Katy Perry has revealed she "struggled for months" over deciding whether to release the song Bandaids.

Last week, the pop star surprised fans by dropping the new single, which explores themes of heartbreak and the end of a relationship.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday night, Katy posted an emotional message in which she thanked fans for listening to Bandaids.

"Thank you for the love on bandaids," she wrote. "(To be honest), I struggled for months with the idea of putting this song out... even after all these years it can be scary to be vulnerable... but hopefully the lyrics of this song resonate with someone going through what I have been through and maybe they won't feel so alone and will find the strength to keep going like I have."

Katy and longtime partner Orlando Bloom split in June after nine years together.

The pair shares a five-year-old daughter named Daisy.

Since the breakup, Katy has been romantically linked to former Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

Elsewhere in the post, the Firework hitmaker uploaded a series of behind-the-scenes snaps from the music video for Bandaids, which she co-directed with Christian Breslauer.

The footage shows the 41-year-old caught up in situations reminiscent of the Final Destination movie franchise, such as having her shoelaces caught in a moving escalator.

Katy is set to perform her next The Lifetimes Tour show in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday night.