Perry provided backing vocals on Mick Jagger's song "Old Habits Die Hard", which was included on the soundtrack to the 2004 film Alfie. Perry worked with songwriters including Desmond Child, Greg Wells, Butch Walker, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, the Matrix, Kara DioGuardi, Max Martin, and Dr. Luke. Ballard then introduced her to Tim Devine, an A&R executive at Columbia Records, and she was signed as a solo artist. Perry began work on a solo record due for release in March 2005, but the record was shelved after Java was dropped. Transitioning from gospel music to secular music, Perry started working with producer Glen Ballard, and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17.
Her singing caught the attention of rock artists Steve Thomas and Jennifer Knapp from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to improve her writing skills. Perry completed her General Educational Development (GED) requirements early at age 15, during her first year of high school, and left Dos Pueblos High School to pursue a music career. Her brother David described her as a "tomboy" during her adolescence, which Perry talks about on her song "One of the Boys". She performed the tracks in front of her parents, who let her take vocal lessons like Angela was doing at the time. While not strictly identifying as religious, she has stated, "I pray all the time – for self-control, for humility." Wanting to be like her sister Angela, Perry began singing by practicing with her sister's cassette tapes.
- Perry worked with songwriters including Desmond Child, Greg Wells, Butch Walker, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, the Matrix, Kara DioGuardi, Max Martin, and Dr. Luke.
- Perry would also perform at the Hotel Café, performing new music while she was between record labels.
- In February 2024, Perry announced her exit from American Idol following the conclusion of the twenty-second season, saying she wanted to “go out and feel that pulse to my own beat” and release new music after being “in the studio for a while”.
- Perry recently looked to reinvigorate her career with new single “Bandaids,” which so far is not attached to any project.
- Perry cites Alanis Morissette and her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill as a significant musical inspiration.
- She performed at three rallies for Obama, in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Wisconsin, singing a rendition of “Let’s Stay Together” as well as a number of her songs.
She moved to Los Angeles at 17 to venture into secular music, and later adopted her stage name from her mother's maiden name. Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality.
Other artists who Perry has cited as influences include Stevie Nicks, ABBA, the Cardigans, Whitney Houston, Cyndi Lauper, Ace of Base, 3OH! She cites the band's frontman, Freddie Mercury, as her biggest influence and expressed how the "combination of his sarcastic approach to writing lyrics and his 'I don't give a fuck' attitude" inspired her music. During the early stages of her career, Perry's musical style gravitated towards gospel, and she aspired to be as successful as Amy Grant. Perry began dating former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau later that year. The record was panned by critics, and Perry was widely criticized for her decision to work with Dr. Luke on it after singer Kesha's allegations of sexual assault against him. In February 2024, Perry announced her exit from American Idol following the conclusion of the twenty-second season, saying she wanted to "go out and feel that pulse to my own beat" and release new music after being "in the studio for a while".
Its reissue, subtitled The Complete Confection (2012), produced the U.S. number-one single "Part of Me". Perry recorded an album while signed to Columbia Records, but was dropped before signing to Capitol Records. The world's highest-paid female musician in 2015 and 2018, she was named by Billboard as one of the greatest pop stars of the 21st century. Perry is known for her influence on pop music and her camp style, being dubbed the "Queen of Camp" by Vogue and Rolling Stone. You may opt out at any time. He stepped down as prime minister earlier this year after a decade in office.
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Perry chose to release it as a standalone track rather than save it for her album "because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite". She described it as "the most fun, colorful world that helps guide your musical dreams". In March 2014, she made a guest appearance playing herself in the episode "Blisteritos Presents Dad Academy Graduation Congraduritos Red Carpet Viewing Party" of the Kroll Show. That month, a portrait of Perry by artist Will Cotton was included in the United States National Portrait Gallery.
- The next month, it was announced Perry would create music for the soundtrack to Jeremy Zag’s animated musical film Melody and voice its title character.
- When Glaze admitted that he had never kissed a girl (a reference to Perry’s song “I Kissed a Girl”), she gestured for him to come up to her for a kiss on the cheek but then kissed him on the lips.
- While not strictly identifying as religious, she has stated, “I pray all the time – for self-control, for humility.” Wanting to be like her sister Angela, Perry began singing by practicing with her sister’s cassette tapes.
- With earnings of $135 million, Forbes also ranked Perry number one on their 2015 “Top-Earning Women In Music” list as well as the “World’s Highest-Paid Musicians” and declared her the highest earning female celebrity in 2015, placing her at number 3 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list.
- The track was also streamed over three million times on Spotify within 24 hours, breaking the music streaming service’s record at the time for the highest first-day streaming for a single track by a female artist.
These EPs were followed by the single "Not the End of the World" in December 2020, which had a music video in which Zooey Deschanel impersonates Perry. "Daisies", the lead single from her sixth album, was released on May 15, 2020. Following the release of her single "Never Worn White" in March 2020, Perry revealed in the accompanying music video that she was expecting her first child with Bloom. Outside of recording music, Perry appeared as herself in the film Zoolander 2, which was released in February 2016. The show's creators Benj Pasek and Justin Paul had requested Perry to cover the song to promote the musical's national tour.
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The Guinness World Records recognized her in its 2010 edition as the "Best Start on the U.S. Digital Chart by a Female Artist", for digital single sales of over two million copies. Perry embarked on her first headlining world wettzo casino bonus tour, the Hello Katy Tour, from January to November 2009 to support One of the Boys. That September, a limited-edition Katy Perry doll was produced by Integrity Toys in response to her growing popularity. As a symbol of their commitment to one another, he gave her a diamond promise ring before the tour, and he wore a ring with "Katy" inscribed on it.
2006: Career beginnings, Katy Hudson, and Fingerprints
Additionally, Perry was included in Glamour's "104 Women Who Defined the Decade in Pop Culture" list of the 2010s. He also said her management prevented him from speaking about his time with the singer. When Glaze admitted that he had never kissed a girl (a reference to Perry's song "I Kissed a Girl"), she gestured for him to come up to her for a kiss on the cheek but then kissed him on the lips. In 2022, Elle dubbed her as "the kitsch-loving pop star renowned for her uniquely experimental style", while Vogue described her style as "synonymous with outrageous, eye-catching ensembles that lean towards the theatrical". Perry lists Gwen Stefani, Shirley Manson, Chloë Sevigny, Daphne Guinness, Natalie Portman, and the fictional character Lolita as her style icons. Perry was placed at number one on the Maxim Hot 100 in 2010 as the "most beautiful woman in the world", with editor Joe Levy describing her as a "triple – no quadruple – kind of hot".
Katy Perry
According to RIAA, Perry is the thirteenth top digital singles artist in the United States, with 121.5 million certified song units in the country including on-demand streams and also has 19 million certified album units, totaling 140.5 million certified units in the United States. With more than 151 million records sold worldwide, Perry is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. During May 2024, it reached four billion views, making it the most viewed music video by a female artist on YouTube at that time. In the United States, she has accumulated nine number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, her most recent being "Dark Horse", and holds the record for having 18 consecutive number-one songs on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Throughout her career, Perry has also co-written songs recorded by other artists, including Lesley Roy, Kelly Clarkson, Jessie James Decker, Selena Gomez & the Scene, Britney Spears, Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora, Nicki Minaj, and Ariana Grande. On June 15, 2017, Calvin Harris released a song titled "Feels" from his album Funk Wav Bounces Vol.
2019: Witness and American Idol
Her album One of the Boys (2008), featuring the hit “Hot N Cold,” sold more than three million copies in the United States. Katy Perry achieved mainstream success in 2008 with her single “I Kissed a Girl,” which became a number one hit in multiple countries. The couple announced that they had broken up in June 2025, and later that year Perry was romantically linked with former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. This increased to $360 million by June 2025, where she was included on the magazine's 2025 list of "America's Richest Women Celebrities". Later that year, with earnings of $530 million throughout the 2010s, the magazine also ranked her as the ninth-highest-earning musician of the decade. Perry subsequently was placed at number four on the 2019 "Highest-Paid Women in Music" listings, with $57.5 million.
Perry primarily listened to gospel music, as secular music was generally discouraged in the family's home. Six of Perry's songs have received Diamond certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her following albums—Witness (2017), Smile (2020) and 143 (2024)—were released to varying critical and commercial success.
Perry maintained her grip on the mainstream with her next release, Prism (2013), which produced, among other hits, the anthemic “Roar.” Her 2016 single “Rise” was featured in television coverage of that year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Nevertheless, the combination of titillation and polished melodicism helped “I Kissed a Girl” become a number one hit in multiple countries, powering sales for her album One of the Boys (2008). The song quickly stirred controversy, as some critics derided it for promoting same-sex relations and others charged that the racy scenario it depicted catered to male fantasies of female sexuality. She soon moved to Los Angeles to pursue success in the secular music realm, adopting her mother’s maiden name, Perry, to avoid confusion with the actress Kate Hudson. Nonreligious music was forbidden in the Hudson household, and she grew up singing church hymns and gospel tunes.