Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
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Katy Perry became the first female artist to generate five #1 singles from one album with ‘Teenage Dream’ in 2011, matching Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’. Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, she sang in church and later adopted the stage name Katy Perry to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson. She won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and performed at Super Bowl XLIX halftime show to 118.5 million viewers.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Katy Perry — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Katy Perry by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Katy Perry — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Born October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California, Katy Perry was raised by evangelical pastors Mary Perry and Keith Hudson. Her household allowed only gospel music, and she first performed singing in church. At 15, she traveled to Nashville to write songs and record demos. At 17, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue music, working with producer Glen Ballard.
Katy Perry’s breakout came in 2008 with the album One of the Boys and its controversial lead single I Kissed a Girl, which hit number one in several countries. Her follow-up album Teenage Dream 2010 spawned hits including California Gurls and Firework, and became only the second album after Michael Jackson’s Bad to produce five #1 singles. Perry made her film debut in the documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me 2012 and later started her own record label Metamorphosis Music. She performed at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015, which drew 118.5 million viewers, and has served as a judge on American Idol since 2018.
Perry married British comedian Russell Brand in India in October 2010, but Brand filed for divorce in December 2011. She dated singer John Mayer on and off from 2012 to 2014, releasing the duet Who You Love with him. Since January 2016, Perry has been in a relationship with actor Orlando Bloom; they became engaged on Valentine’s Day 2019 and have a daughter, Daisy Bloom, born August 26, 2020. She also has a stepson, Flynn Bloom, from Bloom’s previous relationship.
In 2011, Katy Perry set a record as the first female artist with five #1 singles from one album, Teenage Dream, a feat previously achieved only by Michael Jackson. Her Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015 drew 118.5 million viewers, the most-watched at the time. The MTV Video Music Awards gave her the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2014. Perry’s record label Metamorphosis Music and her role as a judge on American Idol extend her influence. Her catchy pop anthems and bold visual style defined an era.
Browse the complete filmography of Katy Perry — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by Katy Perry — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Katy Perry's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Katy Perry — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
If People Want a Role Model, They Can Have Miley Cyrus.
Have I Ever Kissed a Girl? of Course I Have. I Can’t Sing a Song and Not Have Done It. That’d Be Complete Hypocrisy. I Fancy Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Angelina Jolie I’d Definitely Kiss Them.
Look, Any Couple in a Serious Relationship Has That Talk About Babies, but We Haven’t Decided When. Russell Wants Lots of Children and I Think There’s Something Amazing About Tons of Kids Running Around. We Probably Won’t Have the Talk Again for a Few Years It’s Important to Enjoy Each Other Before Having Babies.
My Singing Is Really Important to Me, but When Children Come Along They’ll Be My Main Focus. I’d Never Put My Career in Front of My Babies It’d Be a Case of Fitting Jobs Around Them.
I Kissed a Girl Was Inspired When I Opened up a Magazine and I Saw a Picture of Scarlett Johansson. I Was with My Boyfriend at the Time, and I Said to Him, ‘I’m Not Going to Lie: If Scarlett Johansson Walked into the Room and Wanted to Make Out with Me, I Would Make Out with Her. I Hope You’re Okay with That?’
This Is a Really Important Time in My Life. I Can’t Just Be the Girl Who Sang I Kissed a Girl. I Have to Leave a Legacy.
I Remember Hearing Killer Queen by Queen and Falling Down in What Felt Like Slow Motion in My Bed Listening to the Lyrics. and I Thought to Myself, ‘Oh My Gosh, This Music Is Incredible. These Lyrics Speak to Me…’ and That Made Me Want to Be What I Am.
Queen’s Track ‘Killer Queen’ Made Me Discover Music and Helped Me Come into My Own at the Age of 15. the Way Freddie Mercury Delivered His Lyrics Just Made Me Feel Like a Confident Woman; I’d Say His Fingerprint Is All Over Me in General.
I Get Drunk, I Pick My Nose, I Swear and I Fart! I Don’t Care, I’m Not Planning to Become the President of the United States.
When I Was 15, I Fell in Love with a Female Friend. I Thought She Was Beautiful and Wanted to Be Like Her. She Had Such a Huge Impact on My Life, but I Never Told Her How I Felt.
I’ve Told My Boyfriend That If Scarlett Johansson Wanted to Go Out with Me, I’d Ditch Him Immediately. Female Beauty Can Be Incredibly Powerful… Actually, I’m Obsessed with Beautiful Women and Their Elegance. I Like the Paradox of Appearing Innocent and Sexy All at Once.
I Think It’s Important to Not Just Play the Sexy Card. Be Sexy but Be Smart and Sophisticated.
There’s Times When You See Other People Who, the Only Reason Why They Have Success Is Because They’re Just Shock Jocks, Which Works for a Period of Time. I Haven’t Really Taken off All My Clothes Yet… Yeah, I’ve Done My Fair Share of ‘Naked on a Cotton Candy Cloud’ Situation, but Everything Is with a Wink. It’s Not Like, ‘Here’s My Vagina’.
I Don’t Believe in a Heaven or a Hell or an Old Man Sitting on a Throne. I Believe in a Higher Power Bigger Than Me Because That Keeps Me Accountable. Accountability Is Rare to Find, Especially with People Like Myself, Because Nobody Wants to Tell You Something You Don’t Want to Hear. I’m Not Buddhist, I’m Not Hindu, I’m Not Christian, but I Still Feel Like I Have a Deep Connection with God. I Pray All the Time for Self Control, for Humility. There’s a Lot of Gratitude in It. Just Saying ‘Thank You’ Sometimes Is Better Than Asking for Things.
People Don’t Understand That I Have a Great Relationship with My Parents Like, How That Can Exist. There Isn’t Any Judgment. They Don’t Necessarily Agree with Everything I Do, but I Don’t Necessarily Agree with Everything They Do. They’re at Peace with They Pray for Me Is What They Do. They’re Fascinated with the Idea That They Created Someone Who Has This Much Attention on Her.
You Know You’re Living Right When You Wake Up, Brush Your Hair and Confetti Falls Out!
So Put Your Rose Coloured Glasses On/ and Party On.
I’m Like a Fatter Version of Amy Winehouse and a Skinnier Version of Lily Allen!
I’m Stressed Out with the Wedding and I Keep Smoking to Calm My Nerves. I Do It Even Though I Know It Is Really Bad for Me and I Know I Need to Stop.
I Remember Really Vividly Kneeling by My Bed as a Nine Year Old, Saying My Prayers and Asking God to Give Me Boobs That Were so Big That If I Laid on My Back I Wouldn’t Be Able to See My Feet. Eventually That Request Was Granted.
Little-known facts about Katy Perry — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Katy once described herself as a fatter version of Amy Winehouse and a skinnier version of Lily Allen. Later, Allen took offense and threatened to release Perry’s personal phone number.
When her single Last Friday Night T.G.I.F. from her album Teenage Dream hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 2011, the album became only the second after Michael Jackson’s Bad to generate five #1 singles. Perry became the first female artist to achieve this.
Before becoming an evangelical preacher, Katy’s mother Mary Hudson once dated Jimi Hendrix.
Perry adopted the stage name Katy Perry because her real name, Katy Hudson, was too close to actress Kate Hudson.
Her hit song I Kissed a Girl was partially inspired by actress Scarlett Johansson.
She wrote and sold songs to Kelly Clarkson and Jessie James Decker.
Perry is her mother’s maiden name.
She was not allowed to watch MTV as a child.
Parents Keith Hudson and Mary Hudson are both pastors. She is their middle child, with an older sister Angela Hudson and a younger brother David Daniel Hudson.
She holds two Guinness World Records: Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist 2010 and Best First Female with Five Number One US Singles from One Album 2013.
Has a cat named Kitty Purry, which has its own blog.
Released an album as Katy Hudson.
She can play acoustic and electric guitar.
Is close friends with Rihanna.
While working on a magazine shoot, a chimp urinated on her and forced her to shower mid-shoot.
On her 28th birthday, she had lunch with First Lady Michelle Obama.
Was reportedly offered $20 million to join American Idol’s 12th season in 2013 as a judge, but declined.
Married Russell Brand in India.
Has a daughter, Daisy Bloom, born August 26, 2020, with fiancé Orlando Bloom.
Russell Brand filed for divorce after one year of marriage, on December 30, 2011.
She has been in a relationship with Orlando Bloom since January 2016. They visited Pope Francis at the Vatican in April 2018 and got engaged on February 14, 2019.
Growing up, Perry was only allowed to listen to gospel music.
First person to reach 100 million followers on Twitter, in June 2017.
Perry has the most followers on Twitter.
Former Christian folk singer turned pop singer.
Best friends with actress Shannon Woodward.
Perry had several music videos filmed for songs from her canceled album. Although the album was never released, all but three of its songs and their videos can be found online. The album’s actual title is unknown.
Originally, Perry’s Swish Swish, a promotional single from Witness featuring Nicki Minaj, was thought to be a revenge track about Taylor Swift after Swift released Bad Blood. Perry later stated it was not true and that Swish Swish is an anti-bullying anthem.
According to Nielsen data, Katy Perry’s Super Bowl XLIX halftime performance was seen by 118.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched halftime show at the time, surpassing Bruno Mars’s 115.3 million.
She attended Dos Pueblos High School in Santa Barbara, California, before dropping out of her freshman year to pursue music.
Has a stepson, Flynn Bloom, born January 6, 2011, with fiancé Orlando Bloom.
Ranked #1 on Maxim’s Hot 100 Women of 2010 list.
Expecting a baby girl with Orlando Bloom in summer 2020.
Katy’s ancestry is 3/16 Portuguese mother is 3/8 Portuguese, with English, German, Irish, Scottish, Scots-Irish, Welsh, French, and remote Manx roots.
Is a natural blonde.
Perry’s younger sister Angela Hudson was featured on the cover of the single Birthday 2014.
Niece of director Frank Perry.
Had an on-off relationship with John Mayer from 2012 to 2014; they released a duet Who You Love in 2013.
Friends with Perez Hilton, Adam Lambert, Ellen DeGeneres, and Christina Milian.
Got engaged to Russell Brand during Christmas 2009; they dated since September 2009.
Was often confused with Zooey Deschanel.
Had 13 cavities as a child.
Endorsed Barack Obama for his 2008 presidency.
Ranked #3 on Maxim’s Hot 100 of 2014 list.
Revealed her pregnancy in the music video for Never Worn White, with a baby due in summer 2020.
With Kelly Clarkson, sold two songs to Selena Gomez: Rock God and That’s More Like It.
Her fourth album, Witness, was described as personal, full of feminist ballads and romance songs.
Has a younger brother, David Daniel Hudson, and an older sister, Angela Hudson.
Frequent collaborator with Bonnie McKee.
Born at 7:58 AM PDT.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Katy Perry.
Celebrities similar to Katy Perry — same craft, ranked by reach.
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