katy perry American singer

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984),[1] better known by the stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California,[1] and raised by Christian pastor parents; Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her freshman year of high school, she began to pursue a music career. She released a self-titled gospel album in 2001 as Katy Hudson which was deemed unsuccessful due to the closing of its record label that year. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004–2005, neither of which was released.

After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single, "Ur So Gay", that November, which garnered attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album, One of the Boys, followed later that year and subsequently became the thirty-third best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications. Perry was ranked the ninety-seventh Artist of the 2000–10 decade by Billboard.

She became known for wearing unconventional style of dress, often combining bold colors and vintage fashion. Her sophomore album, Teenage Dream, was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included the hit singles "California Gurls" and "Teenage Dream", both of which topped the charts on the Billboard Hot 100 and several other countries. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.
Contents

* 1 Early life
* 2 Recording career
o 2.1 2001–07: Career beginnings
o 2.2 2008–09: One of the Boys and MTV Unplugged
o 2.3 2010–present: The X Factor & Teenage Dream
* 3 Music and themes
* 4 Acting career
* 5 Style and image
* 6 Personal life
* 7 Discography
* 8 Filmography
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

Katy Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California. is of German and Portuguese descent on her mother's side, and is the second child of two pastors. She has an older sister and younger brother. Her Evangelical mother, Mary Hudson (née Perry), grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe." Her father, Keith Hudson, was a West Coast scenester in the 1960s. Perry's maternal aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry through whom she is also related to Charles M. Schwab, the founder of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry; she sang in their church from ages 9 to 17. She grew up listening to gospel music and was not allowed to listen to what her mother called secular music. Perry attended Christian schools and camps.[6] As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug. She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school to pursue a career in music.[14] Perry initially started singing "because I was at that point in my childhood where I was copycatting my sister and everything she did." Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, and Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them for her parents, who suggested she should take voice lessons. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at age nine to 16. She enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short time.