Katy Perry Performs “Roar” At White House Reception: Watch

Christina Lee | August 2, 2014 7:47 am

Katy Perry took a brief detour from her ongoing tour to perform at the White House. On July 31, she performed an intimate rendition of her Prism hit “Roar” during a Special Olympics reception, to high-profile guests including Maria Shriver (whose mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the organization) – and after a warm introduction from President Barack Obama himself.

“I love Katy Perry,” Obama said. “She is just a wonderful person. I just met her mom, now I know why she’s such a wonderful person.” Prior to that, he had called her “one of my favorite people.” And after that, he mentioned that the “This Is How We Do” star was currently on tour – her Prismatic tour, to be more specific – to emphasize what a privilege it was to see her there.

Watch Katy Perry do “Roar” up top, then see Barack Obama’s introduction below.

Of course, Perry’s Special Olympics performance isn’t the only time that she has sang to support Obama. Two years ago, she wore a ballot dress – “You know I got my poll outfit sorted, okay?” – to address and perform “Teenage Dream” to young voters. Once Obama won his reelection, she performed the same song at the Kids Inaugural Concert, inspiring older daughter Malia to sing along.

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.