Sounding increasingly like the less stellar episodes of Dear White People, Katy Perry has spoken to the New York Times about the paradox of being too plugged in to conversations about social justice, equality, and politics. In a long interview, the Witness singer has a message for fans who miss the old (and largely apolitical) Kitty Purry: “I didn’t kill [the old Katy], because I love her, and she is exactly what I had to do then,†she explained. Part of KP in the Witness era is dutifully trying to be openly woke, to middling results.
Reacting to a steady stream of criticism (TMZ’s Met Ball headline: “Katy Perry Rocks Ugly Outfit by Jew-Hating Designerâ€) is a “maddening game,†she said. Referring to what she called “this strange race to be the most woke,†she added, “They want you to stand for something, but once you do, and if you don’t do it perfectly, they’re ready to take you right down.â€
In her Twitter bio and on shirts worn during her yoga class, according to the Times, Perry admits to that she “knows nothing.†She’s growing, though, and returns to a pyramid-in-progress metaphor to convince us. “I know that sometimes it feels publicly like I’m dragging cement blocks, but like, the pyramids were made out of cement blocks — or not cement,†she said. “But do you know what I’m trying to say? I’m gonna get there.â€