Katy Perry is an inspiration to girls all over the world. In addition to a truly impressive career in the music industry, Perry has embarked on a range of different ventures, blessing the planet with her many talents. She has achieved a lot of things since having her baby, Daisy Dove. But the ‘Daisies’ singer didn’t have the easiest start to life. In fact, she survived a pretty tough childhood.

Despite the odds, Perry rose up against the hurdles in her path and pursued her dreams of becoming a singer. After working hard at her goals, she found mainstream success in 2008 with her smash single ‘I Kissed a Girl’, which put her on the map as a pop star. Years later, she’s opening up about her childhood and the struggles she faced. Here’s why Katy Perry’s childhood was so tough and how she was able to overcome the obstacles.

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Her Evangelical Household

The truth about Katy Perry’s childhood is that she grew up in a strict evangelical household. Her parents were so religious that they imposed severe rules on Perry and her siblings, which made her feel like she “didn’t have a childhood.”

In 2011, Perry told Vanity Fair that the only book she was allowed to read growing up was the Bible. She also wasn’t allowed to say certain words including “deviled eggs” or “Dirt Devil”. As far as music goes, Perry was only allowed to listen to the soundtracks for Sister Act 1 and 2.

“There was a movie called Jesus Camp, and I watched it I was like, 'I didn't know they had behind-the-scenes footage of my childhood,’” the pop star told Vanity Fair (via Nicki Swift).

Interestingly, her childhood affected her motherhood journey years later.

A Lack Of Education

In addition to the religious beliefs and rules imposed on her from a young age, Katy Perry also didn’t have access to the best education, contributing to her difficult childhood. According to the Irish Times, Perry only attended school up until the age of 15, when she left to pursue a career as a gospel singer.

As a young child, Perry attended Sunday school where the kids played with felt depictions of hell—another reason why she feels like her childhood was just “the Jesus train”. Reportedly, Perry was also discouraged from expressing her feelings or seeking therapy. She also lived in a world dominated by patriarchal traditions where men were in control.

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Turning To Music

The one saving grace that Perry had in her life was music. The Irish Times reports that the singer’s “transactional” relationship with validation happened when he began singing at the age of nine. Perry found that people were in awe of her talent and it changed the way that they related to her. In this way, music was an escape for her.

“Everyone went from ignoring me to, whoosh, like now I had this magic trick of being able to hold attention,” she revealed.

Her Relationship With Religion Today

Though Perry didn’t have an overly positive childhood (or any childhood at all, by her account), her experience with Christianity as a child didn’t completely ruin her relationship with religion for life. According to Goal Cast, Perry has since examined and discovered her own relationship with her faith since moving out of home. These days, she relates to religion through the lens of personal spirituality and this has helped her to practice humility and gratitude.

Ultimately, Perry doesn’t agree with the way that everything went down in her childhood. But she does believe that her tough experience taught her many lessons about herself. And it hasn’t destroyed her relationship with religion.

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Where She Stands With Her Parents

Today, Perry still has a relationship with her parents. Despite their strict beliefs and rules, they didn’t disown her when she grew up and took a path that was different from what they would have chosen for her.

“Even though they don’t necessarily agree with some of the things I do, they love me as their daughter,” she said (via Goal Cast).

In an interview with Vogue in 2018, Perry revealed that her parents do also pray for her: “My mom has prayed for me my entire life, hoping I’d come back to God. I never left Him, I was just a little bit secular, I was more materialistic and more career-driven. But now that I’m in my 30s, it’s more about spirituality and heart wholeness.”

Katy Perry As A Mother

Now that Katy Perry has a daughter of her own—Daisy Dove, whom she shares with actor Orlando Bloom—she is taking lessons from her own experience when it comes to being a mother. But not the lessons you might think.

“I’ve had extremely high highs and extremely low lows and I’ve heard that having children is like the best gift of all, so I’m ready to step into that role and receive the unconditional love that I had a hard time receiving years ago,” she said (via Goal Cast), explaining that she’ll use her childhood experience to raise her daughter without repeating the mistakes of her parents.

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