Katy Perry dishes on ‘crush’ John Mayer, early days in L.A.

Katy Perry got chatty with W magazine for the release of her new album, “Prism.�

The pop vixen opened up about her early days in L.A., her marriage and her love life with boyfriend du jour, crooner John Mayer.

“I actually am dating my crush,� she told the magazine in a video Q&A. “I had a crush on him for a long time, and it just so happens we fit together great.�

But we can’t address Mayer without talking about the 28-year-old’s short-lived marriage to British comedian Russell Brand.

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“I really loved [being married]� she said. “It was a new, fun, exciting journey. But I like how I am now, and I think all things happen for a reason.�

Perry and Brand married in 2010, then decided to divorce 14 months later, citing irreconcilable differences. They reached an amicable divorce settlement in February 2012, but earlier this year, Perry put her ex on blast and said she hadn’t talked to him since he ended their marriage via text message.

Though the singer didn’t exactly say that her current hit single “Roar� was about Brand, she did say it had a personal meaning. Well, at least she’s giving it the signature Perry eye-wink treatment.

“I do love a good innuendo,� Perry said. “I love doing things with a wink every once in a while. It’s like ‘mom and dad know what this song means, but just sing along, kids -- you won’t know what these lyrics are about for another 10 years.

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“For a long time, people were talking about bullying and that was a big, hot topic. And I think sometimes you can forget that you can be your own bully in some ways. Like you are the person who is standing in the way of your success, and that was the case for me. I was having a great professional streak, but personally, I was really immature, so I had to balance them out.

“Finally I had enough. And I said, ‘Hey, you need to speak up for yourself; if you’re not happy with something, you change it. Change it, make yourself better every single day.’ So I went to a lot of therapy,� she laughed, “and I guess I put it in the way of ‘You’re going to hear me roar,’ finally! I am going to be able to speak up for myself.�

The wacky-costumed singer also talked a little bit about her upbringing in Santa Barbara and how growing up in a poor Christian family molded her early career and spirituality.

“The first songs I wrote were catchy, but the subject matter was God,� she said, adding, “I try and keep my connection with the G-O-D or with a power that’s bigger than me. It’s very important to believe in something that’s bigger than yourself -- because if not, you don’t have any kind of accountability. If you think, ‘Hey, at the end of it all I am just going to be dust, or I have no soul or whatever,’ why not just be a menace to society? Because you don’t have anyone you have to be accountable to.�

The singer moved to L.A. when she was 17 and had a couple of false starts.

“I was being mentored by this guy named Glen Ballard, who made ‘Jagged Little Pill’ for Alanis Morissette.

“I was a little bratty when I came to L.A. I was a little entitled because I was in Beverly Hills, and a big famous producer had taken me under his wing. I was getting a monthly allowance. I mean, I didn’t come from anything, so it was all very exciting. I had a Louis Vuitton key chain for my Jetta! It was exciting. I thought I was the bee’s knees,� she said.

“And then someone said, ‘You should be really grateful because it doesn’t always last for people.’ And I was like, ‘Whatever, shut up.’ And then I got dropped [from the label] and then that Jetta got impounded and I couldn’t pay my bills. I heard more nos than I heard yes. I built a lot of character, a lot of strength that I needed for today, that I think if I were to launch when I was 17, I think I would have been finished by now.�

And we wouldn’t have had “Firework,� “Teenage Dream� or “Roar,� and everything would have been awful. Phew!

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