Katy Perry faced 'bouts of situational depression' over mixed reactions to album

Katy Perry has revealed she suffered from "bouts of situational depression" after her fifth studio album 'Witness' received mixed response by the public last year. 

Despite topping US charts and being number six on the UK charts, 'Witness' produced no number one hits, unlike her third LP 'Teenage Dream' which had six number ones.

"I had bouts of situational depression. My heart was broken last year because, unknowingly, I put so much validity in the reaction of the public, and the public didn't react in the way I had expected to," Perry told Vogue Australia.

The singer, who has been vocal about her mental health struggles, said she decided to go to the Hoffman Institute, a week-long healing retreat in California, seeking a "new foundation".

"For years, my friends would go and come back completely rejuvenated, and I wanted to go, too. I was ready to let go of anything that was holding me back from being my ultimate self. Music is my first love and I think it was the universe saying, 'OK, you speak about self-love and authenticity, but we are going to put you through another test and take away any kind of validating 'blankie.' Then we'll see how much you truly love yourself," Perry said.

"That brokenness, plus me opening up to a greater, higher power and reconnecting with divinity, gave me a wholeness I never had. It gave me a new foundation. It's not just a material foundation. It's a soul foundation," she added.