Katy Perry says her mom prays for her to ‘come back to God’ but says she never left

Originally published in The Christian Post

Katy Perry revealed that her mom has been praying for her to “come back to God” her entire pop star life after her transition out of the Christian music industry. Though the singer said she never left God, she is now focused more on “spirituality.”

In a recent Vogue Australia interview, the 33-year-old said her change comes now that she is in her 30s.

“My mom has prayed for me my entire life, hoping I’d come back to God. I never left Him, I was just a little bit secular, I was more materialistic and more career-driven,” she admitted. “But now that I’m in my 30s, it’s more about spirituality and heart wholeness.”

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Perry was raised by Christian parents and started her singing career as a Christian artist but after not making it in that industry, she turned to pop music. Her parents, Mary and Keith Hudson, are travelling Pentecostal ministers who have asked fellow believers to pray for their daughter rather than judge her. Though they do not agree with some of her music, including the 2008 hit I Kissed a Girl, they have supported her throughout her career.

Rejected traditional Christian beliefs
Over the years, the popular artist has rejected traditional Christian beliefs, including Heaven and Hell. She has often shared that she was shielded from a lot in her childhood because of her religious upbringing, which turned her away from the faith.

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In a 2013 interview with Marie Claire, Perry said she believes in a “higher power bigger than me” but she rejected Christianity.

“I’m not Buddhist, I’m not Hindu, I’m not Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God,” she said.

Recently, Perry has been singing a different tune and focusing more on her spiritual side.

During her recent stint on American Idol, she has commented on faith on social media and in the competition.

Over Easter weekend, she displayed her Jesus tattoo and wrote on Instagram, “My brokenness + God’s Divinity = My wholeness.”

Only God’s grace
Last year in June, Perry launched a marathon weekend of livestream events to promote the release her latest album, Witness. During a live therapy session that week, she tearfully talked about her upbringing, feeling “ashamed” of having had suicidal thoughts in the past but admitted that it was only God’s grace that helped her through.

The session shed light on a low point in her life after she split with her ex-husband, Russell Brand, and battled thoughts of suicide. She admitted channelling her feelings into her 2013 song, By the Grace of God, which talks about God intervening.

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She elaborated in an interview with Glamour this year:

“I have had a lot of those thoughts, and I’ve written a lot of songs because of those thoughts. 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.'”