Katy Perry recently told the Boston Herald that she loves living life on her own terms, and that her parents are OK with it. Perry grew up in a strict, Christian household where MTV was banned, and even words like “devil” were forbidden. But she says, her parents did what they believed was right, telling the Herald, “But generally my parents were doing as good of a job as I think most parents can do.”

She went from releasing a gospel album at 16 to moving out at 17 and beginning her career as a pop singer. She describes the making of album “One of the Boys” as “an open diary. A lot of it’s about boys. A lot of it’s about relationships, getting crazy with your friends and trying new things.” For her next album, Perry plans more dance-worthy songs.

Perry is also a fashion icon to young women, who watch her every outfit with great interest. A few days ago she was photographed in New York wearing a tight fitting denim playsuit while doing some shopping at Kid Robot in Soho. She had earlier left a tattoo parlor with a bandage over her ankle. She later revealed the new tattoo, of a smiling cartoon strawberry.

As a way to throw people off, she also revealed a tattoo on her décolletage reading “Josh Grobin,” a misspelled reference to show and concert crooner Josh Groban. That tattoo was a fake.