Katy Perry Opens Up About Failing to Meet Expectations of Herself & Fighting Self-Doubt

Katy Perry is on the cover of Glamour‘s March 2018 issue, which is out on newsstands on February 13.

Here’s what the 33-year-old Witness pop superstar had to say…

On too much URL and not enough IRL: “We’re all so ‘connected’ to our devices, which I think is disconnecting us from reality. My New Year’s resolution was to turn my phone off one day a week. It’s really about resting, eating, and exercising. In my twenties I used to be able to do shows hung-over after eating an In-N-Out burger. I can’t do that anymore. I’m about to go heavy into that emotional process, and I’m nervous, but I don’t think I have a choice anymore.”

On building a life, instead of just a career: “A lot of my early twenties were really intense, really extreme, and somewhat unconscious. It was all career focused, which was great, but once you touch the ceiling so many times, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I did that. I touched the ceiling.’ Now I want to touch the stars, which has to do with the heart.”

On failing to meet expectations of herself: “I think it was the universe’s way of testing me, of saying, ‘We’re going to see if you do love yourself.’ That was challenging for me, because I didn’t realize how much I relied on the outside validation. I thought that I didn’t, but once you get kicked down the mountain a little bit, you realize that the weather really is better at the top.”

On how she combats self-doubt: “I would say that all of my best songs, or what I think are some of my better songs–’By the Grace of God,’ ‘Roar,’ ‘Firework’–are basically motivational pep talks to myself. They’re my soul speaking to me, saying, ‘Come on. We can do this. One foot in front of the other.’”

For more from Katy, head to Glamour.com.