Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (Katy Perry)

Born October 25, 1984
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Born in California to pastor parents, she grew up listening to gospel music and singing in church. Perry rose to fame in 2007 with her internet hit "Ur So Gay", and later scored in 2008 her breakthrough single "I Kissed a Girl".

“Maybe we’ll have another Britney-Madonna moment on stage. How hilarious would that be? Although I don’t think it would help her career. However, it would definitely help mine!”

"Miley Cyrus would be the girl she would kiss, if she kissed a girl. "

"(When she found a Queen record) The heavens opened and saved me. From then on, they have been my biggest influence."

"(On what separates her from other female artists) I want to push the envelope and I want to do something different and exciting and make people, keep them on their toes at all times."

"I think people appreciate a songwriter who shows different sides. The whole angst thing is cool, but if that’s all you’ve got, it’s just boring. Everything I write, whether it’s happy or sad, has a sense of humor to it."

"My album will be more rock, which is probably why my parents think I’m going to hell!"
- Katy Perry

Katy Perry's got this great glam-girl look going with her jet-black hair and painted red lips. Because she's young, there's a certain innocent air about her, but her straightforward demeanor and her sense of style make her seem equally grounded and confident.

Perry began with an on-and-off recording career, having been dropped three times by record labels. After signing to Capitol Music Group in 2007, she released her first mainstream album, One of the Boys. It contains the worldwide hits "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot N Cold", both certified three-time platinum in the United States. She is known for wearing unconventional style of dress, often combining colors and vintage fashion, as well as associating outfits with fruits.

At age 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills. In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar. Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at age 15. Using her real name, Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001. The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased. At age 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island Def Jam. The album was due for release in 2005,but Billboard magazine reported it also went nowhere. Perry was dropped by Island Def Jam. Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Trying her luck, Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat". Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved, she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by Blender magazine. With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label

While the buzz over Perry was building, she went on the next step of promoting the album, undergoing a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder". The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless, and poses for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine Restless Style

Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress. Her style is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, as well as her frequent use of fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits. Having learned dancing at an early age, she fancied about having her own style. Perry's transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain's portrayal in 1997 film adaptation of the novel Lolita. She defines her fashion "a bit of a concoction of different things". Johnny Wujek, Perry's stylist, described her style, upon meeting her for the first time, as "very colorful and vintage". Her fashion has caught the attention of designers, who were calling her even before the release of "I Kissed a Girl", almost as much as the attention drawn by her music.

In June 2008, Perry emerged in a publicity photo in which she pose with a switchblade. Anti-knife campaigners criticized her for glamorizing knives. The shoot was said as an effort to give Perry a "sexy, harder edge".

In December, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke. Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen to know for a fact that she was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.

Birth name Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
Genre(s) Pop, pop rock
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar
Voice type(s) Contralto
Years active 2001–present
Label(s) Red Hill, Island Def Jam, Columbia, Capital
Website www.katyperry.com