Katy Perry sweetly hugs a young fan as she signs autographs outside her Melbourne hotel after her AFL Grand Final headlining gig

Katy Perry greeted fans as she signed autographs outside her Melbourne hotel after her headlining performance in the AFL Grand Final on Saturday.

The American pop star, 39, took to the stage at the MCG in front of 100,000 AFL fans as she led the pregame entertainment before the Brisbane Lions cruised to victory over the Sydney Swans.

Katy, who was paid $5 million for the performance, performed a string of her best-known hits, including Roar and Firework, as well as two songs from her new album 143.

She was widely praised for her singing on the show, although her use of CGI effects left many viewers at home completely baffled, even singing a duet with Tina Arena.

After the highly anticipated performance, Katy took time to greet fans and sign autographs as she returned to her luxury hotel in Melbourne.

The I Kissed A Girl hitmaker was seen lovingly hugging a young fan as she also walked around and apparently struck a Roar pose for the group.

Katy put on a very leggy show in leopard print hot pants and a matching collared top as she signed autographs for her delighted fans waiting outside the hotel.

She gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of black knee-high heeled boots and appeared to be in a jovial mood after her epic 20-minute AFL set.

The I Kissed A Girl hitmaker was seen affectionately hugging a young fan in a sweet moment as crowds gathered outside her hotel

During her headlining performance, Katy left fans stunned as she kicked off her set with her smash hit Roar, despite it being widely assumed she wouldn’t be performing the song.

There had been feverish speculation that the song had been blacklisted because it showed a perceived bias against the Lions, with Katy herself even admitting that she had been warned not to sing it.

However, despite the rampant theories, Katy threw caution to the wind by performing the song that some fans consider the unofficial anthem of the underdogs, who ultimately won.

She then caused even more surprise by not singing Hot n Cold, despite it being known as the MasterChef Australia theme song and jokingly regarded by many as the true Aussie ‘anthem’.

She performed her hits Teenage Dreams, Dark Horse, Firework and California Gurls and sang I Kissed A Girl with Tina Arena, but notably missed Hot n Cold, even though it was widely expected to perform.

Following reports that she was limited to just one new song from AFL bosses, Katy also released two songs from her 2024 album 143 – Lifetimes and Beautiful, her collaboration with Kim Petras.

Katy put on a very leggy display in leopard print hot pants and a matching collared top as she greeted her delighted fans outside the hotel

Katy also walked around and seemingly struck a Roar pose for the group as she made a jovial appearance after the performance

The American pop star, 39, took to the stage in front of 100,000 AFL fans as she headlined the pregame show ahead of the Brisbane Lions vs Sydney Swans clash.

While fans praised her vocal talents, many viewers on the show were baffled by the bizarre CGI (pictured), which they said had no place in an AFL Grand Final.

Although fans praised her vocal talents, many viewers on the show were baffled by an unusual detail, which they claimed had no place in an AFL Grand Final.

Fans at home mercilessly mocked her choice to accompany her real-life performance and dance moves with an array of ‘bizarre’ CGI effects on social media.

Fans watched as huge futuristic effects appeared above the stadium grounds, including gold love hearts and a galaxy-style black hole, with many poking fun at the video game look of early 2000s CGI.

Katy reportedly hoped her AFL show would “revive” her “faltering” pop career and help promote her new album 143, which has been divisive.

Her highly anticipated seventh studio album 143, which references the phrase ‘I love you’, did not get off to a good start with music critics as it received lukewarm reviews.

A scathing review of her first album in four years, from a top entertainment outlet, stated that Perry is ‘struggling to regain past glory on the flat 143’.