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Katy Perry’s most powerful “purposeful pop” moments

Have you heard the epic news? Yes, is returning to the stage, this time in Hull - and we're guessing her performance might be quite different to the show she put on in Glasgow in 2014.

'Why?' we hear you cry. Well, new single Chained To The Rhythm is a total bop, but it also has a message inspired by what has happened in US politics over the past 12 months. This is Katy's "purposeful pop" era, people.

But actually, she's been pretty purposeful for a while now. Here's just some of the reasons we admire Katy Perry and everything she stands for.

She packed her new single with subtle political messages

Take a proper listen to the lyrics of Katy's new single. We're a long way from Dark Horse or Hot N' Cold here, that's for sure.

She says the song is all about bringing people together

"We all need to start listening to each other," Katy told Access Hollywood at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

"We need to have conversations with both sides to be united. I'm not pleased by a lot of things but we can come together as human beings that have the same feelings and emotions and desires, basic things. We can come together and we can do this."

She campaigned tirelessly for Hillary Clinton…

From encouraging her KatyCats to volunteer for the Clinton campaign, to stripping off to remind everyone to register to vote, Katy was super involved in bringing Hillary’s political views to pop fans across America (and beyond).

…and even dressed as her for Halloween

Snaps to Katy's boyfriend, Orlando Bloom, for his efforts as Bill Clinton.

She speaks out about LGBTQ+ rights

Katy grew up in a strict, religious family and says her views on gay marriage changed as she grew up. She voted against Proposition 8 in California (which stated marriage was between a man and a woman) and praised Barack Obama's stance on LGBTQ+ rights and gay marriage.

She also dedicated Firework to the It Gets Better campaign in 2010.

And supports gender equality in her wider work

Katy works closely with US cosmetics brand Cover Girl and she was involved in introducing the company's first male model, James Charles, to the wider world.

Katy bought her friends Black Lives Matter merchandise for Christmas

A vocal supporter of the BLM movement, KP also posted a link to where her followers could purchase similarly woke holiday gifts, with 100% of profits donated to organisations that support the work of the movement.

She continued her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

Appointed as an ambassador in December 2013, Katy was presented with UNICEF’s Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award in 2016, in praise of her work with vulnerable children.

She donated $10,000 to Planned Parenthood

After President Trump announced he would be defunding Planned Parenthood, Katy stepped up and donated $10,000 to the organisation, encouraging her followers to donate too.

In an Instagram post, Katy wrote, “I am making a public donation to Planned Parenthood for the teenage me who made several visits to first a clinic in Santa Barbara and then Los Angeles, CA to educate myself on my sexual health, a subject I had little to no information on because of my sheltered upbringing.

"Planned Parenthood educated me on my body and my reproductive health, so that I could focus on my dreams and using my voice until I knew the timing was right for me to make a plan to have a family."

KPez wore a Hillary-esque trouser suit to perform at the Grammys

Katy switched her feathered red carpet dress for a white Tom Ford trouser suit, thought to be a tribute to Hillary and her Democratic National Convention look, to perform Chained To The Rhythm at this year’s Grammys.

Adding an armband that read ‘persist’, plus a Planned Parenthood pin on her lapel, there was definitely more than one political statement going on with her outfit.

And she cleverly coined this term to sum up the whole thing

Poplitics FTW.

February on Radio 1