Katy Perry: I’m not special

Katy Perry is just a normal girl who "watered a seed and watched it grow".

The American star has tied with Michael Jackson's record of achieving five US Billboard number one singles from the same album following the release of 2010's Teenage Dream. She also has a burgeoning film career after voicing a character in the Smurfs films, but still doesn't think she is anything special.

"I like the idea in acting to play the opposite of how I present myself, as some kind of unrecognisable character," she explained to British newspaper The Independent's Radar magazine. "As I've said before, I'm just a normal girl – just a Plain Jane who watered a seed and watched it grow. If I can do it, anyone can. Girls don't need to be physically perfect to succeed."

Katy's parents are strongly religious and she was raised in a Christian household. Her upbringing is one of the reasons she likes to be a good example to her young fans. She also knows if she was entangled in a scandal her family would be furious.

"I think everyone knows that I am more open. But I hope I make all my decisions with integrity. My grandmother is in charge of my morals," she giggled. "I do anything wrong, she'll come after me.

"Of course people have to choose between good and evil. But I think no matter what situation we find ourselves in, or where we come from, we can always choose to grow from it. Scars are a reminder of what we have learned."

The closest Katy has come to scandal was when her short marriage to Russell Brand ended. Although she has never fully discussed why they split she has revealed he let her know he was filing to end their union via text message. They haven't spoken since that happened on New Year's Eve 2011.

She allowed the breakdown of her marriage to be shown on her tour documentary Part of Me but insists it doesn't define her. The star is working on her new album at the moment and is adamant it won't be full of songs about heartbreak.

Music remains her first love and even though she has enjoyed working on both Smurfs movies she can't imagine being an actress full time.

"I have a lot of friends who are actors and I see how hard they work. I think that it's actually harder and it takes more time than a music career. You wake up at four or five am. That's commitment," she explained. "If the movie would start filming at 11am then I would do it."