Katy Perry has spoken out about the more controversial aspects of her first chart-topping song, ‘I Kissed A Girl’.
Back in 2008, Katy reached number one on both sides of the Atlantic with her debut single, though she took a lot of heat from some critics at the time, who felt that the lyrics trivialised bisexuality, particularly after she claimed shortly after the song was released that she’d, in fact, never actually kissed a woman before.
Almost a decade later, Katy has addressed the matter, admitting there are certain things she wishes she could change.
In a new video for Glamour magazine, she said: “We’ve really changed, conversationally, in the past 10 years. We’ve come a long way. Bisexuality wasn’t as talked about back then, or any type of fluidity.
As well as criticism for exploiting the LGBT+ community, both over ‘I Kissed A Girl’ and another of her early songs, ‘Ur So Gay’, Katy has repeatedly been accused of cultural appropriation and racial insensitivity throughout her career.
This was something else Katy has since addressed, particularly during her ‘Witness World Wide’ live stream last year, which saw her discussing the matter with civil rights activist DeRay McKesson.
However, her response proved divisive, with some praising Katy for being able to admit her mistakes, but others criticising her for taking so long to address the matter, and relying on women of colour in her life to bring the issue to her attention and highlight areas she needed to work on.
Watch Glamour’s full video below: