Katherine Hudson (Katy Perry) is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actress. Known for her stunning outfits, bizarre stage props and catchy songs, she became a sensation in pop music.
Conservative education
Katherine was born on October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California. Fans may be surprised to learn that the singer, who talks about her sexual experience in the song I Kissed a Girl, grew up in a very conservative family. Her parents were pastors and forbade her to listen to rock and popular music. According to Perry, the only thing she was allowed was the soundtracks for the Sister Act movie. She, her brother and sister were also not allowed to watch cable channels such as MTV and VH1.
Katy Perry (photo later in the article) began taking singing lessons at the age of 9 and learned to play the guitar when she was 13. At about the same time, she began to rebel against strict education, having pierced her nose. Soon she became interested in a musical career. With her mother, Perry made several trips to Nashville to record a gospel album, which was released in 2001. According to the singer, no more than 100 people managed to hear him, after which the label went bankrupt.
Early musical influences
As a teenager, Katy Perry was fond of a variety of musical styles. A friend introduced her to the music of Queen, which remained one of her favorite. Perry was very inspired by Freddie Mercury and how bright and theatrical he was. In high school, she sought to be herself, not limited to one social group. According to Katie, she talked with rockabilly lovers, guys who tried to be rappers and just funny kids.
First attempts
Focusing on music, Perry received a certificate and moved to Los Angeles to work with producer and songwriter Glen Ballard, who collaborated with stars such as Christina Aguilera and Alanis Morissette. Katie was only 17 years old, and independent life was very difficult. She lived in Los Angeles for 5 years without money, writing out unsecured checks, selling clothes to pay rent, and living on loan. Perry experienced a series of disappointments before a breakthrough occurred. She and Ballard could not find a record company willing to accept them, and her collaboration in 2004 with music producers The Matrix failed shortly before the planned release of the project. After 3 unsuccessful attempts, Katy Perry finally signed a contract with Capitol in 2007.
Debut album
In the same year, Katy Perry released her first single, Ur So Gay. Pop superstar Madonna became his fan, calling the song one of her favorites at that time. Katy Perry's song evoked associations with Lily Allen, another singer known for her unusual, cheeky lyrics. The performer admitted that the single was inspired by emo guys with let-down eyes using hair straighteners. Nevertheless, her career had not yet reached the proper level until her next single I Kissed a Girl was released, which in the summer of 2008 won first places in the charts. Due to the success of this song, the debut album One of the Boys was in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and her performer received a Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal.
Katy Perry is also famous for her theatricality. During a concert tour, she performed a hit with a giant tube of lip balm, thus illustrating a line from a song. The performer jumped into a huge cake and appeared on stage in many wild outfits. She called her style “Lucille Ball Meets Bob Mackie” - the joke should be clear to everyone, but they should think about it for at least a minute.
"Teenage Dream"
In 2009, Katy Perry performed on MTV. The soundtrack from the show appeared at about the same time. In the same year, the singer hit the headlines of the tabloids because of her relationship with the British comedian Russell Brand. The couple became engaged during the New Year holidays that they spent in India. And on October 23, 2010, during a traditional Hindu ceremony, they registered marriage in India. According to The Times of India, the wedding was accompanied by a procession of camels, elephants and horses, as well as performances by fire jugglers, snake charmers, dancers and musicians. Perry previously met with Gym Class Heroes band member Travis McCoy.
The young pop star had big plans for the future. According to the singer, her desire was to equalize her name with Madonna. Her Teenage Dreams album was released in August 2010. On the Billboard charts, the single California Gurls quickly climbed to 1st place. Other hits soon followed, including the title track and Fireworks.
The alliance with Russell Brand did not last long - the British filed for divorce in December 2011. On the professional front, Perry was doing much better. With the success of Teenage Dreams, she became one of the country's top pop stars.
Katy Perry: New Records
In 2012, the singer released a new version of her hit album Teenage Dream. Several new tracks appeared in it, including the successful singles Wide Awake and Part of Me.
The dominance of the music charts continued with the release of the 2013 album Prism. The Katy Perry Roar clip climbed to first place. The song Dark Horse, the result of the collaboration of the singer with Juicy J, also showed an impressive result. The hit was at the top of the charts for several weeks, which helped Perry break the record set by Mariah Carey, whose singles held the first place for 45 weeks.
Katie again became the center of attention in 2014 with her song This Is How We Do, co-written by Riff Raff.
In 2014, the pop star founded her own label, Metamorphosis Music, as part of the record company Capitol Records.
On February 1, 2015, Katy Perry made history by speaking during the break of the Super Bowl XLIX final match, which was also attended by special guests - Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot - and two dancers dressed in shark costumes, which became a sensation on social networks. According to Guinness World Records, the performance was watched by 118.5 million viewers, and it became the most popular in the history of the NFL.
