Katy Perry Reflects on Bi Anthem, LGBTQ+ Fans Being 'My Community'

Speaking about her Las Vegas residency, which starts today, Katy Perry looked back at her career-defining bi anthem "I Kissed a Girl," and reflected on the embrace of the LGBTQ+ fans whom she now calls "my community."

"While it was a hit, the song was criticized for trivializing queer female sexuality and Perry was accused of queerbaiting – though the singer has been frank about her own same-sex experiences," the singer told Out Magazine.

Indeed, "I was just writing about my own experience" with the song, Perry reaffirmed in her interview with Out.

Before she was known for her hits like "Teenage Dream" and "Roar," Perry tried her hand at Christian music.

"I came from a very sheltered upbringing where it wasn't okay to be friends with anyone from [the LGBTQ+] community," Perry told Out. "And now that is my community.

"That is my show," Perry added. "That is my people. It's my everyday life. It's in my house, it's in my work. I wouldn't have survived without the community and couldn't, quite honestly."

Perry's Las Vegas residency, titled "PLAY," draws inspiration from 90s movies, with a narrative being build around the extensive playlist. Perry disclosed that she plays a doll that becomes a plaything for both a boy and a girl at different points along its journey. Elaborate, outsized set pieces are part of the show, reflecting the doll's diminutive stature.

"I have like a 30-foot toilet that's 10 times my size," Perry said. "I pop out of it. I have a bedroom scene, a bathroom scene, an outdoor scene where I maybe take some mushrooms."

The psychedelic inferences were echoed in an Instagram post in which Perry promoted the show, calling it a "TRIP" and inviting fans to "GET PSYCHED!!"