Katy Perry Responds to Spaceflight Criticisms: ‘I Take It with Grace’

Katy Perry has never been one to stay silent when it comes to criticism—and now, she’s speaking out again.

On Tuesday, the singer—who just launched her Lifetimes tour—posted a heartfelt message to fans on Instagram, addressing a wave of online backlash that followed her recent 11-minute flight to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft.

“I’m so grateful for you guys,” Perry wrote in the caption of a post showing a fan tribute to her in New York City’s Times Square. “We’re in this beautiful and wild journey together. I can continue to remain true to myself, heart open and honest especially because of our bond. I love you guys and have grown up together with you and am so excited to see you all over the world this year!”

Despite the criticism, Perry let fans know she’s doing okay—and that she’s spent time learning how to handle negativity.

“Please know I am ok, I have done a lot work around knowing who I am, what is real and what is important to me,” she wrote. “My therapist said something years ago that has been a game changer, ‘no one can make you believe something about yourself that you don’t already believe about yourself,’ and if I ever do have any feelings about it then it’s an opportunity to investigate the feeling underneath it.”

She described the online attacks as intense at times—comparing herself to a “human Piñata”—but said she chooses to respond with compassion.

“When the ‘online’ world tries to make me a human Piñata, I take it with grace and send them love, cause I know so many people are hurting in so many ways and the internet is very much so a dumping ground for unhinged and unhealed,” she continued. “What’s real is seeing your faces every night, singing in unison, reading your notes, feeling your warmth. I find people to lock eyes and sing with and I know we are healing each other in a small way when I get to do that.”

She wrapped up with a reminder that she’s human—imperfect, but still showing up and learning.

“I’m not perfect, and I actually have omitted that word from my vocabulary, I’m on a human journey playing the game of life with an audience of many and sometimes I fall but… I get back up and go on and continue to play the game and somehow through my battered and bruised adventure I keep looking to the light and in that light a new level UNLOCKS.”

Perry’s space journey happened on April 14, when she joined journalist Lauren Sanchez (Jeff Bezos’ fiancée), TV host Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen on the Blue Origin NS-31 mission.

After returning to Earth, Perry was overwhelmed with emotion.

“I feel super connected to love,” she said. “So connected to love. I think this experience has shown me, you never know how much love is inside of you, how much love you have to give, and how loved you are until the day you launch.”

She even sang “What a Wonderful World” in space, joined by her all-female crew—a quiet but powerful moment she said came naturally during the once-in-a-lifetime experience.