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Katy Perry delved into balancing motherhood with her busy career in her cover story for Variety’s Power of Women issue.
The 36-year-old singer–songwriter gushed about finally finding her ‘balance’ as she learned to live in the ‘real world’ with her fiancé Orlando Bloom, 44, and their one-year-old daughter Daisy Dove.
Joining Katy on alternate covers were a bevy of female icons and visionaries, including Lorde, Rita Moreno, Warner Bros. Television CEO Channing Dungey and poet Amanda Gorman.
Speaking out: Katy Perry, 36, spoke about finding ‘balance’ in motherhood and her upcoming Las Vegas residency on Wednesday as she graced one of the covers of Variety’s Power of Women issue
Katy showed off her winning smile in her cover photo while wearing a stunning white off-the-shoulder dress with a thick collar folded down over her chest.
She added some luster to the elegant look with thick dangling gold earrings framed by her long dark hair.
Speaking of motherhood, the Teenage Dream singer admitted social media gave her a false impression of what motherhood would be like.
‘I think all of social media is skewed. It’s a big, ole, fat echo chamber and the real determinator is the algorithm,’ she mused.
‘I really enjoyed my experience. I’m still 10 pounds bigger than when I started, but I’m not in a rush, Katy admitted. ‘It’s been a year. I’m more interested in her happiness and my happiness and mental health. Hormones are … pretty interesting.’
Misled: The Teenage Dream singer admitted social media gave her a false impression of what motherhood would be like, though she now has a new perspective as she raises daughter Daisy Dove with fiancé Orlando Bloom; seen on September 25 in LA
She also recounted how difficult the early days of motherhood were after she gave birth to little Daisy.
‘As a new mom, those first six weeks are like, “What?” It’s just the biggest life change ever,’ she said.
‘You’re responsible for someone’s well-being that can’t even hold their head up. It’s a real shift, and you become not No. 1 on the call sheet.’
Even though it was difficult adjusting to the changes, being a mother gave her a new perspective on life.
‘It’s the best. Everything that’s supposed to fade away, fades away, and a balance comes in,’ she shared. ‘I like to live more in the real world for now.’
Katy also revealed that her work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation had taught her to ‘see through the eyes of a child’ and to truly understand the nature of unconditional love, which she later felt for her daughter.
Motherly love: Katy revealed her work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation taught her to ‘see through the eyes of a child’ and to understand unconditional love, which she later felt for Daisy; seen with Daisy in April in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Although Daisy turned one on August 26, the Firework singer said they held off on birthday celebrations as Orlando was out of town for work.
‘We’re going to properly celebrate, but when your phone reminds you of one year ago today, you’re like, “Oh my god, having a child a legit, constant timestamp.” In the past, it’s all a blur, but then you have a child that’s growing before your very eyes and it’s just so profound,’ she said.
The couple reunited in public on September 25 for the opening gala of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Speaking of her upcoming Play residency in Vegas, Katy called it an ‘accumulation of everything’ she had done before, describing it as ‘Pop on ’roids.’
‘It is literally larger than life. Think: Super Bowl, but supersized. … This isn’t the next tour, next record, next era,’ she said. ‘This is an accumulation of everything. It’s probably the weirdest [show] I’ve ever done. Its humor is dark. It’s a little wrong — but a good wrong.’
She added: ‘I feel like we have the most unique show that a musician has ever brought to Vegas.’
Going wild: The songstress called her Vegas Play residency the ‘weirdest’ thing she’d ever done. ‘I feel like we have the most unique show that a musician has ever brought to Vegas,’ she said; seen in July in Capri, Italy
One of the perks of the arrangement is that she’ll still be able to see Daisy and even get to take her to school, unlike a world tour, which would keep her away from her home and family.
Despite her enthusiasm for her Vegas show, its vibe is at odds with her upbringing from two Pentecostal pastors.
‘My family is a continual opportunity to practice patience, to learn and to listen,’ she said carefully. ‘We have extremely different points of views when it comes to politics, but change starts within. It’s really about who you can touch in your immediate circle, and that has a ripple effect.’
But her connection to Las Vegas’ entertainment industry seems to have skipped a generation, as her grandmother helped make costumes for showgirls in Sin City decades ago.
‘She used to sew pockets into their G-strings to hold their wedding rings,’ she explained.
Her aunt also worked as a dancer for the topless Folies Bergère show.
‘I’ve got some blood there,’ Katy said of the iconic city.
Defending herself: Lorde, 24, defended her new LP Solar Power and claimed critics were harsher because she’s a woman. ‘I’m sure there’s a double standard’
Lorde graces another cover of the Power of Women issue in a lovely beige skirt with pink tulle lining and a brown top as she flips her leg up dramatically.
The 24-year-old singer took some time to defend her new album Solar Power, which had a cooler reception than previous LPs.
‘”Oh, the sound is so light,”‘ she said, mocking a common complaint from critics.
‘Yes, it’s light intentionally,’ she claimed.
The songwriter said she wanted to move away from a somber sound, which she doesn’t think is necessary to convey credibility.
‘I begrudge no one what they want from me, but as someone who’s done both, lightness is way harder to achieve than darkness,’ she said.
Lorde also suggested that critics more less willing to accept a deviation from her formula because she’s a woman.
‘I’m trying to think of how to phrase this,’ she began. ‘There are specific archetypes that people want you to oscillate between. I’m sure there’s a double standard. I almost don’t think of myself as a female artist sometimes, just because I’m less an object of desire.’
Never stopping: Rita Moreno, 89, joked she wouldn’t retire until she couldn’t walk and praised Steven Spielberg’s new West Side Story adaptation, which she produces and appears in
Legendary actress Rita Moreno, 89, sounded defiant as she said she would only retire if she could no longer walk.
‘And even then, there’s always a wheelchair — or roller skates,’ she added.
The West Side Story actress, who won an Oscar for her role in the 1961 film, commended director Steven Spielberg’s work on a new adaptation, which she produces and appears in.
‘I love the way they did America. It’s completely different from the rooftop America that we did, and believe me, that’s a terrific thing,’ she said of her signature song. ‘Spielberg and [choreographer] Justin [Peck] decided they weren’t going to compete with something that’s so iconic.’
Rising up: Warner Bros. Television CEO Channing Dungey recounted her early days when female executives were a novelty
Channing Dungey, who became the Chairperson and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Studios in January, beamed in a pleated white-and-blue flora-print dress on her cover.
She celebrated her ascent, which included stops along the way at ABC Entertainment and Netflix, but remarked on how far she had come from her early days.
‘I came in when people were still routinely referring to women who were working in the business as “D girls,”‘ she recalled.
Dungey also recounted how she fought to have a Black actress star in Shonda Rhimes’ ABC series Scandal and then advocated for it to get a second season in a meeting with executives including former Disney CEO Bob Iger and former Disney/ABC TV Group boss Anne Sweeney.
‘I went into that room and said, “As a Black woman, I am speaking out in favor of this show, written and created by a Black woman and starring a Black woman. It deserves a second season.”‘
Rising star: Poet Amanda Gorman described her new fame as ‘terrifying in many ways’ after viewers took an instant interest in her work after she appeared at Joe Biden’s inauguration
Amanda Gorman, who had viewers listening to her every word when she recited some of her poetry at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, glowed on her cover in a sparkling plunging dress covered in blue, green and teal stripes.
Although Gorman was already a published poet, the major platform made her an overnight sensation.
She described her instant jump to fame as ‘terrifying in many ways’ because she didn’t feel ‘in control’ of her ‘image or voice.’
But the poet said she navigates the ‘storm or hurricane of attention or visibility,’ by reminding herself that ‘I still have the most control over myself compared to anyone else.’
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