Speaking from the stage of the 2012 NARM Awards ceremony, at which she was presented with the coveted Artist of the Year prize, the 'Teenage Dream' hitmaker explained that she has poured her heart and soul into both creating and promoting her latest record, and is finally ready to take a break:

"I swear after this song, I'm taking a f***ing vacation."

Perry also reflected on the moment she decided she wanted to pursue music as a career and admitted that after hearing Queen's theatrical cut 'Killer Queen', there was no doubt in her mind about dedicating herself to her passion:

"I wasn't allowed to listen to secular music, so every time I would go over to my friends house I would make them turn on MTV real quick. And one of my friends… one day pulled out a record, a song in particular called "Killer Queen" by Queen."

"I remember hearing that song and -- I don't know if you have that moment in your memory because you work in the music industry -- there was that one song that hit you like a shockwave and I remember falling down in what felt like slow motion in my bed listening to the lyrics of "Killer Queen." And I thought to myself, 'Oh my gosh, this music is incredible. These lyrics speak to me…' and that's what really made me want to be who I am today."

"So thank you for selling that record to her (Perry's friend who played her 'Killer Queen' for the first time), so that I could have that one moment, that epiphany that led me to this place today."

Watch her full acceptance speech from the 2012 Narm Awards (May 10) below: