In an interview with Elle magazine, Katy Perry wanted to make it clear: Just because her marriage to Russell Brand didn't work out, she hasn't given up on the idea of holy matrimony.

"I'm a woman who likes to be courted, strongly. Never say never, I guess you'd say," she says in the September issue, which hits newsstands August 14. "I'll let love take the lead on that."

The singer appears on the cover of the issue donning a hot pink dress with smoky eyes and long purple and black hair. Inside, the singer dons a geometric-patterned dress with her hair up.

In the interview, Perry goes on to discuss the boundaries of her role-model status. "I can't tell a person when it's time for them to have sex . . . or if they should have a cigarette . . . But I try to live my life with a lot of integrity," she explains in the issue. "Hopefully, that sends a message."

She's applying that integrity not only to her personal life, but also her career as she plots of the next evolutionary step in her post Teenage Dream era. "I love what I do. And when I don't love what I do, I'll make a change," she said. "I can't be the candy queen forever."

Currently, Perry is not only planning out her next album, but also celebrating four 2012 MTV VMA nominations. She is up for the coveted[article id="1690880"]Video of the Year[/article] award for "Wide Awake," as well as [article id="1690891"]Best Female Video ("Part of Me")[/article] and Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction for "Wide Awake."

The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards will air live on September 6, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Head to VMA.MTV.com now through August 24 to vote for your favorites, or text BNA to 22444 to vote for Best New Artist all the way through the show!