Katy Perry purrs on the cover of the June 2011 issue of Vanity Fair Magazine. Between the covers of the style mag, the “Teenage Dream” singer speaks out for the first time — albeit cryptically — about a tell-all book her preacher mother, Mary Hudson, is shopping about her and reveals the differences between hers and her parents’ way of thinking.
The “Teenage Dream” singer blames her strict Christian upbringing at the hands of her evangelical-minister parents of robbing her of a normal childhood.
“I didn’t have a childhood,” Katy told VF, adding that she was not allowed to say things like “deviled eggs” or “Dirt Devil,” to listen to secular music or read books besides the Bible during her years of maturation in California. “Growing up, seeing Planned Parenthood, it was considered like the abortion clinic. I was always scared I was going to get bombed when I was there … I didn’t know it was more than that, that it was for women and their needs. I didn’t have insurance, so I went there and I learned about birth control.”
Perry credits her husband, actor Russell Brand, with opening her mind even more.
“I come from a very non-accepting family, but I’m very accepting…My husband always reminds me to keep the core intact, because that’s what matters. I just think I have to appreciate every day, every opportunity, work hard, and continue to evolve as an artist.
Katy On Refusing To Sell Wedding Photos: “The press is just not your friend when it comes to marriage. That’s why we didn’t sell the pictures of our wedding, and we got offered millions of dollars for them, millions. It’s the wrong kind of attention. It detracts from the reason why you exist. We wanted that moment to ourselves.”
Perry On Her Career: “My career is like an artichoke. People might think that the leaves are tasty and buttered up and delicious, and they don’t even know that there’s something magical hidden at the base of it. I think that eventually, [with me], you’ll see more layers. There’s a whole other side that people didn’t know existed.”
On Google: “I’m four months Google-free. I don’t Google myself any more. That was my New Year’s resolution. I don’t read papers. I don’t even look at reviews. I have a good team around me so if anything pops up that’s really good or bad I’ll know about it. Generally I feel much better being able to live my life like a normal person and not read yesterday’s news.”