Katy Perry Talks With Footwear News.

Katy Perry talked with Footwear News about showing fearlessness, Katy Perry Collections, what’s surprised her about the shoe business, how she juggles KPC and her other projects, how the shoe design process compares with writing music, how having her own brand shaped how she looks at fashion, shoe designers she admires, her goal for Katy Perry Collections and more.

In your music, your fashion, even your Twitter feed, you show fearlessness. Where does that come from?

“I didn’t always have it. I’ve done a lot of work lately in the past year on my mental health, on my spiritual and emotional side. Now I’ve been trying to find the balance and not overindulging, just trying to stay grounded. My sister lives right next door to me, and my family is not really fazed by anything. They’re proud of me, but they don’t put me on a pedestal — everybody is pretty normcore. My boyfriend, [Orlando Bloom], is a great anchor. For some reason, I attract people who are really real and call me out on stuff when I’m being cuckoo.”

Now that your “Witness” tour is finished, what are you focused on?

“I’ve been on the road for like 10 years, so I’m just going to chill. I’m not going to go straight into making another record. I feel like I’ve done a lot. I feel like I’ve rung the bell of being a pop star very loudly, and I’m very grateful for that.”

Why do you feel like it’s the right time to take a step back?

“Well, I knew what I wanted to do when I was 9 years old, so everything else became secondary to that. I didn’t really pay attention to anything besides my craft — which is great, and I love it. I love making music, I love writing. But I don’t feel like I’m a part of a game anymore; I just feel like I’m an artist. I don’t feel like I have to prove anything, which is a freeing feeling.”

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Has having your own brand changed the way you look at the fashion world?
“For sure. It’s no small feat, the logistics and organization and responsibility you have to have. It’s not just, ‘Oh, I want to start a shoe line’ — I mean, not if you want to be successful. There are a lot of people who do collaborations, and that’s super-fun, and good for them. But I wanted ownership — it was important to me to [approach this like] Victoria Beckham did. She paved the way for pop stars. You can be taken seriously if you do take it seriously.”