Last Monday, I gazed at my Twitter time line and was surprised by the news of Katy Perry, one of my favorite female soloist, will hold a concert in Indonesia. Although it hasn't been confirmed yet, announced is she'd be one of the performers in Jakarta International Teen Festival along with Big Bang (Korea), Brown Eyed Girls (Korea), and 24herbs (Hong Kong). The fact of Katy Perry being Kitty Purry, the teenage star, and lined up with another boy band/girl band sizzled me. Not to mention the event itself is entitled "Teen Festival". Whoa!

From what I remembered in the past, I reminisce Katy Perry as one of the non-mainstream singer-songwriter and not just another ordinary female performer. Even though her sophomore album, One of The Boys (2008), is her first major record deal, I more likely refer Katy as more in pop-rock/folk with signature witty lyrics which engaged her fans with personal secluded love life excitements. Except that she didn't wear sketchy outfit and instead she actually dressed very well accentuated with bright colors, lollipop, and bright red lipstick. But her music feels distant from mainstream pop as phrases and words as well as the whole meaning of her songs is slightly more difficult to discover It, therefore, narrows down to her particular grown up self-point of view which can be mistakenly interpret by those who doesn't like to value.

Remember "Ur So Gay":
[Verse 1]
I hope you hang yourself with your H&M scarf
While jacking off listening to Mozart
You bitch and moan about LA
Wishing you were in the rain reading Hemingway
You don’t eat meat
And drive electrical cars
You’re so indie rock it’s almost an art
You need SPF 45 just to stay alive

[CHORUS]
You’re so gay and you don’t even like boys
No you don’t even like
No you don’t even like
No you don’t even like boys
You’re so gay and you don’t even like boys
No you don’t even like
No you don’t even like
No you don’t even like…

[Verse 2]
You’re so sad maybe you should buy a happy meal
You’re so skinny you should really Super Size the deal
Secretly you’re so amused
That nobody understands you
I’m so mean cause I cannot get you outta your head
I’m so angry cause you’d rather MySpace instead
I can’t believe I fell in love with someone that wears more makeup than…

Remember "I Kissed a Girl":
This was never the way I planned, not my intention.
I got so brave, drink in hand, lost my discretion
It's not what I'm used to, just wanna try you on.
I'm curious for you, caught my attention.

[Chorus:]
I kissed a girl and I liked it,
the taste of her cherry chapstick.
I kissed a girl just to try it,
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it.
It felt so wrong,
it felt so right.
Don't mean I'm in love tonight.
I kissed a girl and I liked it (I liked it).

No, I don't even know your name, it doesn't matter.
You're my experimental game, just human nature.
It's not what good girls do, not how they should behave.
My head gets so confused, hard to obey.

[Chorus]

Us girls we are so magical,
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable.
Hard to resist, so touchable.
Too good to deny it.
Ain't no big deal, it's innocent.

Regarding to her critically acclaimed third album entitled Teenage Dream (2010), which surely brought her image to the top of the world, I no longer following what she's trying to put her music into. I mean after a wide use of controversial language as song title like "I Kissed a Girl" and "Ur So Gay", she's now proclaiming broader theme, a girl anthem. More decent, but try to figure out if you can.

I'm not a gay basher nor trying to be smart aleck. What I'm trying to say here is Katy Perry's music might stray into 'softer side', but the signature of Katy still lingers. Her entertaining music and postive vibe of her image tend to represent what it feels like for girls being in the top of the world slash partying dreaming out loud while they have time (and money) of course. Then, I began to think teenage swallowing Katy Perry's (or another stars with tons of devotee e.g. Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, etc) music and lyrics might have gone too much. Pragmatically thinking, Katy Perry's not the one to blame but I also can't point teenagers out either. I mean, it's like I'm trying to hard to take their happiness they might begin to think what is so wrong to be happy.

But the thing is, teens always try to mirror whatever words and actions produced by media. Favorite songs made me to memorize lyrics effortlessly, and I might quote it mistakenly on the social media because I didn't realize it matters. Facts and context is probably omitted. Other people might do the same and reflect each and every words in life.

Music nowadays surely redefine so much social change. Because it's easily been a tremendous part of our lives. By social, I mean teenager probably 13 (or in Bieber case 8 year old is included) until the age of 20s perhaps. Well, it depends on personal mindset growth, though. Music and media and I would say celebrity image, practically shove certain nonsense or I should say 'way of thinking' down everyone's throat. I know that, media practically choked me because I am teenager too. So now what youngsters can rely on is that how we filter information goes inside our head and how we purify what we've heard by simply asking a lot of questions. These suggestion is for now a-talk-only materials because it is mainly easy to say. But if you asked me about what have I done? My answer would be: I balance my life. I work, I use my head, but never forget to look for decent entertainment. I value my life.

Teenage Dream by Katy Perry is the songs I badly drool over. It's like Baby for Beliebers and it's a kind of perfectly fit anthem if there's gonna be a flash mob in place where I live. Until some day, when the sun shine so bright that I have to worry my powder wear off, I hum and accidentally sing the first verse (this following experience is legit):

You think I'm crazy
Without any makeup on
You think I'm pretty
When I tell the punchline wrong

when it should be originally:
You think I'm pretty
Without any makeup on
You think I'm funny
When I tell the punchline wrong

Oh my effing, God! Seriously?! -> The fact I'm using this words has proven that I consume whatever media served too much.

Also, the fact that Teenage Dream topped famous charts around the world for a while, you may remember this lines:

Let's go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance, until we die
You and I, will be young forever

For whatever sake, "Dance until we die", is so overrated that every time I hear those words I begin to think is there any sober teenage left in the world. What to expect from people who adore the statement as if it was God's commandment? We are so young we can have everything in life at the moment but in twenty years time and above? I guess "Dance until we die", will be perfect action if you ran out of money and pension fund. Yeah, you'd be so messed up that you dance until you die!

Since Katy endorsed "sun-kissed skin" and "skin tight jeans" as teenage distinct identity, it manifested through our iPod and starts to be very confounding as if that image is all we know, the sum of all truth. We begin to think our image have to be chic and all we do is just to see and be seen. C'est tout! Nothing else. What?! Your life and my life is in the present but you yourself is the one who build the future. It's so much amusing to dream, but make it happen!

Although I've been bragging a lot of how much (social) media influences and with you (yes you) trying to still stand out towards catastrophe, I'm saying (social) media made us figure out something more. I, therefore, suggest to you if someday you plug earphone and listening to specifically made playlist all day long, and then suddenly found yourself in embellished reality slash fantasy. Put down your iPod and go out meet some friends. Discuss! Talk! Write! Go out! Whatever! Don't let the songs get in your way or imagine euphoria as your religion.

I maybe a little out of my depth if I write further thoughts or information so I shall leave you now with wandering thoughts of what you should think or do next. Perhaps it has been something you'd known all along.

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Katy Perry is American singer/songwriter who develop genres: Pop, pop rock, dance-pop, electropop, europop, CCM (early). Promotional singles are: "I Kissed a Girl" · "Hot n Cold" · "Thinking of You" · "Waking Up in Vegas" · "California Gurls" · "Teenage Dream" · "Firework" · "E.T."

(courtesy:wikipedia)