Katy Perry apologises for ‘cultural appropriation’

Katy Perry has spoken out to discuss and apologise for previous instances in which she was accused of ‘cultural appropriation’.

The singer was speaking to Pod Save The People’s DeRay McKesson as part of her four day-long internet livestream to promote her latest album, ‘Witness‘.

“I’ve made several mistakes,” Katy began. “Even in this ‘This Is How We Do’ video with how I wore my hair and having a hard conversation with one of one of my empowered angels, Cleo, about what does it mean?

• Read more: The full Katy Perry NME comeback interview

“Why can’t I wear my hair that way? Or what is the history behind wearing my hair that way? And she told me about the power in black women’s hair and how beautiful it is, and the struggle.”

Katy Perry acknowledging her mistakes regarding cultural appropriation, this is extremely respectable of her pic.twitter.com/RkvIhEnXxX

— ً (@touchnick) June 11, 2017

Speaking of the controversial ‘This Is How We Do’ video in which she was filmed with cornrows in her hair, she continued: “I listened and I heard and I didn’t know, and I won’t ever understand some of those things because of who I am.

“I will never understand, but I can educate myself and that’s what I’m trying to do along the way.”

As for her 2013 American Music Awards performance where she dressed like a geisha, Perry added: “I didn’t know that I did it wrong until I heard people saying that I did it wrong. It takes someone to say, out of compassion, out of love, ‘Hey, this is what the origin is’.”

“And not just a clap back. Because it’s hard to hear those clap backs sometimes, your ego just wants to turn from them.”