Katy Perry knows firsthand that making art can be therapeutic.

Many of the star's most iconic songs are essentially musical pep talks, designed to make listeners believe that they can do anything. It may surprise you to hear, however, that Perry's own state of mind did not coincide with the time he came up with these hopeful songs.

“I think I have these ideas and I'm constantly writing them down, constantly taking notes. I think it's some kind of channeling. I think it comes from a different place,” Perry said of the inspiration behind her music during a recent appearance on Apple Music's The Zane Lowe Show.

“It comes from my best self, who maybe lives in a different dimension,” she continued.

“It's like, 'Here you go. Especially songs like 'Roar' and 'Firework,' because I'm really down and I don't know if I can keep doing what I'm doing. I was like, “Let's write this to cheer myself up. Then all of a sudden it became an encouragement for a whole generation.”

The lyrics to “Roar” are “I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter / Dancing through the fire / 'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar” and “Firework” is ” Cause baby, you're a firework / Come on show 'em what you're worth / Make 'em go, 'Awe, awe, awe' / As you shoot across the sky”

In an interview, the pop star said her music has reflected what was going on in her life over the years.

“When I was listening to ‘One of the Boys’ [the album that launched ‘I Kissed a Girl’ in 2008], I was like, oh, God, hold on to this ride,” Perry said. [And then “Teenage Dream” (2010) and “Prism” (2013). My professional life was going well. Then 'Witness' (2017) changed everything and made it more balanced, and 'Smile' (2020) really solidified it. And now '143' [2024] is a celebration of feeling and operating from that wholeness, which is a space I've never written a record in.”

Perry continued, explaining that her life now is a healthier breeding ground for her music to emerge.

“I've always written records out of defensiveness or not feeling good enough or trying to transform my trauma, whatever it is,” she said.

“Teenage Dream” and “Firework” were released the same year Perry married Russell Brand, while “Prism” and “Roar” were released the year after their divorce. Meanwhile, Witness, an album that Singer cites as a turning point in her life, was released around the time she and partner Orlando Bloom got back together after a brief breakup.

They now share a daughter, Daisy Dove, 4, and co-parent Bloom's son Flynn, 13, with ex-girlfriend Miranda Kerr.