Katy Perry exes 'intimidated' by her success

Singer Katy Perry. Photo / AP

She's got the eye of the tiger, and Katy Perry says her ex-boyfriends may have felt intimidated by her success.

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar the US pop star, who turns 30 next month, has opened up about her complex love life, explaining that the older she gets the less time she has for "bulls***" from men.

Perry described herself as "open" when it comes to relationships, but said she isn't interested in suitors who are threatened by her "boss lady" status.

"I look for the same characteristics: a sense of humour, someone who makes me laugh off the charts, someone who is sensitive, someone who loves and understands music, and who is really smart," the Roar singer told the October edition of the magazine, of which she stars on the cover in an elegant red gown.

"A lot of times I've ended up with people who have been intimidated by me, unfortunately.

"They say they're not, but it comes out in the long run. They're threatened, or there's resentment because they don't know how to handle it.

"Yes, sometimes it's tough being a ... boss lady. I'm looking for someone who's inspired and could be inspiring with me."

After two very public break-ups with former husband Russell Brand and John Mayer, Perry said she sought therapy to learn how to take care of herself better.

Now "self-love" comes first, but the 29-year-old did give a little clue as to what she finds attractive in the opposite sex - "gentlemen who have quite large vocabularies".

And Perry, who may or may not be in a feud with rival pop star Taylor Swift, made it clear she's not ready to talk babies just yet.

"When I do these interviews, a lot of these clips people pull out are like, 'Katy Perry doesn't want a man to have babies'," she said.

"I'm like, 'I didn't say that. I just said, I'm good'. Why am I a baby machine? Why can't I be a mogul? I want to have a baby, sure, but I want to have a career.

"I want to have a record label. I want to have an incredible tour. So I'm going to have all of those things. Let's talk about that. It's like, get out of my ovaries, okay? I'll do it in time."

- AAP