The Future of Katy Perry – and the Future of Pop – Rolling Stone

Katy Perry — who just gave birth to her first child, and also released her sixth studio album, Smile — is at a career and personal crossroads, which we discuss in detail in the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now. The episode features Perry’s recent interview with Brittany Spanos (also captured on video for our RS Interview: Special Edition series), where Perry breaks down the making of Smile, why the whole “purposeful pop” narrative around her previous album, Witness, was overblown, her hopes for her future, and much more. “There are still so many dreams to be dreamed,” Perry tells Spanos, “but they’re different dreams.”

In another segment, Spanos offers a detailed breakdown of Perry’s last few years in the spotlight, her current place in the pop pantheon, and the various controversies she’s faced, while we also look back at Perry’s 2014 Rolling Stone cover story.

To hear the entire podcast episode, press play above or download and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.

Download and subscribe to our weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on iTunes or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts), and check out three years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Neil Young, the National, Questlove, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Alicia Keys, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many more — plus dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters. Tune in every Friday at 1 p.m. ET to hear Rolling Stone Music Now broadcast live from SiriusXM’s studios on Volume, channel 106.