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Katy Perry Channels Marie Antoinette, Is Nearly Unrecognizable in Behind-the-Scenes Pictures From Killer Queen Ad

Katy Perry
Us Weekly has exclusive behind-the-scenes pictures from Katy Perry's stunning ad for her Killer Queen fragrance

Long live the Queen! Katy Perry turned the “pop princess” cliche on its head with a sexy, grown-up ad campaign for her new fragrance, Killer Queen, starring Perry herself as a rebellious royal. The theatrical, beautifully shot teaser video hit the internet in late August — and now Us Weekly has some exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot. 

Related: PHOTOS: Katy's crazy style

One picture shows the “Roar” singer as she appears toward the beginning of the ad, in a towering, white, Marie Antoinette-esque wig, a ruby-red corseted dress, and bejeweled black tights. She stands amid a group of stunned attendants, who have just watched her cut off the bottom of her gown with a dagger. (Perry, of course, is not the first star to channel Antoinette; Madonna, Kirsten Dunst, and Beyonce have all paid tribute to the doomed Queen of France, too.)

Related: PHOTOS: Katy's nail art

Another photo depicts the 28-year-old pop singer near the end of the video, when she takes her place on a regal red-and-gold throne after strutting through the castle in black lace-up stiletto booties. Gone is the white powdered wig; in its place is her trademark black hair.

Katy Perry
Katy Perry Killer Queen advertising campaign

Speaking about the inspiration for her Killer Queen fragrance in a press release about the scent, Perry explained: “When I was creating Killer Queen, I was really inspired by the idea of a strong, confident woman in power. And that is exactly what I hoped to put into this fragrance, something that brings out the power inside of you.”

Related: PHOTOS: Katy's hair evolution

The star, currently dating fellow musician John Mayer, has been all about self-empowerment lately. “Killer Queen has been in my vocabulary since I was 15, because of the song ‘Killer Queen’ by Queen. Freddie Mercury painted the lyrics of this woman who I wanted to be. She seemed very powerful, and she captivated a room when she walked in,” Perry told Women’s Wear Daily recently of how she came up with the name.

“I named my company Killer Queen after those lyrics,” she continued. “I feel like, after all this time, it was appropriate to use that name in association with something I did. I feel like I’m falling, finally, into that woman Freddie painted.”

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