Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer and songwriter. After singing in church during her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music as a teenager. Perry signed with Red Hill Records and released her debut studio album Katy Hudson under her birth name in 2001, which was commercially unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles the following year to venture into secular music after Red Hill ceased operations and she subsequently began working with producers Glen Ballard, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin. After adopting the stage name Katy Perry and being dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group and Columbia Records, she signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in April 2007.
Katy Perry
Katy Perry in performance, with her left arm raised
Perry performing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
October 25, 1984 (age 33)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Other names
Katy Hudson Katheryn Perry
Occupation
Singer songwriter actress businesswoman philanthropist
Net worth $125 million (2016 estimate)
Spouse(s) Russell Brand
(m. 2010; div. 2012)
Relatives Frank Perry (uncle)
Website katyperry.com
Musical career
Genres
Pop rock
Instruments
Vocals guitar
Years active 2001–present
Labels
Red Hill Java Columbia Capitol
Associated acts The Matrix
Perry rose to fame in 2008 with the release of her second album, a pop rock record titled One of the Boys, and its singles "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". The former track also sparked controversy for its sapphic themes. Her third album, Teenage Dream (2010), ventured into disco, and was her first number one album on the U.S. Billboard 200. It topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with the singles "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T.", and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" while "The One That Got Away" reached number 3 on the chart. The album became the first by a female artist to produce five number-one songs in the U.S., and the second overall after Michael Jackson's album Bad. In March 2012, she re-issued the album as Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, which produced the songs "Part of Me" and "Wide Awake". Her fourth album, Prism, was released in 2013, and was her second album to reach the US summit. It is influenced by pop and dance, and she became the first artist with multiple videos to reach one billion views on Vevo with the videos for its songs "Roar" and "Dark Horse". Her 2017 fifth album, Witness, also topped the US charts and delved into electropop. Its most successful single was "Chained to the Rhythm", which broke the record for Spotify's most streamed track by a female artist within 24 hours upon its release.
