Katy Perry knew Dua Lipa was the "it girl" early on in her career. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Perry revealed that she caught one of Dua's early shows in the U.S.

"I remember going in to watch her play at the Hollywood Palladium. It’s so funny, I left work early. It was the first season of me doing American Idol," she reminisced. "I was like, ‘I really need to get out of here by 7 because I’m going to see this new artist Dua Lipa play at the Palladium,’ and my co-judge Luke Bryan was like, ‘Who’s that?’ I was like, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll know her name.’”

Perry also shared that she felt empathy for Dua's rising star because of her own experience being a woman making a name for herself in the music industry. Elsewhere in the interview, she said, "I love supporting women and new artists because I’ve walked in their shoes. I know how it feels, and I know the challenge and how hard you got to work. If you see on all of my past tours, I cherry-picked some of my favorite artists to come on the road with me. Whether that’s Ellie Goulding or Charli XCX or Marina and the Diamonds, or Bebe Rexha and Becky G came when I was on Witness. I’m always trying to support those young new artists on their journeys, and it’s amazing to see them succeed."

True to her word, Katy gave a shout-out to a newer artist named Cyn she's been mentoring. "Cyn is putting together her debut record, and it’s the best record I have heard from anyone since Dua Lipa’s first record. I remember even championing Dua because I was like, “Oh, this girl is going to be the next big girl pop star. She’s the it girl, and she’s coming.'"

Entertainment