Katy Perry has found the cure to jet lag. Last November, in the four days in the lead up to her performance at the OnePlus Music Festival in Mumbai, the singer-songwriter ticked off a meet-and-greet with fans, mingled with Bollywood, glided through interviews with newspapers, television channels and radio, and wrapped up a meeting with her music label—all belying her red-eye flight. From our 12-hourlong cover shoot that started at the crack of dawn, she headed straight to a charity event marking Prince Charles’s 71st birthday. “Transcendental meditation,” she shares, is the secret. “There are so many different forms of meditation I’ve done, but nothing supersedes TM. It changed my life.”
In 1967, when the Beatles first met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, it paved the way for the West’s obsession with the workings of the mind. Now, half a decade later, David Lynch’s mantra has repackaged the Hindu practice for stressed-out, modern-day professionals and is calming the rich and famous the world over. “You’re supposed to do it twice a day, but I only ever do it once. It’s all about opening your third eye, your pineal gland, and connecting with the divine. It helps me with jet lag, anxiety, mood swings, and creativity. Some of the coolest ideas I’ve had were during meditation.”
Few would believe that her 2017 disco-pop confections like ‘Swish swish’ or her innuendo-wrapped ode to oral sex, ‘Bon appétit’, came out of a spiritual awakening. But move on to her 2019 discography, and a sense of maturity prevails. As she runs through a gamut of emotions—from obsession (‘365’) to heartbreak (‘Never really over’) to post-breakup (‘Small talk’) to breezy love (‘Harleys in Hawaii’)—she turns from a bionic woman to a leather-clad biker chick.
SECOND LIFE
This story is from the January 2020 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2020 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
HEART AT WORK
London is a stomping ground for many South Asian creatives. AKANKSHA KAMATH meets an artist, an author-stylist and the duo behind a first-of-its-kind label on Savile Row to see what their work desks reveal about their unique expression
TSUNAINA
Otherworldly and bewitching are two words associated with the multi-hyphenate model. But who is the person behind the sculptured mask?
Viscountess of Hearts
She was catapulted into the stratosphere as Bridgerton's leading lady in 2022, but Simone Ashley is quite enjoying the descent as the spotlight shifts to a new couple this season. Speaking with Grammy Award nominee and fellow South Asian artiste Anoushka Shankar, she reflects on navigating fame, where she's headed next and if her path will lead her to India
Waning and waxing
The terror of inherited trauma always made SHYAMA LAXMAN keep her mother at arm's length. Now, with both of them older and wiser, there's a new dynamic to their relationship
Three's company
For as long as she can remember, SADAF SHAIKH has only ever hung out with her friends in groups, rarely one-on-one. Finally, she enlists help to excavate her passive pal origin story
Welcome to paradise
In the heart of the Mediterranean, a sisterhood gathers to pray, paint watercolours and pursue peace through spiritualism. MEDINA TREVATHAN reflects on the heaven to be found within The Women Sanctuary
The long game
Tamannaah Bhatia knows exactly what her skin needs-simple rituals, serums and stress-free days.
Current affairs
Can you plug into better skin with microcurrent therapy?
Ice me out
Torture method or genius life hack? NIDHI GUPTA investigates whether ice baths are really as cool as they're cracked up to be
She's got the look
Pop on a Punjabi song, fill a bowl with ice and get ready to immerse yourself in Kriti Sanon's skincare universe