For much of her career, Katy Perry has embraced an upbeat and playful pop image, but that's just one part of her life.
In a sit-down with TODAY's Natalie Morales, the singer got serious, opening up about her darker days and sharing a side that fans don't typically see.
Of course Perry is sharing a lot more with her fans these days as part of a 96-hour livestream event on YouTube. Over the weekend, she even allowed them to watch a therapy session in which she revealed that she's struggled with suicidal thoughts.
"Very low thoughts," she told Natalie after the session. "It's not just been a one time that I've felt really low."
Instead, Perry explained that the feelings have come and gone repeatedly as she's faced various personal challenges.
"I have my own addictions that I struggle with, whether that's love or substance or things like that," she said. "It's up and down — even just attention, you know? I get so much attention and that can become addiction."
So the hit maker is turning her own attention to her "authentic" self, a side she didn't think was good enough — until now.
"For a long time I didn't feel like old Katheryn Hudson from Santa Barbara was anything special," she said. "You know, I didn't feel like I was enough, so I had to kind of create this character of myself."
But she has to admit that Katheryn Hudson's alter ego, Katy Perry, has "done really well."
So well, in fact, that she has a new hit album, "Witness," which inspired this tell-all and show-all experience. It's an album filled with songs that Perry connects to personally, including one that's made headlines — "Swish, Swish," a track rumored to be about her long-running feud with Taylor Swift.
But not so, says Perry.
"No, it's not about anyone in particular," she assured. "And I've said that on the record. ... That might be your story but my story, which I know is true for me, is that I've had not just one person bully me or one person hold me down or met one troll."
As for her official message to Swift, it isn't set to music.
"All I need to say to her is I love her, and God bless her on her journey," she added. "And that's it."
Perry will wrap up her streaming event Monday with a live concert to held at a secret location in Los Angeles.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 any time.