Katy Perry (born Kathryn Elizabeth Hudson on October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California, U.S.A.) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence with her 2008 single "I Kissed a Girl" which became a worldwide hit topping the charts in more than 20 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Ireland. In the United States, the song is also noted for being the 1000th chart-topper of the Rock Era. Katy stated in the press that she thanks British singer-songwriters Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen for her success, that America has been introduced to "great music" by them. Perry has a contralto vocal range.
In 2004, Perry worked for the record production team The Matrix, who had previously worked with Avril Lavigne, Liz Phair, Korn and Britney Spears, amongst others. Perry also began working on a debut mainstream album, writing with Glen Ballard, which was due for release in 2005; some of the collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot," which were released on Perry's official MySpace page.
Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 in Blender Magazine, where Perry stated she wasn't "a typical Christian", mentioning that she had done "lots of bad things" during her adolescence. One of the tracks she recorded with Ballard, "Simple", was released on the soundtrack of the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.
In 2006, Perry appeared on P.O.D.'s single, "Goodbye for Now". She has openly talked about her struggles within the music industry, such as being dropped from record labels for much of her early career. Her songs eventually captured the attention of Virgin Records CEO Jason Flom, who was the head of Capitol Music Group, and she signed to Capitol Music in early-2007. Perry is now regularly heard on MTV, VH1, as well as commercials. She most recently appeared on the MTV VMA Awards singing Madonna's hit single, "Like a Virgin". Source: GutterUncensored.com
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