Katy Perry Covers Interview, Talks Madonna and Dealing with ‘Disgusting’ Fame

By Emily Gyben 03/02/12 at 04:00 PM

Photo courtesy of Facebook

Katy Perry on the cover of Interview.

That small-town preacher’s daughter has sure come a long way!

Katy Perry is nearly unrecognizable on the cover of Interview’s latest issue, working a Dolce & Gabbana top, major brows and a swoop of serious cat-eye liner. (No sign of the blue hair!)

But though there may be a trace of Amy Winehouse in her sultry cover shot, it’s another female pop star that she discusses in her interview with SNL funnywoman Kristen Wiig: Madonna.

“I was not even allowed to mention the name Madonna in my household—just because I think the ’80s and ’90s were so Madonna-filled,” Perry says. “One day she was doing a sex book, and the next day she was doing Ray of Light [1998]. She left so many huge visual impressions on people, and I think for my parents, with their belief systems, the idea that I would be influenced by that at such a young age was very scary.”

Naturally, Perry says, that didn’t stop her from getting obsessed. “Of course, when you can’t have something, then that’s all you want, so whenever I was at my friends’ houses, I would be like, ‘Turn on MTV!’”

Perry refrains from discussing her recent divorce from Russell Brand, but does chat with Wiig about the perils of fame.

“What I wanted to be and who I am is a singer and a songwriter,” she said. “I wanted to be onstage, and I wanted the world to hear my music. The product of that is fame and the disgusting celebrity that goes along with it. But celebrity does not equal creativity, and the reason I’m here is because I want to create.”

The March 2012 issue of Interview is on newsstands now.