s truly turning pop music into art. And that’s something one can’t but appreciate, Katy Perry says.