‘Roar’ing welcome for Katy Perry

Dressed in a pink bodycon dress with yellow polka dots and balloon sleeves paired with fuzzy heels, Katy Perry made her first pre-show appearance in the city in her iconic style. The Hot and Cold singer, who is all set to perform at the One Plus Festival in Mumbai for the first time is bringing a huge production with her. The pop star opened up about her love for music, her Mumbai itinerary, and future plans at a recent press interaction.

No stranger to India, Katy has earlier performed at the opening ceremony of IPL back in 2012. But this time around, the Roar singer wants to take some time to soak in the experience. “It’s been a long time since I have been here and when I was here for the IPL, I was kind of in and out and this time is all about immersing and educating myself,” says Katy. She acknowledges that most singers skip over India when it comes to deciding tour stops, but Katy is excited to mesmerise the audience with her over-the-top production.

“It is sometimes difficult to bring a big production over here and that’s why most people don’t add places on their tour because they have to change everything. But I really wanted to come back to India.”

The music festival will also see artists such as Dua Lipa and homegrown talents including Amit Trivedi, The Local Train, among others, and Katy is excited to share the stage with them.

“I’m excited to watch some of the other people who are going to be on stage. I’m not familiar with some of the bands as I should be. And I’m excited to immerse myself in the culture this week in Mumbai,” says the singer, who is also looking forward to roaming around the city and indulging in some delicious food. She adds, “I don’t want to stay in my room, I’m not that girl who just orders room service and chills. I like to go out, seek the world. I love the people, the culture, the traditions — I love all of it. You’re gonna catch me in the street.”

And to take her around the city, there is Bollywood diva Jacqueline Fernandez. The Race 3 actress, who couldn’t stop fangirling over Katy, has picked up an outfit for the singer. “I have been following your work for the longest time and you’ve been a major source of inspiration when it comes to costumes and get up looks. When I’m going for something, or about to start a project, I research your stuff. So I picked up something kind of cool for her and hope she’ll be wearing it soon,” says Jacqueline. The singer would also be meeting some B-town stars and is excited to attend some fun party.

When questioned about the idea behind the music festival, Tilen Pilag, Head of Community, One Plus points out that music is a way of bringing people together. He says, “In every community, there’s a shared interest and humans connect at a certain level to share interests and values.”

Katy agrees with the statement and says, “Music is the universal language. Wherever you go, no matter the language you speak, you can all unite over singing the same song and it is the same feeling. In an age where we feel so disconnected, when we come together as a community for a music concert, that’s where I feel the magic again.”