In USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives, whether it’s at home, on set or on the road.
As she prepares to embark on her first world tour in seven years, Katy Perry needs to gather a few performance prep necessities before hitting the road.
“Actually, my rider isn’t as crazy as some people think,” the space-voyaging superstar says of the requests she makes when performing at a venue.
Perry’s Lifetimes Tour kicks off in Mexico City on April 23, over a week after her historic Blue Origin space flight with an all-female crew that included Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez.
Before she goes on stage, Perry revealed in a recent sit-down with USA TODAY, her routine skews “California crunchy.” But the night doesn’t end after the “California Gurls” singer leaves the stage; as a self-professed “night owl,” she also has some favorite post-concert activities that might surprise you.
From transcendental meditation to online shopping, these are the pop star’s must-haves for touring.
Katy Perry reveals her ‘California crunchy’ Lifetimes Tour necessities
As she kicks off her Lifetimes Tour, Katy Perry dished on the snacks she eats before going on stage and the necessity of meditating as a mother.
Katy Perry’s favorite tour snacks are ‘California crunchy’
Perry’s snack choices in her green room are “really California crunchy” and “very Santa Barbara,” an ode to her hometown.
“It’s literally, like, avocados, Himalayan salt for the avocados, Bragg apple cider vinegar, Siete chips with a little hint of lime, OK? (And) hummus,” she says.
But Perry — whose tour will have her ping-ponging from North America to Oceania and back home over the next few months — is soliciting recommendations for local favorites, including breakfast burrito places.
“I go out into the world; we ride bikes to the venue, we seek out the local things that people love and we want all of those submissions. So please — especially if they’re tailored for a 5 year old,” she says. “Please tell me where the best breakfast burrito is.”
Meditation is a must for performing — and parenting
Perry promises her concert will be like “Disneyland on wheels,” but things behind the scenes will likely be a calm before the storm.
“We’re pretty mellow backstage,” she says. “We get to learn meditation before we go on tour, and I bring that transcendental meditation to everybody on tour if they want it. And then we do it at 6 p.m. before every show — and what a vibe it creates.”
Meditation gives her “so much energy, it’s wild,” says Perry, who wrapped her high-energy “Play” Las Vegas residency in 2023. “We do the meditation and then we always do our circle and that’s really the extent of it.”
Meditation is not only for preparing for the stage but is also her secret “hack for mothering, too.”
A new addition to tour life this time around is her 4½-year-old daughter with Orlando Bloom, Daisy Dove Bloom. Perry is “excited that I get to bring her around the world on my first world tour with her,” but it’ll also be an adjustment.
“Your sleep completely changes after you become a parent. And to get through that, I have meditated my way through being a mom,” Perry says.
Katy Perry downs espresso before going on stage, online shops to wind down
Show prep might involve meditating and hanging out in yoga poses, like a lounging lizard, but it also means going from zero to 100 fast. Before she heads out on stage, Perry’s routine involves a “double espresso at 8 o’clock,” then it’s curtains up.
“Look, it takes me a little while to wind down because I have to really rev up. And I’ll find (the post-show routine) pretty unique because I am getting up earlier now being a mom,” Perry says.
“But like anyone else, I’m adding to cart (online shopping). I am getting all the domestic stuff done. Checking in. I’m, like, on fire. That’s my work time when everyone’s asleep. I’m a night owl.”
