Katy Perry Talks Justin Trudeau Romance, Dolly Parton and Embracing Queen of Cringe Title

Katy Perry‘s new concert documentary, Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour — Live From Paris, is billed as a film strictly “for the fans!!!” And dozens of her Katy Cats filled the seats inside theater No. 1 at AMC The Grove 14 in Los Angeles on Wednesday night for a VIP IMAX showing, the first West Coast screening following a world premiere at New York’s Tribeca Festival in June.

During the concert doc’s rousing finale, which featured Perry performing her smash single “Firework” at two sold-out shows in Paris in November 2025, the superstar singer surprised the crowd by sneaking in a side entrance. Trailed by what seemed like a dozen cameras, Perry made her way to the front of the theater where fans had gathered beneath the screen, and she joined them in singing, dancing and jumping around in a joyful scene.

“This behavior is not typically appropriate in movie theaters but I condone it,” Perry said after the credits rolled. “I think this is how it should always be —a big party at the movies.” Producer and 10 Lives founder and CEO Daniel Catullo set the stage for such a party by introducing the film and encouraging audience members to get out of their seats during the showing and record clips of the doc. To add to the playfulness, beach balls were also tossed about during up-tempo songs.

Perry then joined Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly for a lively Q&A to recap the “massive” tour that found her criss-crossing five continents to deliver 91 shows (from April 23 — Dec. 7, 2025) in support of her sixth studio album, 143. “This was a big, big, big thing,” Perry told Kelly as she was fresh from another big thing after landing in L.A. earlier in the day from Mexico where she performed for 310,000 in Mexico at a free show.

During their nearly 30-minute conversation, Kelly quizzed Perry on what it was like to mount the spectacle of the show, the physicality required to maintain the pace while sprinting across an infinity symbol-shaped stage, and what it was like to reflect on the experience through a film. Speaking of, the 132-minute Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour – Live from Paris launches in cinemas and IMAX globally across 70 countries from Trafalgar Releasing on Sept. 2.

She also opened up on the devastating loss of Dolly Parton, whom she shared the stage with several times throughout her career including at the Grammy Awards in 2019, and the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards in 2016.

“She was such a light. Her light ripples and will forever ripple, and will shine even brighter now. And all the philanthropic work that she does and all the young kids’ literacy that she’s done with sending books to pre-schoolers, I don’t know if everyone knows how mega that is,” Perry explained. “I got to spend some time with her, and she was so wickedly funny. It was amazing. It didn’t seem like she ever had a bad day, and if anything, she would just make a little joke about it. She was an earth angel. Her legacy is one to follow and look up to forever. I think it will continue to expand. Everyone should emulate her —she’s the bar.”

Perry spoke about another high-profile individual after Kelly asked her whether or not she gets nervous with notable names in the audience, specifically at a certain show in Montreal attended by former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is her current beau.

“I don’t typically get nervous. Maybe I get some butterflies on the first show because it’s all the things coming together, and because of social media, you want to kind of get it right. You can’t really learn along the way,” she noted before adding that when a documentary comes, she might be seen in a different way. “In Montreal, I was, like, I can’t look at him.”

Perry even singled out the date of the show as a turning point because before that night, the tour delivered had its challenges. “It wasn’t always peachy keen jelly bean. There were days that were hard. Let me tell you, it was hard before July 28, [2005]. And then it got cute. It got really cute,” Perry revealed. “And then I was floating like the butterfly on the butterfly.”

Prior to touching down in Canada, Perry had been performing Down Under for an extended run. “It was cold in Australia, which is not typical, but it was cold. It was their winter, and I had had enough of these winters. I was sad and I was, like, my friends were all together and I had missed a couple of things back home … I was gone for six weeks and that’s pretty much my max. I started to go [insane], and I remember having a really tough time. Then after the hurricane did come the rainbow.”

Perry also nodded to some of the viral criticism she received while on The Lifetimes Tour, whether it was about her dancing or costumes. “Like, this is how I fucking dance. OK, what’s up? I’m having fun. I am living my whole life. You want to call me the queen of cringe? I am going to suck the juice out of every single one of these fruits on this life. I’m going to never have any regrets. I’m going to leave no stone unturned. I’m going to live my life to the fullest. I am not scared. This is that one opportunity in this skin as this character. And I don’t want to have any regrets.”

She certainly doesn’t have any regrets about her album Teenage Dream. Kelly brought it up as the blockbuster album celebrated a 16th anniversary on Aug. 24, and Perry’s Full Picture team presented her with a cake during the Q&A to celebrate its success.

“Teenage Dream was like a [Mount Everest], and I climbed it and I saw the view and there’s so many other mountains with so many other views. I don’t need to climb Everest twice to be like, ‘I climbed Everest twice.’ OK, well, once was enough, so I was just grateful that I had that. So many people don’t. I’m grateful that I even had one hit, let alone all that. I’m grateful I got to wake up today. I’m grateful that I have a daughter. I’m grateful that I’ve got all of this opportunity. I’m grateful for my fans. Gratitude every day, first thing out of my mouth,” she said. “I say it every single day. Even on my crummiest days, I say it through my Invisalign and my mouth tape and I go, ‘Thank you God so much today. I’m so grateful in every way.’ And then I list off the things I’m grateful for and my breath stinks and my hair’s a mess. And that’s how I start my day every morning.”

Moments later, the Q&A wrapped up and Perry expressed more gratitude to the fans for showing up. She then encouraged everyone to exit promptly for the next AMC showing: We’ve gotta get outta here, The Odyssey is playing at 9:15 Actually, I might stay. I’ve been trying to see it in 70mm, and I still can’t get a ticket.”