Katy Perry used to ''fake'' her confidence.

The 'Dark Horse' hitmaker has had a multitude of hit tracks and is known for her daring live performances but she has admitted she suffered from self-esteem issues when she was starting out in the music industry.

She said: ''There's an intense level of confidence that sweeps over me and I can really command a stage, and back then, I could do it, too. I just had to. I had to fake it until I made it.''

The 30-year-old singer also revealed how others thought she was ''lazy'' because they never saw her but she insisted she spent the time promoting her music.

Speaking about her time on the Warped Tour to USA Today, she said: ''Someone voted me 'laziest' because they thought I was just sleeping in my bus because they never saw me.

''The actual reality is, I was up at 7 a.m. doing radio promo and then going to dinner with program directors after my shows. I was always hustling.

''Can you imagine being voted 'laziest?' Cut to eight years later, I'm doing a year-long tour and 141 shows and counting.''