On wanting a change in the world: “I think we are largely in desperate need of revolutionary change in the way our mindset is. Our priority is fame, and people’s wellness is way low. I saw this knowing full well that I’m a part of the problem. I’m playing the game, though I am trying to reroute. Anyway, not to get all politically divulging and introspective, but the fact that America doesn’t have free health care drives me f—ing absolutely crazy, and is so wrong.”
On reacting to bad reviews: “Whenever people ask me about having bad reviews, I’m like, ‘Have you seen the run I’ve had? Have you seen the numbers?’ Numbers do not lie!”
On showing she knows the limits of pop music: "Since the age of nine all I've wanted to do is share my perspective and hopefully help people through my music, whether it just makes someone smile or a song becomes someone's mantra for life or a motto or whatever. I’m not a dummy. I know ‘California Gurls’ isn’t going to save the world. But I got a lot of heart from my upbringing and I put a lot of heart in my songs.”
On learning to embrace her body: "I started praying for [breasts] when I was, like, 11," she says. "And God answered that prayer above and beyond, by, like, 100 times, until I was like, 'Please, stop, God. I can't see my feet anymore. Please stop!' I was a lot more rectangular then. I didn't understand my body. Someone in sixth grade called me 'Over-the-shoulder boulder holder.' I didn't know I could use them. So, what I did was, I started taping them down. How long did I tape them down for? Probably until I was about 19. And, no, I don't have any psychological pain because of it."
On meeting some of her idols: "I remember coming to L.A. for the first time and meeting Gwen Stefani and how gracious and wonderful she was, and then meeting another favorite artist of mine and what a c**t she was. It ruined my dreams of that person, the c**t, and I will always be a fan of the person who was gracious."
On her husband, Russell Brand: “He's changed so much. If I have a hangover, I look at him and say, 'How the f**k did you do heroin every day, when I can't even have three glasses of wine and not want to ever drink again?' I'm so happy he lived, of course. God bless him."
Behind-the-scenes video:
Photographs by Terry Richardson
Courtesy of Rolling Stone
