UNITED KINGDOM: Katy-mania hits London as star promotes film "Katy Perry: Part of Me"

Record ID: 221191

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Katy-mania hits London as star promotes film "Katy Perry: Part of Me"
  • Date: 4th July 2012
  • Summary: PERRY HOLDING BABY
  • Embargoed: 19th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVACCD1F0XT9GKXMDT54N9O5RTUK
  • Story Text: U.S. pop star Katy Perry got her British fans' hearts pounding as she stepped out in London's Leicester Square for the European premiere of her new concert film "Katy Perry: Part of Me" on Tuesday (July 3).
    Hundreds of fans, many of them dressed with coloured wigs and heart-shaped glasses, stood behind the barriers of the pink carpet, which had been decorated with giant milkshakes and lollipop props for Perry's arrival.

    "This is the thing that's gonna happen", Perry told a screaming crowd shortly after she arrived.

    "I have to act like a professional on this pink carpet for a second and after I act like a professional I'm gonna come out and get wild with you," she promised.
    Despite Tuesday's weather staying largely dry, Katy decided to complement her Marchesa dress with a huge Union Jack umbrella as she was interviewed by reporters. The singer completed her British pink carpet outfit with Union Jack eyelashes, jewellery and umbrella.
    Distributor Paramount Pictures and Perry, whose last album "Teenage Dream" produced such hits as "Firework", "California Gurls" and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)", teamed up to promote the first big screen look at Perry's life.
    Paramount had previously also been behind pop singer Justin Bieber's concert film, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never", which grossed nearly $100 million worldwide on a budget of $13 million.
    Although Perry counts as one of the most successful female acts around, her fame didn't come overnight. And as she told Reuters Television, at the beginning, not everyone shared her vision.

    "There was some times when I felt upset about the situation that I was in. Like when I first moved to Los Angeles at seventeen I really wanted my voice to be heard and my ambition to be realized like then and there. But it never happened until twenty-three. It didn't happen until the timing was right, because looking back if I would have gotten all the success then I may not have been able to handle it. So I always say that God's rejection, umm, rejection is God's protection," she said.
    British teen sensation Conor Maynard, who hit the charts with his debut single "Can't Say No" earlier this year, said he expects the film to show audiences how tough the music business is to break into.

    "People think it's all easy. Like they think that you just suddenly sing and suddenly you're massive, but it's not really like that. You gotta go through a lot of things, you'll be in the studio, don't get to see your family, don't get to see your friends. It's a lot of hard work so I think it's (the film "Katy Perry: Part of Me") definitely gonna showcase how hard it is to be an artist," he said.
    The film, which is named after one of her songs, chronicles Perry's religious upbringing, her struggles and pressures on becoming a pop star, her marriage breakup with actor Russell Brand, as well as tour footage.
    It also features scenes of and by her many fans. At the beginning of the film Perry states that she wants to "be a leader" but acknowledges that this also entails a lot of "responsibilities". At the premiere, she told Reuters Television that she hopes she can inspire people, but ultimately she doesn't feel she should give anyone advice on what to do in their life.

    "Well of course when I became an artist it wasn't like I said: 'Also, I wanna tell people when it's time for them to do this, that and the other', because I can't make that decision for them. I can only hopefully be inspiring and everyone can kind of, you know some people don't have like the right support system or the right group of fans or family. So everybody is, has their own individual circumstance, and hopefully they can make the right decisions for themselves. Not just because Katy Perry says so, cause I will mess up," she said.
    2012 has so far been a busy year for Katy, professionally as well as personally. She has completed her "California Dreams" tour, went through a divorce and is now travelling to promote her film. Despite all that, the singer doesn't seem interested in disappearing for too long.

    "I'm just going to recharge so that I have something worth saying for the next record. But if you saw the movie you would know that I do like to have a lot of fun and if I'm not having fun then I don't like to do it," she said.
    While Perry didn't give away details as to what her next album would sound like, she suggested it will be different from what people have heard so far.

    "I don't wanna ever replicate or try and duplicate or try and like you know outdo myself cause that's an exhausting game so I'm gonna have to be creative on the next one," she said.
    Until she returns to the stage, fans will be able to enjoy "Katy Perry: Part of Me" in cinemas from July 5 in both the U.S. and the UK.
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