Katy Perry performed songs from her new album at the new iHeart theater.
Perry, 28, kicked off the evening in front of about 400 close friends and fans, known as “Katycats,” with an electrified performance of her hit song “Roar.”
Your biggest bully becomes yourself,” she told the audience, explaining the inspiration for “Roar’ and a lesson she learned since becoming an adult.
“Sometimes you gotta find that inner strength and stand up for yourself. That’s why I wrote it, to find my own voice,” she said.
Between songs, host Mario Lopez as the singer questions about the album, what inspired many of the songs, and what they mean to her.
Katy Rocks iHeart Party in Sheer Dress
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Katy said the album was her “most personal” yet and a departure from the sound and themes of her previous album, Teenage Dreams. She also said the album was her “most relatable.”
She performed four new songs from the record: “Dark Horse,” “By The Grace Of God,” “This Moment” and “Unconditionally.”
“Dark Horse, which she sang without rapper Juicy J, is about “Witchy Love,” she said. She was inspired by the ’90s cult film classic “The Craft.” The movie is about three Catholic high school girls who practice witchcraft and go wreak havoc after learning to conjure spells.
The inspiration should come as no surprise since Katy was raised in a deeply religious household where her parents truly believe in demons, devils and witches.
“By The Grace Of God” was the first song she wrote for the album and is a reflection of her at her “most vulnerable.”
“You hear me find my strength through the song,” she said.
She sang “This Moment” live for the first time at the event, sponsored by Yahoo and iHeartRadio. She wrote the song, she said, after reading Eckhart Tolle’s book called “The Power Of Now: A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment.”
She called “Unconditionally,” her “crown jewel off the record” and closed the night with it. “It’s about this universal love that we all search for. Love is the highest emotion that we live our lives for,” she said.
The album went on sale today (Oct. 22) and the show will be aired on The CW network, Fri, Oct. 26 at 9pm Eastern.
Check out Katy’s performances below, photos from the event above and follow TheImproper on Twitter for the latest Katy Perry news you can trust. For more info on the show, check out iHeart Radio.