Katy Perry's breakthrough 2008 album might have been called One of the Boys, but this singer's about as masculine as a daffodil. Best known for her hit I Kissed a Girl, Perry, 24, dons inch-long lashes, cherry lips and playful retro outfits like polka-dotted hot pants. "If you're presenting yourself with confidence, you can pull off pretty much anything," she says. It seems the same goes for her behaviour - she once belly-flopped onto a giant cake onstage at the Latin American MTV Awards. Raised in California by pastor parents, Perry got her musical start singing in church, and her first album, released in 2001, was Christian gospel. The rules for her early years sound as if they were pinched from Footloose - no pop music, snacks or boys. "My parents were strict, but it was the world I lived in," she says. All that changed at 17, when she moved out and started experimenting with her music and style. In the past year she's racked up a No. 1 song, a gold album, a Grammy nod, and an admirer in Madonna. "I'm not only trying to put one foot in front of the other, I'm trying to put my best foot forward," says Perry.

You're in the middle of your first world tour. Do you squeeze in exercise?

My concerts are an hour long, so I usually jump rope for half an hour beforehand to get warmed up. It's intense. Thankfully, I have a fast metabolism - though I may not be saying that 10 years from now.

So do you watch what you eat?

On holiday I eat whatever I feel like. But on this tour the catering [is] a lot more grilled chicken - nothing fried. Everything is organic. No chips in sight - if they're in front of you, you eat them. Drinking a lot of water and staying hydrated is important too. I don't understand how some people live off diet soda.

I have a couple of friends who I have never seen with a bottle of water in their hands. I don't know how they get recharged.

Life on tour must be hectic - how do you handle stress?

I got really bad acne this past summer because I was so stressed out. I was on tour and had 14 smelly guys in my face all the time! When I feel like my serotonin is falling, or I'm thinking too much about one thing and letting it affect me, I'll get a massage or take a hike. I just put on a Madonna song and go.

What do you like doing in your downtime?

I like to do spontaneous stuff with my friends. The other day we went [ten-pin] bowling. My girlfriends and I are always looking for activities we can introduce each other to. Right now I'm setting up this thing called "Dining in the Dark", where blind people serve you [dinner] in a pitch-black room. I love stuff like that. For me, a good dinner party is always better than a night out drinking.

What's your relationship style? [She's in an on-off thing with Gym Class Heroes singer Travis McCoy]

I'm a good flirt. I'll buy a person a drink, and then catch him off guard, before he can even open his mouth. I like to take the upper hand a little bit and then see if he can bring me down to size. That's because I really need someone who's as confident in his own shoes as I am in mine.

Describe your style for us

I don't follow trends. I'm just not into what everyone else is wearing. I have my own look, which I call "Lolita Meets Old Hollywood Glam". But there are certain times when I want to mix it up and be edgier. Last New Year's Eve, for example, I looked S&M in this all-black corset dress from Dolce & Gabbana, lace tights and five-inch heels.

Who's your fashion icon?

I'm a big fan of Dita Von Teese, because she does it all herself. That is her job: to look fabulous going to the grocery store. Cyndi Lauper is another favourite. She was just so out of her mind in the '80s. It takes someone who has no limitations in style to create stuff that epic.

Do you feel you have an image to uphold?

I like experimenting and I'm totally OK with ending up in the "worst dressed" [lists]. It's happened many times, but I'm proud of those outfits. I'll think, "You'll get it in a couple more years." That's the running joke I have with my sister - she never understood the clothes I brought home from vintage stores, and then two years later they were selling the same look at [US fashion chain store] Urban Outfitters.

Do you find time to shop when travelling for work?

Whenever I'm on tour, I love taking advantage of vintage stores on the outskirts of a middle-of-nowhere town. You can buy a dress for $20 and have it tailored for another $20 and still come out ahead. But I've learnt over the years that if the item smells musty, it really belongs in a trash-can. I bought this one awesome vintage handbag in Australia, but then one night I realised that everything I pulled out of it smelled like mothballs.

How do you get those lashes, and what are your beauty essentials?

On-stage I'll wear false lashes from Shu Uemura and M.A.C. But for every day, I'll use the individual lashes that come on those pink strips. When it comes to lipstick, I like satiny reds - instead of mattes - with a bit of gold shimmer.