Woman: Clear the background again, please. Thank you.
Did you have to put your own eyelashes on?
I did, yeah. I did my own makeup.
- You're really good at that. - Thank you.
That's so crazy. That was crazy.
So, Katy, tell me about this song
that you're about to perform the collaboration for.
Well, I'm so excited to, um, play for the first time
with anyone, uh, my song "Witness".
I was dating a boy at the time of origin of the song.
He said, "If you could write one song right now,
what would it be?"
And I'd just been thinking about this word "witness"
and what does that mean?
Want to introduce you guys to some of my friends.
Mr. Rickey Minor, our musical director.
He's gonna help a little bit with the arrangement of the song.
- Hi, man. - Hi.
- How are you? - Good to see you.
- Hi. - Good to see you. Congratulations
Thank you.
And then our stage director Sam Wrench.
- I'ma leave you guys to it. - Awesome.
The idea, basically, is that you're front and center.
And we've got all these amazing lights moving around you
to kind of create this world that you guys are immersed inside of.
You know, my own journey is that what I'm doing is
I'm going out into the world and I'm witnessing things,
and I'm absorbing them and digesting them,
and then they're coming out of me
as these little pop songs.
I also get to witness people and their own stories.
How would you categorize your sound?
I'm pop, but I like to incorporate the guitar
and have the acoustic singer-songwriter vibe
- in it still. - Yeah.
I really resonated with Riley
because I saw myself in her.
That's the band there.
- That's Devin. - Hi, guys.
And Tina, Caroline.
That's Adam over there.
Hi, guys.
- This is Riley. - Hi.
She can sing her-- I'm scared.
Oh, stop.
You take the first verse.
( chuckles )
Actually, I'll take the first verse.
I don't want to follow you.
I'd heard a couple of stories about
how she started writing poetry
because she was upset about being bullied in school.
I really related to that because
I kind of started playing guitar in my room
because I was upset, too,
and I wanted to prove that I was something special.
Vocally, you have some ideas of, like,
how you want to split it up with her and stuff?
Yeah, maybe first verse and then second verse.
So she starts the first verse?
I don't know. We can try it out.
All right, so what I'll do--
we'll put up in the teleprompter what I had in mind,
and then we can change whatever you want to change.
Whatever you have in mind, Rickey.
You're the one that does this for a living.
Yes. Genius.
I know. This is like a dream!
I can't believe it!
In five, four, three, two, roll it!
♪ I only got this life ♪
Come on, girl. You can sing.
♪ And I ain't got the time ♪
- ♪ No ♪ - ♪ No ♪
Can you turn her up in my ears, please?
♪ Not to get it right ♪
Sing it.
♪ Oh ♪
After every, like, little stumble and fall
I've had in my career, to get to this point,
it's just, like, such a payoff.
Like, it's absolutely incredible to work with her.
I mean, yesterday I was literally
playing in, like, a coffee shop.
And now I'm here on a set
in L.A. and I'm singing with Katy Perry.
♪ Will you be my witness? ♪
♪ Witness ♪
♪ I'm just looking for a witness ♪
Oh, my God, this is so crazy!
Better than I could've hoped.
Well, this is different than maybe the coffee shops
- that you're used to. - Definitely.
- A little bit. - A little bit more light.
A little-- a few more cameras.
And I'm just so glad that I picked you.
You're an amazing singer.
This is very surreal for me.
Aww.
I have a million things going through my head.
Me reminding her of herself when she was younger,
that's just crazy to even think that, like,
she ever was where I was.
I am, like, replaying what just happened
over and over again on this side,
and on this side I'm freaking out
that I'm about to sing "Witness" with Katy Perry.
This is about to be such a huge opportunity.
Oh, my God, like...
I'm gonna go get ready.
Yay! Me, too.
I hope we don't wear the same outfit,
but if we do, maybe it's just destiny.
Destiny.
I'm very excited. Are you nervous?
- Okay, good. I am. - No.
- Why? - I don't know.
- I'm gonna go. - Okay.
- You're the pro. - Okay.
Hi, everyone.
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