PC: UNICEF
In August 2020, Perry and her partner, actor Orlando Bloom, welcomed their daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom. They announced her birth through UNICEF’s platform and shared the first image of their family in a post that encouraged donations to the organisation. The announcement connected a personal event with UNICEF’s work to support mothers and newborns. The appeal asked people to contribute towards efforts to help ensure that women and babies receive the care they need. Rather than relying solely on a conventional celebrity announcement, the couple used the occasion to direct attention towards maternal and newborn health.
Katy Perry’s UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador role began in 2013
Since 2013, however, the American singer has also held a role with UNICEF, working to draw attention to the circumstances faced by children in vulnerable communities. Perry’s work with UNICEF received formal recognition in 2016, when the United States Fund for UNICEF presented her with the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award at its annual Snowflake Ball. The organisation’s profile of Perry records several milestones in her involvement, including her 2013 appointment, the Vietnam visit, the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award and the vaccine-access campaign.
Katy Perry’s career has largely been defined by chart-topping songs, sold-out performances and a public profile that extends well beyond music. Her involvement has taken her from a child protection centre in Madagascar to rural communities in Vietnam, while other campaigns have focused on emergency assistance and access to healthcare. Appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador more than a decade ago, Perry has continued to use her visibility to support the organisation’s work. Her contributions have included field visits, public appeals and fundraising efforts linked to the needs of children and families. For UNICEF, the role of a goodwill ambassador is partly about reaching audiences who might not otherwise follow its programmes. Perry’s music career gave her an established international platform, which the organisation could use to bring attention to its work in different countries. The award acknowledged her commitment to the organisation’s efforts on behalf of children. That year, she also joined fellow UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors and other public figures in contributing to a global version of John Lennon’s Imagine. The project brought together well-known voices around a familiar song, using their collective reach to support UNICEF’s message. Those activities show how her work with UNICEF has taken different forms over the years, depending on the issue being addressed.
UNICEF’s biography describes her as one of the bestselling musical artists of all time, with more than 43 million albums sold worldwide and over 30 billion song streams. The recognition added a humanitarian dimension to Perry’s public profile, which already included a substantial music career. Her work with the organisation has developed alongside that career, rather than replacing it.