Katy Perry set to roar, but insists she’s no Lion

Rachael Ward |

Katy Perry’s AFL Grand Final appearance will be one of her biggest shows since the 2015 Superbowl.
Katy Perry’s AFL Grand Final appearance will be one of her biggest shows since the 2015 Superbowl.

US pop singer Katy Perry will belt out her hit song Roar the at AFL Grand Final – but don’t expect her to barrack for the Lions.

The star of the pre-game entertainment insists she’ll have no special allegiance towards Brisbane over the Sydney Swans when the two interstate teams battle it out at the MCG on Saturday.

“You know I’m Switzerland,” the performer told reporters at the MCG on Thursday.

“What I’m still trying to get over is that Melbourne has 10 teams, and they’re not here!”

Perry will perform a string of her biggest hits to the 100,000-strong crowd including I Kissed a Girl with an Australian artist, rumoured to be Tina Arena, in one of her biggest shows since the 2015 Superbowl.

It will be her second performance at the stadium following her 2020 Women’s Cricket World Cup appearance, which she said was a huge adrenaline rush.

“It’ll be almost 10 years since I did something like this in the States, and to be able to do something like this again after so long, that doesn’t always happen for an artist so I’m super stoked,” she said.

The American tried her hand at Aussie slang and AFL references in a press conference peppered with “speccy” and “granny” after a run on the grass in heels practising hand balls with AFLW stars.

Katy Perry
US pop superstar Katy Perry will belt out some of her biggest hits to the MCG crowd. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

“She was super bubbly,” Swans AFLW star Chloe Molloy told AAP.

“You never think you’re going to rub shoulders with someone like pop icon Katy Perry.

“These are just the joys of football and how it brings people together.”

Homegrown pop singer and elite swimmer Cody Simpson will perform the national anthem on Saturday and likened his nerves to those on the starting blocks at the pool.

“It’s an immense honour, it’s probably the ideal way to be able to come back to the stage,” he said.

In other performances, Christine Anu will take to the stage alongside her daughter, and mad Swans fan, Zipporah for a special version of her most famous song My Island Home.

Christine Anu
Christine Anu (left) and her daughter Zipporah will perform My Island Home at the grand final. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

“It’s so great that it gets to feature in such a significant event as the grand final between two of my favourite teams, so I’ve already won,” Anu said.

Up There Cazaly singer Mike Brady confirmed he’ll once again perform his original hit, without a reference to late football legend Ron Barassi, in what he believes will be his 20th or 21st grand final appearance.

“I’m probably up for long service,” he joked.

AAP