Friday, November 30, 2012 3:53pm ET by  
Comments (0)

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Katy Perry: 'I want to be an inspiration not a role model'

Songstress Katy Perry accepted her Woman of the Year award today (November 30) at the annual Billboard Women in Music event and admitted that the title of 'role model' is an intimidating one.

Speaking to Billboard, she explained that there's too much pressure put on people thought to be role models so instead she wants to be thought of as an "inspiration" to others:

"I'd like to change the phrase "role model" to "inspiration." "Role model" puts you on a pedestal that no one can really live up to. For me, aspiring to be an artist at a young age, I didn't think about being a role model. But I definitely thought about being an inspiration. So I hope that I am an inspiration, especially with my work ethic and my ability to overcome obstacles."

"It might mean inspiring someone to be more creative, more honest or have more integrity. All I want to do is encourage people and make them feel. It's not always going to be feeling good. Sometimes it's going to be, "We need to push that out, we need to get through that." And the only way we're going to get through that is a bucket of tears."

Perry also talked about the importance of lyrics and described herself as a "hoarder of words", which is often reflected in her songwriting: "Lyrics can end up on T-shirts, on the inside of wedding rings. They're important. Anyone who says beats are more important obviously doesn't have a heart. They are tin men."

 

 

 

Watch her discuss being crowned Billboard's Woman of the Year below: