Katy Perry is opening up about coming out of her hardest life experiences.
Speaking to PEOPLE as the magazineâs latest cover girl, the pregnant superstar gets candid about everything from expecting her daughter with fiancĂ© Orlando Bloom, enduring through the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, and surviving the âdarkestâ periods of her life.
"Every day your options change, and you don't know what's what. Especially being pregnant in a pandemic, it's an emotional rollercoaster," said the âSmileâ musician, who credits Bloom, therapy and medication for helping her find strength after suffering from years of depression.
"Having a great partner, having a sound mind, continuing to do the work, I'm not as flinchable,â Perry added. âIâm not untouchable or invincible, but it's a little bit more like water off a duck's back.â
The 35-year-old recalled âwallowingâ in her own sadness after hitting rock bottom after suffering her private and personal issues that impacted her mental health, admitting it was âgratitudeâ that had âsaved my lifeâ amid those dark times.
Recovering from that ânightmareâ period, which Perry likened to feeling like âyouâre being attacked, and you canât wake up,â the superstar took âbaby stepsâ at developing coping mechanisms with The Hoffman Process, a week-long healing retreat of transformation and development for people who feel stuck in one or more important areas of their life.
Now, the expectant mommy says sheâs regained control of her life â â[taking] the wheel back,â as she says â and found her smile again in what she knows best: music. Her upcoming album, Smile, is due out August 28, and Perry says it will be âfull of hopefulness, full of resilience, full of joy and love.â
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