Katy Perry – biography, photos, facts, affairs, family, height and weights 2020

Biography of Katy Perry

Katy Perry is an American singer and songwriter who broke into the music world at the age of fifteen. That time, back in 2001, her debut album "Katy Hudson" did not get into charts because of low sales, but her next disc "One of the Boys" in the genre of pop-rock hit the Billboard 200 top 10.

Kathy Perry's songs are known and loved all over the world

She is the author of world-famous hits "Fireworks," "Roar," "Part of Me," "Hot'n'Cold," "This Is How We Do" and many others.

Childhood

The real name of Katy Perry is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson. She was born on October 25, 1984 and is the second child in the family. Her parents are Maurice and Mary Hudson. Both the father and mother of the future celebrity were pastors of the Pentecostal church. Both had a very turbulent youth: Mary dated Jimmy Hendricks, and Marius shared acid trips with Timothy Leary many times.

Katy Perry's family (right): parents, sister and brother

Later, they both settled down and plunged into religion. The couple traveled around America for about seven years, contributing to churches development. Finally, they settled in Santa Barbara, California. There, their three children were born – Katy, her older sister Angela and younger brother David.

As Katy recalled, their family always had financial difficulties. There were times when they had to live on welfare, and sometimes parents fed their children with food donated by parishioners.

Hudson parents tried to raise their children in a religious way. Sometimes it ran to the absurd - they were forbidden to eat Lucky Charms marshmallows, because the word "Luck" reminded their mother the word "Lucifer."

The real Katy Perry's last name is Hudson

Katy attended the Christian school, went to the Christian summer camp every summer, and sang a gospel in the church choir at weekends reluctantly. She adored Nirvana, Queen, Heart, Incubus, Alanis Morissette and Joni Mitchell – all strictly forbidden in her family. Katy listened to CDs by favorite singers secretely while visiting friends. Outside her home walls, she was an actual tomboy keeping in touch with hooligans, skateboarding, rollerblading and surfing. In short, she was a "black sheep" in the family.

Everything I had in my life at that time was very church-related. I didn’t know there was another world that existed beyond that. So when I left home and saw all of that, it was like, ‘Omigosh, I fell down the rabbit hole and there’s this whole Alice in Wonderland right there!'

Career start

Katy became interested in music thanks to her older sister. She listened to church music from her sister's collection and sang along. For her 13th birthday, Cathy got an acoustic guitar as a gift from her parents and soon wrote her first song.

Katy Perry sings her very first song

As early as at the age of fifteen, the girl figured out what she wanted to be in her life. She completed General Educational Development and dropped out Dos Pueblos High School. Then Perry took a short course of academic vocal at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. There, rock musicians such as Steve Thomas and Jennifer Knapp from Nashville have heard Katy singing and recognized her potential.

The musicians took her under their wing and invited to their recording studio, where the first demo of Katy Perry was recorded. They helped her to master the guitar perfectly and learn how to write songs. In March 2001, Katy released her debut album "Katy Hudson" in the genre of the Christian priest.

At 17, Katie left her father's house and moved to LA

In general, the album was greeted by critics warmly, but because of the specific genre, sales were low, and the record remained almost unnoticed. But she was invited to warm up on the tour of Phil Joel from the Christian rock band Newsboys. Traveling around the country for a year, Katy got acquainted with producer Glen Ballard. He took a 17-year-old singer to Los Angeles where she switched from church music to "secular" and began to work on new songs.

In 2003, the girl took the pseudonym Katy Perry abandoning her father's name in favor of her mother's maiden name. Soon she managed to sign a contract with Columbia Records and start recording a full-length album. Three years later, when the album was almost ready for release, the label suddenly broke the contract.

Between 2003 and 2006, she managed to achieve small successes: her song "Simple" was included in the soundtrack of the movie "Jeans-Mascot" with Blake Lively, she sang in the background in Mick Jagger's song "Old Habits Die Hard "and in the song" Goodbye For Now "of the band POD. Also, one could see her in the clip for the song "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes.

Katy Perry in Gym Class Heroes’s music video

Breakthrough

In 2007, Katy released a mini album, "Ur so Gay" under the auspices of the Capitol Records label. The singer did not impose any special hopes on the thing - it was written for her own pleasure. Some critics read the propaganda of homophobia and persecution of gays out the lyrics. Others, on the contrary, saw the propaganda of LGBT in the song. It was criticized even by Cathy's parents: "We hate this kind of music. It promotes homosexuality, and according to the Bible, it is a terrible sin. "

The composition "I Kissed The Girl" which was released next, reinforced the sensation. "If two girls kiss - that's cool, but if two guys do - it's vulgar, right? Katy Perry is better to abandon the worn stereotypes about gays!» - the press wrote. But most listeners got the irony implied in the text. "Ur so Gay" drew the attention of Madonna who stated that this song was one of her favorite at the time.

Katy Perry – I Kissed A Girl

In June 2008, her first album "One of the Boys" was released. It ended up on the 9th place on the Billboard 200 chart and got the status of platinum in the US. Critics found in it traces of the enormous influence of Alanis Morisette adored by Katy.

The famous photo from the cover of "One of the Boys"

In the spring of 2010, Perry released a single "California Gurls" in collaboration with Snoop Dogg. It blew up the Internet and got 8 million downloads in iTunes during the first month. Another single "E.P." was recorded together with rapper Kanye West.

Кэти Перри ft. Снуп Догг – California Gurls

In July, the single "Teenage Dream" from her upcoming album was released. In August, the eponymous lead-single was recorded, which instantly got to the first place in the charts of Canada, the United States, and Great Britain. Immediately the artist went on a world tour in support of the album and released the single "Firework" for promotion.

Katy Perry's music videos are always colorful and mesmerizing

In March 2012, the single "Part of Me" debuted on the first place of the prestigious Billboard Hot 100. For the seventh time, Katy's single became number one. Simultaneously, the composition headed the UK Singles Chart. By the way, the song got into the re-release of Perry's "Teenage Dream" album.

Katy Perry loves sexually explicit photoshoots

Further career

In November 2012, Perry started working on the fourth solo album "Prism." In an interview to Vogue, she stated that the new tracks would be "dark and full of disappointments" for the music, she reflected personal turbulences during her break up with husband (more about this, see below, in the section "Personal life"). Almost at the last moment though she revised the concept – new songs were to inspire for overcoming difficulties and moving on.

The album "Prism" opened a new page in Katy's life

In August 2013, she presented the lead-single "Roar." As always, the audience was waiting for a very high-quality clip, but the lyrics were mercilessly criticized for "predictability and abundance of clichés." Subsequently, the American stand-comedian and singer Bo Bernham advised his listeners to "kill themselves if you see the meaning in the songs of Katy Perry," meaning the song "Roar."

Katy Perry – Roar

The album "Prism" was released in October 2013 and was met ambiguously. As in the case of the lead-single, Katy was accused of being cliched and of the abundance of worn techniques that she already used in the previous album. Despite the criticism, "Prism" got 4 nominations for "Grammy."

By the time, Katy Perry became one of the most significant pop singers in America. Her performance in the show at the Superbowl finals (national football league championship) confirmed that. Among other candidates, there were Rihanna and Coldplay. During the break, Cathy performed a half-hour show and sang a duet with Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott. Her speech was watched by 118.5 million Americans – in fact, it became the most watched in the history of the Superbowl.

Katy Perry beyond the music world

In 2009, Katy was invited to play a cameo in the comedy "Escape from Vegas" starring Russell Brand and John Hill. Unfortunately, the scene with her participation was cut out at the final editing.

The singer appeared in season 6, episode 15 of the popular TV show "How I Met Your Mother." She played a sweet and naive girl with whom Barney (Neil Patrick Harris's character) suddenly opened up.

In addition, she played a cameo in the comedy "Zoolander 2", and voiced Smurfette in the cartoon "The Smurfs."

Katy also has her own perfume line: the fragrances «Meow,» «Purr,» «Killer Queen,» «Mad Love,» «Mad Potion,» «Royal Revolution.»

In the spring of 2012, she launched The Sims expansion pack – "The Sims 3: Showtime - Katy Perry Collector's Edition." In the summer of the same year, the in-game catalog "Katy Perry Sweet Treats" was released.

Katy Perry's personal life

At the beginning of her career, Katy Perry spent about a year (2002 through 2003) dating musician Justin York. After parting, she began an affair with Canadian musician Matthew Thiessen - it lasted until 2006.

Then there was a brief affair with an actor Johnny Lewis and then with the vocalist of "Gym Class Heroes" Travis McCoy, whom she met when filming in their video. In 2009, the couple broke up.

Katy Perry and her ex-boyfriend Travis McCoy

During filming in "Escape from Vegas" Katy met an actor and comedian Russell Brand who played the eccentric rock musician Aldus Snow in the film of. Soon they were seen together at the Paris Fashion Week. In December of the same year, Russell officially stated that Katy Perry was his girlfriend.

In the photo: Katy Perry and Russell Brand

Three weeks after that, Brend invited her to India for a vacation and proposed at the foot of the mountain on New Year's Eve. The wedding of the lovers took place in India as well. On October 23, 2010, they exchanged rings and vows in the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary.

Six months later, Katie sued the Australian yellow newspaper NW whose journalist caught the singer cheating on her husband. Russell stopped the rumors stating in his Twitter that their relationship was as good as ever.

Katy Perry's married life

In November 2011, the press published reports about the discord between Katy and Russell. Representatives of the stars denied the information, but a month later, they admitted that their happiness ended. The couple spent Christmas 2011 separately. Katy flew to Hawaii, and Russell appeared in public without an engagement ring.

On July 14, 2012 celebrities divorced. As it turned out later, the reason was Russell's jealousy. He saw paparazzi's photos with Katy holding hands with a guitarist Robert Aykroyd, and boiled with rage. Later Brand claimed that he gave up too early in the struggle for his marriage and considers this to be the main mistake of his life

The unfortunate photograph that destroyed Katy Perry's marriage

Late, Perry was ascribed affairs with Robert Pattinson, the star of Twilight, John Mayer, Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriend, and DJ Diplo.

In 2016, Katy began a relationship with an actor Orlando Bloom, but by the end of the year, she realized that she and her boyfriend had different life priorities. Bloom was strongly against marriage, family, and children. After the break-up, they stayed friends.

In 2017 Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom broke up

Katy Perry now

In July 2017, Katy Perry's fifth studio album "Witness" was released and got into the first line of the Billboard 200 chart.

Before the release of her new album, Katy Perry changed her image

Of the 15 tracks, the song "Chained To The Rhythm" recorded with Bob Marley Skip's son, was the unquestionable hit. Katy performed with this song at the 59th Grammy ceremony surprising the audience with her show. Usually, she refrains from political judgments but this time, Katy was insolent - on the scene, there appeared Donald Trump and Theresa May's giant skeletons.

In the summer of the same year, the singer worked with Kelvin Harris, a famous electronic musician, on the song "Feels." Then she sang with Nicky Minaj (the song Swish Swish). At the end of the year, Katie announced that she would join the jury of the American Idol show.