Katy Perry

ANOTHER one of 2009's bright spots.

Katy Perry kissed a girl and she likes it.

So did the rest of world who turned the one-time gospel music upstart into the pop music sensation that she is today. Originally performing under her real name Katy Hudson, she adopted her present name to avoid confusion with the popular actress. Shortly thereafter, she recorded her major label debut, the multi-million selling One Of The Boys that catapulted her to instant stardom on the strength of quirky tunes about metrosexual boyfriends in “Ur So Gay”, lesbian tendencies in “I Kissed A Girl” and unstable relationships in “Hot N’ Cold.”

The singer, who was recently in town to headline the biggest fund-raising event for the survivors of Typhoon Ondoy, also regaled the media with her outspoken views during her press conference preceding her concert. Excerpts:

On helping out the typhoon survivors

You know, you hear about natural disasters far, far away from where you live but you really don’t understand them fully until you actually see them. I’m glad that I can help out and do more than just sing because people are important to me. It doesn’t matter where they come from.

On being One Of The Boys

I guess One Of The Boys can mean a lot of things, both the album title and then the song. The song itself was talking about that transitioning point in a girl’s young adulthood, I guess like from being a pre-teen to a teenager where you lose the braces, maybe grow some tits and start shaving your legs and how like you used to high five the guy you like but now, you want him to like you back rather than see you as that like as this twerp, younger girl.

To read my full story and press conference interview of Katy Perry, you're gonna have to check out the January-February issue of Stella magazine, coming at your favorite newsstands this month.