Greg Swales + Katy Perry on Transcendental Meditation, Shooting for Vogue India

Photographer Greg Swales leaves his usual position behind the lens and delivers a rather intoxicating vision of himself. No complaints here at AOC with a bit of healthy self-indulgence. Swales posted the pic on his Instagram page, shooting Katy Perry for Vogue India’s January 2020 cover story.

In her interview Katy Perry on fighting depression, finding meditation, and using her platform to steer change, the star talks about her own battle with gremlins and her relationship with Orlando Bloom.

Katy was in Mumbai in November for her performance at the OnePlus Music Festival. After the 12-hour Vogue India photo shoot with Greg Swales, Perry headed straight to a charity event marking Prince Charles’s 71st birthday. “Transcendental meditation,” she shares, is the secret. “There are so many different forms of meditation I’ve done, but nothing supersedes TM. It changed my life.”

Speaking of her fiancé Orlando Bloom, Perry explains that he is on a spiritual journey of his own. “He’s an anchor who holds me down, and he’s very real. He’s not the number one fan of Katy Perry, but he’s the number one fan of Katheryn Hudson.”

“Orlando is like a sage. When we first met, he said we would pull the poison out of each other, and we really do. It’s exhausting, but we really hold each other accountable. I’ve never had a partner who was willing to go on an emotional and spiritual journey like Orlando. It’s challenging, because you’re facing all the things you don’t like about yourself. It’s like a never-ending cleanse.”

The Katy Perry-Greg Swales Vogue India editorial is coming soon. Check out Swales’ extensive archives @ AOC. The photographer is on a roll, so to speak. Must be all that transcendental meditation. ~ Anne