Katy Perry Ready For First Headlining Tour

With digital sales still robust for her two breakthrough singles, Katy Perry will launch her first headlining tour Jan. 23 at the Showbox in Seattle.She'll make a brief detour to perform Feb. 8 at the Grammy Awards as part of the My Grammy Moment promotion, where a fan will get to perform alongside her during the telecast.The tour will hit theaters with 1,000- to 2,000-seat capacities; there will also be an 11-date European run, including several U.K. performances, and stops in Japan."Our philosophy has always been to sell places out," says Creative Artists Agency's Mitch Rose, who worked Perry's tour. "We set the ticket price at $18-$20 for most markets, because we wanted to ensure a sellout. We could have charged more and we know we're leaving money on the table, but making sure the rooms were packed was our first priority."But just because the rooms are small doesn't mean Perry will keep her show simple. "I have the guy who creates stages for Madonna working on this tour," she tells Billboard. "I'm indulging my obsession with fruit and cats and designing all different outfits."
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This quirkiness is leading her to other opportunities. Perry says she'd like to develop a clothing line at some point, but she's in no hurry. "It would take two years to do it right," she says. "I don't want to do something rushed and sloppy. I look at something like Gwen Stefani's line, L.A.M.B., and that took forever to do."Stefani is a role model of Perry's, not just for her sense of style but her long career. Perry believes interacting with her fans is key; she's constantly blogging and responding to MySpace messages, as well as putting in time after every show to chat and sign autographs."All the big pop girls come across as being so scared and so distant," Perry says. "I understand diva-ness, but I cultivate an image as the pop star next door. You need to have some mystery and some privacy, and there are parts of me that I hold back. But at the same time, I love meeting people and e-mailing with them and blogging about funny things."