Katy Perry Quotes Psalm 118 Before Super Bowl Performance, Tells Crowd 'God Bless America'
Katy Perry is reconnecting with her evangelical Christian roots on both social media as well as at Sunday's NFL Super Bowl XLIX.
Born to Pentecostal ministers, the "Firework" singer's career started in Christian music. Today, Perry is one of top-earning pop stars in the world, but the singer has renounced her Christian faith in recent years. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old star was tapped to perform during Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show, and ahead of the spectacular performance, she quoted Psalm 118:24.
"Today is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it," the singer wrote to her almost 65 million Twitter followers on Feb. 1.
As the halftime show got underway, Perry strode across the field on a giant robotic lion singing her hit song "Roar." Shortly thereafter, she joined Lenny Kravitz on stage for a rendition of "I Kissed A Girl." Perry also offered her hit song "Teenage Dream" before joining Missy Elliott onstage.
Then, finishing the show with the emotional and uplifting "Firework," Perry further proved she may be turning a new leaf with her former Christian beliefs when she told the millions of Super Bowl viewers: "God Bless America!"
Following the New England Patriots' Super Bowl win, Perry commemorated her halftime performance with a brand new tattoo of XLIX on her right ring finger. The inking joins Perry's collection of tattoos including "Jesus" written on her inner left wrist.
"I thought it would be appropriate to draw blood tonight… XLIX," the singer shared along with a photo on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Perry has rejected her evangelical upbringing in recent interviews, including a 2013 sit-down with Marie Claire where she distanced herself from all theological labels, but maintains a relationship with God.
"I'm not a Buddhist, I'm not a Hindu, I'm not a Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God," the Grammy Award-winner told the magazine. "I pray all the time–for self-control, for humility. There's a lot of gratitude in it. Just saying 'thank you' sometimes is better than asking for things."