Katy Perry Dishes On 'Bad Blood' With Taylor Swift

Katy Perry is addressing her alleged "Bad Blood" with Taylor Swift.

As Nicki Swift previously reported, Swift, 27, allegedly wrote her song "Bad Blood" about Perry, 32, after Perry was accused of pilfering dancers from Swift's tour.

Swift told Rolling Stone in 2014, not citing Perry by name, "For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not. She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away and I would think, 'Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life? ... Oh, we're just straight-up enemies.' And it wasn't even about a guy!" She added, "It had to do with business. She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me ... I don't think there would be any personal problem if she weren't competitive."

Perry responded at the time by tweeting, "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing."

Later, when Swift beefed with Nicki Minaj about Minaj's fuming over not having as many 2015 MTV Video Music Awards nominations as she'd like, Swift told Minaj, "It's unlike you to pit women against each other." Perry subtweeted Swift, writing, "Finding it ironic to parade the pit women against other women argument about as one unmeasurably [sic] capitalizes on the take down of a woman..."

Of course, some insiders claimed the entire beef stemmed from both women dating John Mayer, though neither lady would ever confirm or deny this.

Phew! Got all that? Now, fast forward to Monday, May 8, 2017. When Entertainment Weekly asked Perry if "Bad Blood" was about her—and if any songs on her upcoming record are in response to Swift's hit—she replied, "Well that's not my question to answer — if it's about me. I think [my new album is] a very empowered record. There is no one thing that's calling out any one person."

Perry quickly added, "One thing to note is: You can't mistake kindness for weakness and don't come for me. Anyone. Anyone. Anyone. Anyone. And that's not to any one person and don't quote me that it is, because it's not. It's not about that. Honestly, when women come together and they decide to unite, this world is going to be a better place. Period, end of story ... But, let me say this: Everything has a reaction or a consequence so don't forget about that, OK honey? We got to keep it real, honey. This record is not about anyone else! This record is about me being seen and heard so that I can see and hear everyone else! It's not even about me! It's about everything that I see out there that I digest. I think there's a healing in it for me and vulnerability. If people want to connect and be healed and feel vulnerable and feel empowered and strong, God bless and here it is."

Perry boasted of her upcoming project, "The energy is just totally different — it's not thirsty or desperate or clingy. It's a really beautiful kind of Zen-like feeling place. I just went there to gather myself and I started making a record in June of last year. It's really quite brave. Sonically, it's fun and dance-y and dark and light. It's all of these things. It definitely is a change." She went on, "I left my 20s and I've gone to my 30s. I've embraced. I've surrendered. I've healed some of my issues with my family, with my relationships. Today I'm sober but I don't know about tomorrow! One day at a time, right? It's all kind of beautiful. I built up Katy Perry and she was so fun. And I still am Katy Perry and I love her so much but, at the core, I'm Katheryn Hudson and I think that's being revealed as I embrace who I really am."

Here's hoping Perry's album lives up to the hype. Her latest single, "Bon Appetit" bombed big time, debuting at No. 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 and dropped out of the iTunes Top 100 after a week. "Chained To The Rhythm" debuted at No. 4 and has dropped steadily since. Those sorts of numbers, combined with accusations of bigotry in what's supposed to be her "conscious" and "purposeful pop" era, may make it difficult for Perry (or Hudson, as it were) to shine.