Katy Perry's 'Roar' Has Fans Purring With Delight: Watch!

NEW YORK — Katy Perry didn’t just purr, but roared back onto the radio on Monday (August 12), when she officially unleashed her new single, “Roar.”

The one-time teenage dream touched down in NYC, clad in crushed velvet, to meet with fans outside of radio station Z100’s offices in Tribeca and celebrate the release of her lead track off her October 22 album, Prism.

Before taking selfies with her fans, Perry stepped out of the gold-plated semi-truck that has been making its way across the country. Aside from gushing about the chance to meet Perry, her Katy Cats also dished about Perry’s latest single and what the empowerment tune means to them.

Fellow Santa Barbara native Jennifer Rezek told MTV News, “I think it means that you should just be you and not let anyone hold you down. People change and grow and she’s becoming a different artist and who she really is and I like that.”

Rachel Stuckey added, “I think it’s all about having fun and staying strong and showing who you really are.”

With lyrics like “I am the champion/ And you’re gonna hear me roar,” Perry isn’t holding back, taking on anyone who might doubt her. That’s a message that super-fan Carlos appreciates. “You have ups and downs, so you can’t give up. You have to always keep trying,” he said. “So Katy’s songs always have this lesson, this meaning so that’s why I love her.”

Other fans also are feeling Perry’s artistic evolution, leaving her candy-coated days behind her. And to really let it be known that she is kicking off a new era, she buried her “California Gurls” persona and burned her blue wig to announce her current, darker incarnation.

Gabe Bergado said, “It’s kind of cool. She’s like using this roar [and] it’s a very ferocious, it’s a very strong [idea] to kind of move on. So many Katy Perry fans have been there since the very beginning and with the Teenage Dream being kind of done and everything, we’re in this next stage in Katy’s music and I’m really excited to see what happens.”

Many took to Twitter to gush about the tune, including Joseph Ang, who wrote, ‘ROAR, I’M CLAWING FOR IT!” and Mairi, who shouted, “IT’S NOT ON MY ITUNES YET, BUT I’M SO EXCITED THO OMG.”