On Sunday night, just hours before she blasted off the planet with an all-woman crew on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft, Katy Perry made an announcement. "I think I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna sing a little bit. I gotta sing in space!" the 40-year-old pop star said in an Instagram video that showed off her seat on the rocket, complete with a "K. Perry" label and her "call name," Feather. Perry kept that promise, with spacemate Gayle King telling her CBS Mornings colleagues after they'd touched back down that Perry belted out Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," reports the Independent.
Perry, who says she's sung that song previously, noted to reporters that "obviously my higher self is always steering the ship, because I had no idea that one day I'd be singing that song in space." The BBC has reactions from all six of the women on the rocket, including Perry, after their trip:
- Perry: "Comes second to being a mum," she noted, adding that she may even write a new song based on her experience. "The highest high. It is a surrender to the unknown."
- King: Oprah Winfrey's BFF, who said it was "oddly quiet" in space, took some time to "appreciate the ground," kissing it upon landing (so did Perry).
- Lauren Sanchez: The fiancee of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said she was "so proud of this crew" and noted the bond between the women who embarked on the journey together. She added that, from their perch in space, Earth looked "quiet, but really alive."
- Amanda Nguyen: "I'm so grateful ... to everyone who made it a reality," said the civil rights activist.
- Kerianne Flynn: The movie producer exclaimed, "This mum went to space!," in response to some of her son's friends who'd insisted that mothers "don't go to space." She called the trip "the most incredible experience of my life."
- Aisha Bowe: "I will never be the same," noted the aerospace engineer, describing an "energy" felt by all those aboard as they hovered above Earth.
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