Katy Perry Talks About Having Suicidal Thoughts After Her Split With Russell Brand

Katy Perry is probably best known as a fun girl – from spinning candy cane bras, to rainbow-hued hair colors, to dressing up as a Cheeto – but she has a serious side to her as well. She showed that side when she recently talked about the depression she went through after her highly publicized split with comedian Russell Brand, admitting that she actually had suicidal thoughts at the time.

Perry opened up to Australian TV’s The Project, revealing the true depths of the depression she suffered after her divorce from Brand in 2011.

Discussing her 2013 album, Prism, Perry said, “Then there’s ‘By the Grace of God,’ which is the first song that I wrote coming to make this record, when I was in a different place, I was in a darker place,” she said.

Perry, who according to Christian Post, is the daughter of two pastors, has said that she no longer identifies herself as a Christian, but still believes in God and prayer. However, she alludes to her Christian upbringing and the power of faith in the song, with lyrics such as “By the Grace of God, there was no other way. I picked myself back up, I knew I had to stay…”

“By the Grace of God” was the final track on Prism, and Katy admitted to Billboard at the time of its release that the song was about the low she sunk to after her marriage fell apart.

“That song is evident of how tough it really was at a certain point. I asked myself, ‘Do I want to endure? Should I continue living?'” Perry said. “All the songs (on Prism) are real-life moments. I can only write autobiographically. I put all the evidence in the music. I tell my fans if they want to know the real truth about stuff, just listen to the songs.”

When asked by The Project host Rove McManus if she had actually considered suicide as the lyrics of the song suggested, Perry admitted she had thought about it.

“Sometimes you can be blinded by your extreme emotion,” Katy said. “I definitely was looking for answers and during that time, yeah, I was depressed and sad and there were thoughts there were never actions, thankfully. But I wanted to share that side of my story because I know that there are so many other people out there that have gone through things like that.”

But Katy didn’t write the song just for her own therapy. She also wrote if for her fans who may be going through the same dark emotions as she was at the time.

“You always feel like you’re the only one going through that,” Perry said. “Well then comes along a song that speaks to you, that makes you feel like, ‘Gosh, I can get through this. If she can get through this, I can get through this.'”

Perry has definitely picked herself up since her divorce, and is reportedly happy with her new love interest, Diplo. The Inquisitr reports she has chosen to keep their dating hush-hush after learning the difficultly of maintaining a public romance with Brand and John Mayer. But Katy did post a discreet birthday wish on Twitter Monday that was believed to be for her new man.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 10, 2014

[Image via Posh24]