Singer Katy Perry refused to admit if her upcoming fifth album would have a response to Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” with Entertainment Weekly , but she didn’t outright deny anything, either.
Speaking to the publication about the still-untitled LP, the 33-year-old “Chained to the Rhythm” vocalist confessed that the follow-up to her 2013 Prism album is filled with some of the strongest work she’s ever recorded.
Katy Perry reveals if her new album will have a response to Taylor Swift’s #BadBlood : https://t.co/3Rr58ERQXK pic.twitter.com/9agHXibB5l
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) May 9, 2017
“It’s really quite brave [to me],” Perry proclaimed.
“Sonically, it’s fun and dance-y and dark and light. It’s all of these things. It definitely is a change.”
Katy went on to explain that she and her team of writers compiled nearly 40 tunes for the disc, which was ultimately whittled down to 15, including the aforementioned “Chained to the Rhythm” and “Bon Appetit,” Perry’s current single with controversial rap trio Migos, as the Inquisitr recently shared .
“I left my 20’s and I’ve gone to my 30’s [with this album],” Katy continued.
“I’ve embraced [who I am]. I’ve surrendered. I’ve healed some of my issues with my family, with my relationships. Today I’m sober, but I don’t know about tomorrow! One day at a time, right? It’s all kind of beautiful.”
One thing that hasn’t been so beautiful, incidentally, is the reported contention between former friends Katy and Taylor, who purportedly began feuding with one another after Perry allegedly plucked several backup dancers from Swift’s 2012 Red World Tour.
Supposedly in response, Taylor penned the tune “Bad Blood” for her 1989 album, which never named Katy personally, but was more or less confirmed by Swift as being themed around the “California Gurls” performer during a sit down with Rolling Stone in September of 2014.
“For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not,” Swift said of the “gurl” in the song, “[and] she would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, ‘Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?’”
Later in the interview, Swift cemented that the relationship with her “frenemy” had gone completely sour following an underhanded business move of sorts.
“She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me. And I’m surprisingly non-confrontational – you would not believe how much I hate conflict. So now, I have to avoid her. It’s awkward, and I don’t like it.”
Consequently, Perry would appear to out herself as Taylor’s “Bad Blood” nemesis through a judgmental Twitter post she shared the very same day that Swift’s Rolling Stone piece went viral, but now says she has no idea if Taylor’s song was actually about her.
Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing…
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) September 9, 2014
“That’s not my question to answer, if it’s about me,” Katy expressed.
“One thing to note is, you can’t mistake kindness for weakness and don’t come for me. Anyone. And that’s not to any one person and don’t quote me that it is, because it’s not. It’s not about that. Honestly, when women come together and they decide to unite, this world is going to be a better place. Period end of story.”
Perry did, however, allude to addressing certain issues that she’s experienced recently on the new disc — such as her troubles with Taylor.
“Everything [in life] has a reaction or a consequence so don’t forget about that, okay, honey,” she offered with a laugh.
“We got to keep it real, honey. This record is not about anyone else! This record is about me being seen and heard so that I can see and hear everyone else! It’s about everything that I see out there that I digest. I think there’s a healing in it for me and vulnerability. If people want to connect and be healed and feel vulnerable and feel empowered and strong, God bless and here it is.”
Be that as it may, a report from Just Jared on Tuesday mentioned that along with the new album, Katy Perry recently loaned her talents to DJ Calvin Harris, Taylor Swift’s ex, for a song on his upcoming LP. Reps for Swift have not commented on the interview or the collaboration.
[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]