Katy Perry Tells Tales of 'Vegas'

Only Katy Perry could leave a private tour of Graceland with decorating tips. ?It?s hilarious. It?s so over the top, which is something I admire,? she laughs to PopEater.

Perry?s pilgrimage to Elvis Presley?s manse took place over Easter. Now, she?s back in Memphis on tour when she rings, but her mind is on Las Vegas as she tells PopEater all about her spectacular new video, breaks news about her next album and the search for her "O" face.

I don?t think I?ve ever told anybody this. What inspired it [was] this boy I was dating at the time. I was 21. We went to Vegas on a whim and we decided to get fake married. We took all the pictures with the minister, with the fake cake, in the fake chapel and got a fake marriage certificate. We went and bought a wedding dress and a suit at a thrift store, and scanned the pictures and the certificate to my family members, my manager at the time [and] totally freaked the s--- out of them. It was the most hilarious, stupid prank I?ve ever pulled. I still have the wedding dress and the certificate. 'Waking Up in Vegas' is basically a song about getting into trouble with your best friend or your boyfriend or your girlfriend -- or whoever you?re with -- and not having any ?I?m sorry for what I did.?

Make sure you?re in front of the elephant. Just treating animals with kindness, most definitely, and respecting them -- not treating them like a prop. She was treated the nicest out of all [of us].

I have to tell you one of my favorite things were those costumes. The famous Bob Mackie picked out three or four of those costumes. They?re from his vintage collection. He came downstairs from his warehouse to meet my stylist, and said "I really want to be a part of this." And he picked out the headdress, the gloves, the dress -- the whole thing. It was some costumes from the ?80s or the ?70s. Who knows? Cher might have worn it.

It?s nice to show up at my shows and then see the girls in the front row having their hair cut like mine or having the little embellishments in their hair. I was always a very colorful dresser from the moment I could buy my own clothes, even before then. I would always change for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was definitely that little girl that wanted to be in a costume all the time. Why would I want to be in regular clothes?

Sometimes you see people that have that taste of success and they try to branch out in so many different directions that you forget what?s the root of it all. And I want people to really know me, first and foremost, as a musician. Maybe in the future. I see how someone like Gwen Stefani did it with L.A.M.B. and I think that?s the right way rather than trying to hawk cheap crap made in sweatshops just because my fame is fleeting or what have you.

You?ve been playing guitar on stage on tour. Lil Wayne is now going that route as well. What about a Katy/Lil Wayne duet?

I?m not a very amazing guitar player. I think I play better than, you know, you hear the saying, "Well she?s pretty good for a girl." Yeah, I can play better than that. I?m mostly an acoustic guitar player but I wish I could play better. I wish I could have my "O" face on.

Oh, I think it?s sexy. Why would he try to get rid of something that?s just so cool?

I?ve definitely got seeds that I?ve started planting in my own little tape recorder. I?ve got maybe seven or eight really strong ideas for new songs. I?m very excited to start because ?One of the Boys? started when I was 17 and [was] from that perspective. This record will be from my young woman, 25-year old perspective -- all of the craziness that I?ve been through this year. Maybe it will be a little more eloquent and maybe it will be even more honest after everything that I?ve seen. But it will definitely be just as pop. I want the sound to be a mixture between 'Love Fool' by the Cardigans and 'Get Into the Groove' by Madonna ... but also have more of like an "Oh my God, she said that?? [laughs].

Far beyond. I plan on having a family one day and maybe not keeping up with all of the glamour. I really respect people like Linda Perry, who was in the 4 Non Blondes and now she?s a very amazing songwriter and producer. There?s a few other really adorable ladies coming out that I?ve just written for [and with], but it was really flattering to have someone like Kelly Clarkson record one of my songs. There?s actually two. I?m such a big fan of her ... I could listen to her sing the songbook and I?d be happy. I?m glad she?s singing my songs. It just helps me evolve into who I want to evolve.