Katy Perry set a record today as the first person to hit 100 million Twitter followers. Accessibility is the name of the game for celebrities these days and social media has made it easier than ever for artists to directly reach and connect to their fans.
Perry’s 2008 hit “I Kissed a Girl” instantly turned this California native into one of the biggest names in music and ever since, she’s made it a point to make herself relatable and reachable to her millions of followers.
This month, Perry was ranked No. 95 (tied with Chance The Rapper) on the FORBES list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities, with $33 million in earnings. Though she didn’t tour over the past year, she earned seven-figure salaries from various endorsement deals with the likes of Cover Girl, Claire’s and H&M. And, she just scored a reported $25 million to judge the upcoming “American Idol” reboot, more than any judge on the show thus far.
Since joining Twitter in 2009, the 32-year-old singer has allowed her fans into her world by sharing major career milestones, both the highs and lows, with well over a 1,000 photos and videos and over 8, 500 Tweets. And, she's debuted countless songs, videos and announcements directly to her fans on Twitter first.
The biggest conversation about Perry was the day of the 2015 Super Bowl; the day the pop cultural phenomenon #LeftShark was born. And, her Tweets have gotten upwards of 132,000 Retweets. Her recent Tweet “Praying for everyone at @ArianaGrande's show” following the suicide bombing at Grande’s Manchester concert, got 72,000 Retweets. Some of the most Tweeted about hashtags regarding Perry have included: #roar, #KatyCats, #Prism, #ChainedToTheRhythm, #Rise and #LoveKaty.
She’s amassed a huge following, of that there is no argument. She has used the Twitter platform brilliantly for both connection, as well as selling her wares. She’s business savvy and understands the needs and wants of her audience. Upon dropping her new album "Witness" earlier this month, Perry live-streamed her life ‘Big Brother’ style for an entire weekend, giving fans exclusive, and unedited, access into her life. They got to watch her every move, including her sleeping, and listen to her intimate conversations. This took place in a house she called “Witness Headquarters”. There were cameras in every room, including the bedroom. She did confessionals each morning wherein she interacted with fans the world over and answered their questions.
Many would find this type of openness uncomfortable, but not Perry. This type of open access allows fans to feel a connection to her and it’s working for the superstar. Album and ticket sales for her "Witness" tour of 2017-18 are skyrocketing. So, what will she do next? Whatever it is, her fans are likely to find out first.
