KatyCat for Life

I guess you could say that I’ve more-or-less always aware of Katy Perry as an artist. I first became aware of her music back in elementary school. My first exposure to Katy Perry was “Hot ‘N’ Cold”. I remember thinking “Wow! That is SUCH a catchy song!” However, it was not my first exposure that would make me a lifelong KatyCat. At the time, Katy Perry was one of many pop girls of the era I would sometimes listen to on the family computer. I never would have imagined the outsized impact Katy Perry and her music would eventually have on me.

I continued to cross paths with her music as moved into her next era, releasing smash hits such as “California Gurls”, “Teenage Dream”, “E.T.”, “Last Friday Night”, “The One That Got Away”, and “Firework”. I continued to listen to her music, but I still wasn’t a full-fledged KatyCat. As elementary school became middle school, I began to follow her artistry a bit more closely, although I wouldn’t have called myself a fan just yet. I remember watching her documentary “Katy Perry: Part of Me” and the film humanized her in my mind. Suddenly, she was more than the girl with the crazy hair and the silly outfits. She became a human facing her own struggles and I had a new perspective of her.

About a year later, I began my final year of middle school, and it quickly became the darkest chapter of my life. Even though I didn’t come out publicly until high school, some of my middle school peers bullied me because they perceived me as gay. I was repeatedly ostracized, beaten, and worse throughout that school year. In the midst of it all, I stumbled across the music video for “Firework”. Despite the song being released in 2010, I didn’t come across the music video until 2013. I watched the video, and it rocked my world. About two minutes into the video, there is a scene where two guys kiss each other after spotting each other in the club. I had known for some time that I was gay, but I always felt alone. After watching the video, I knew there were others like me. In that moment, I knew that I wanted to go out and find those others. Katy Perry’s “Firework” became the solitary spark of light that got me through the darkness. Katy Perry was the first person that made the real me feel seen and her artistry was my first window into a world I thought was impossible. In that moment, I became a KatyCat.

To this day, “Firework” remains my favorite song of all time. Hearing it on my playlists continues to give me hope, and reminds me just how far I’ve come. On the handful of occasions I’ve been able to see Katy perform the song live, it not only makes me cry, but it also makes me feel like I’m levitating in midair and sparks are going to fly out of my chest.

Shortly after I discovered the “Firework” music video, I found out Katy Perry’s next album “PRISM” was set to release on my 14th birthday. Upon its release, the album’s themes of finding light in the dark resonated with me and further cemented me as a KatyCat.

The rest, as they say, is history. I’ve been a KatyCat alongside Katy Perry on her journey ever since. I’m a KatyCat for life. Always remember: after a hurricane, comes a rainbow.

143 FOR LIFE, KATY!

Return to Blog

← Previous Entry | Next Entry →