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Katy Perry Confirms Dark Meaning Behind Her Hit Song ‘Firework’

Katy Perry has confirmed the dark meaning behind her hit song 'Firework.'
Credit: Capitol Records

One of Katy Perry‘s biggest hits has a dark hidden message. 

Perry, 39, is an American singer-songwriter and in 2010, she dropped her most successful album, ‘Teenage Dream.’

It’s estimated to have sold 3.1 million copies in the United States and was certified diamond by The Recording Industry Association of America, per Forbes.

The album’s third single was ‘Firework,’ which became an immediate hit.

Katy Perry
To date, ‘Teenage Dream’ is Katy Perry’s most successful album. Credit: Alamy

In recent years, Perry has stepped away from the music industry to pursue other ventures – she served as a judge on American Idol from 2018 to 2024 and has been engaged to actor Orlando Bloom, with whom she shares a daughter, since 2019.

Perry’s last album, ‘Smile,’ was released in 2020 and peaked at number 5 on Billboard 200, however, it didn’t stay there for long.

But the pop star is back and hinting at an upcoming project, known as KP6.

Rolling Stones has teased: “Katy Perry worked with some producers who helped craft hits on ‘Teenage Dream.'”

In the build-up to her new music, the ‘I Kissed a Girl’ singer has shown off her style revamp on Instagram.

Katy Perry
Katy Perry is set to launch new music. Credit: @katyperry/Instagram

In the meantime, fans can listen to the star’s other hits, including ‘Firework,’ which has over one billion streams on Spotify.

Listeners have been left traumatized after discovering the real meaning behind this particular song.

One fan asks: “Is that for real?”

“That is simply wild,” another adds.

“I refuse to believe that!” says someone else. “Sticking with the message of self-confidence and embracing everyone’s differences!”

A fourth person writes: “Wait… Wait… really? Well, you just blew my mind!”

In an interview with Billboard, Perry revealed there was a ‘very morbid idea’ behind her hit song.

Katy Perry's 'Firework' music video.
Katy Perry has revealed the dark meaning behind the song ‘Firework.’ Credit: Capitol Records

The singer explained: “When I pass, I want to be put into a firework and shot across the sky over the Santa Barbara Ocean as my last hurrah. I want to be a firework, both living and dead.”

Perry was inspired by American author Jack Kerouac’s 1957 novel ‘On the Road.’

She said: “My boyfriend showed me a paragraph out of Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road,’ about people that are buzzing and fizzing and full of life and never say a commonplace thing. They shoot across the sky like a firework and make people go ‘Ahhh.’ I guess that making people go ‘ahhh’ is kind of like my motto.”

Perry considers ‘Firework’ her defining single: “It’s a song where I think my purpose to some people might change when they hear it.”

Related Article: Katy Perry’s ‘Dark Horse’ Song Called Out Over ‘Disrespectful’ Jeffrey Dahmer Lyrics

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Written by Kyra Hall

Kyra is a content editor at IGV who specializes in film, TV, and celebrity news. She has a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a master's in Documentary Production from Nottingham Trent University. Kyra previously worked as an intern at ITV Tonight and as a freelance filmmaker.