Katy Perry gears up for sci-fi inspired world tour

ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) — In less than a year, Katy Perry has released an album, campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris and, just this week, flown to space. As she heads to Mexico City to kick off a world tour on Wednesday, the pop superstar shows no intention of slowing down.

“I’m always open and I say, ‘Why not?’ and ‘Let’s just try,’” she told The Associated Press recently at her Southern California rehearsal space. “The power of your thoughts are so incredible because everything starts with a thought. I had this thought, ‘I want to go on tour.’ And here we are.”

With that openness to try comes accepting that not every endeavor will be a victory. Her September album, “143,” was critically panned, and she was simultaneously criticized for reuniting with embattled producer Dr. Luke. Celebrities like Olivia Munn and Emily Ratajkowski critiqued the spaceflight’s use of resources as superfluous and indulgent. And Harris ultimately lost the November election to President Donald Trump.

But Perry’s longevity and the scale of her fame since her 2008 breakout hit, “I Kissed a Girl,” are attributable at least in part to her willingness to get back up in the wake of a setback, as she belts in her 2013 empowerment anthem, “Roar.”

“I can control what I can control,” she said.

That mantra has been refined over the past 15 years through her practice of Transcendental Meditation. The meditation technique has been embraced by a handful of celebrities, including — perhaps most zealously — the late David Lynch, whom Perry credits with spreading the practice and its message.

“That changed my life. And I’ve gone on a long inner space journey to untangle some wires, to answer some questions, to become more grounded, to find the power within myself,” she said.

Perry is fascinated by all things spiritual, casually weaving into conversation references to astrology, the enneagram and cardology, which purports to impart mystical insights into an individual’s personality through playing cards. Perry also credits having her daughter, Daisy, with propelling her along a journey of self-discovery and enhancing her “feminine divine.”

“Being a mother just makes you level up with that type of power,” she said. “I think I’ve just grown into the strong woman that I’ve always dreamed of and idolized.”

That journey has informed her approach to music and performing, down to the narrative of her sci-fi themed “Lifetimes Tour.” Citing films like “Blade Runner” and “The Fifth Element” as visual and thematic inspirations, Perry will play a video game character who faces off against evil forces.

“It’s really about believing in yourself and leading with love. Those are always my messages, no matter how I wrap it or whatever tour I bring. It’s love and empowerment,” she said. “When I can lead by example, it just ripples.”

Perry’s tour of more than 80 performances will primarily be a career-spanning showcase of past hits, but with a dance-infused flare to some of the traditional pop songs. “I tell everybody they have to wear some sensible shoes,” she explained.

In the nearly two decades since Perry emerged as a pop star, she has made tongue in cheek lyricism — in line with her “very sarcastic” sense of humor — and catchy messages of empowerment a signature of her songs. Critical reception to her more recent albums has been less than enthusiastic, but that hasn't stopped the 40-year-old from going all out for this tour, calling it “Disneyland on wheels.”

“I feel a responsibility to my audience who have really been with me on this ride during this whole lifetime to give them that feeling that they had when they first heard 'Teenage Dream,'" she said.

Dancers and choreographers gather onstage for rehearsals for Katy Perry's "The Lifetimes Tour" at the Toyota Arena on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Ontario, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Dancer Diego Pasillas warms up in front of onstage video screens during rehearsals for Katy Perry's "The Lifetimes Tour" at the Toyota Arena on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Ontario, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Dancer Evan DeBenedetto rehearses a move during preparations for Katy Perry's "The Lifetimes Tour" at the Toyota Arena on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Ontario, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Dancer Diego Pasillas rehearses a move during preparations for Katy Perry's "The Lifetimes Tour" at the Toyota Arena on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Ontario, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Dancers and choreographers talk onstage during rehearsals for Katy Perry's "The Lifetimes Tour" at the Toyota Arena on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Ontario, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

FILE - Katy Perry appears at an "American Idol" Season 22 Top 10 tastemaker event in Los Angeles on April 22, 2024. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Kelly Pannek was so determined to carve out a future in hockey while still at college, the forward made the conscious decision to sacrifice offense to focus on her shutdown skills.

The choice led to Pannek becoming a U.S. national team fixture as a three-time Olympian, beginning in 2018, and establish herself as one of women's hockey's best defensive forwards.

Some eight years later, Pannek discovered she hasn’t lost her scoring touch in closing her third PWHL season with Minnesota.

In a league featuring proven offensive stars in Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin, and teammates Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield, Pannek topped them all as the two-time defending Walter Cup champion Frost open the playoffs at Montreal on Saturday.

Pannek led the PWHL with 16 goals and a league-record 33 points, and was one assist from completing what would have been rare hockey triple crown — for men or women.

“I think more than anything, it’s reassuring and confidence-building to know that I used to be someone who was often relied on to provide offense for teams, and I still am that player,” Pannek said by phone this week. “I just needed to kind of re-find it, I guess.”

Her 33 points in 30 games this year surpassed her total production in her first two seasons, when she combined for seven goals and 27 points in 54 games.

And the offensive output didn’t hinder Pannek’s defensive play.

She finished sixth in the PWHL with a plus-13 plus-minus rating. She also won 341 of 575 faceoffs for a 59.3% success rate, third among players with 200 or more attempts.

“I don’t want to say no, because I think she’s a great player,” Frost coach Ken Klee said when asked whether he expected this much production from Pannek.

“From the beginning of the year, she seemed different. Our very first coach’s meeting, we had her in the office, and she just seemed lighter, she seemed more energetic," Klee added. “I really think she just said, ‘Hey, I’m going to play free, and if it's time to play offense, I'm going to play offense.' She's just really taken a next step.”

There are several reasons behind Pannek flipping the offensive switch.

An offseason roster shake-up caused by Minnesota losing talent in the expansion process led to Pannek realizing she was going to have to contribute more offensively.

Another factor was Pannek growing in confidence while turning 30 in December.

In her early Team USA days, Pannek stuck to defense and shied away from opening up on offense in fear of making mistakes that could cost her ice time or even her roster spot.

In the PWHL, Pannek came to realize she had more job security and, with it, the leeway to make a mistake or two over a 30-game season, as opposed to the pressure that comes with competing in two-week international tournaments where miscues are magnified.

“There’s a lot of implications with points and stuff on the line, but you also accept that you’re going to make mistakes, and goals are going to go in and it’s not life or death,” Pannek said of PWHL play. “I’ll still be on the team if I have a bad game and if I have a great game. ... So I think a lot of it was a little bit of a mentality shift.”

She's had far more good games than bad, and called this season “invigorating.”

Former U.S. star Meghan Duggan is not surprised by Pannek’s development: “She always had it in her, but it just started to come out as of late.”

What stood out to Duggan was the maturity and reliability Pannek brought to the ice even as a 22-year-old.

“Kelly Pannek is a player I would choose 10 times out of 10 to go into the biggest game with right by my side, because I know what she’s going to bring: stability, predictability, high character,” said Duggan, now the New Jersey Devils' player development director. “Kelly to me is the type of player that you win championships with, and she's done that multiple times.”

Pannek was a two-way star during her four college seasons at Minnesota, where she won two national titles and finished with 72 goals and 186 points in 157 career games. At the Olympics, she won gold in 2018 and 2026, along with a silver in 2022.

“I’ve changed as a player over these last almost eight years, but also my role has changed,” Pannek said. “I pride myself on being someone who can do any role up and down the lineup.”

Today, her sole focus is on the upcoming playoffs.

“Whatever it takes," Pannek said. “If I have zero points the rest of the playoffs and we win — it’s all about the winning.”

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Minnesota Frost's Kelly Pannek (12) celebrates with teammates after her goal against the Vancouver Goldeneyes during the third period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)