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Katy Perry: Snapshot

Name: Katy Perry
Date of Birth: October 25, 1984
Birth Place: Santa Barbara, Calif.

Katy Perry was just a sheltered daughter of strict Christian ministers before taking the music world by storm with her campy, doll-like looks and penchant for kissing girls.

The cheeky singer's road to fame has been full of disappointments: Perry released a little-known gospel album, got dropped from numerous labels and was broke by the age of 22. Now, thanks to her infectious hits ("I Kissed a Girl," "Hot 'N Cold" and "California Gurls"), the Grammy-nominated songstress counts Madonna and legions of movie-goers, who made her concert documentary Part of Me a success, as fans.

Known for wearing her heart on her sleeve, the brunette beauty was wed to British funnyman Russell Brand until their 2012 divorce and dated John Mayer on-and-off before calling it quits in 2013.

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Katy Perry: Five Fun Facts

During concerts, fans toss cherry ChapStick at Katy Perry in homage to her lyrics in "I Kissed a Girl."
Katy Perry has a cat named Kitty Purry.
Katy Perry has 'Jesus' tattooed on her left wrist. "It's always going to be a part of me," she told EW. "When I'm playing, it's staring right back at me, saying, 'Remember where you came from'."
Katy Perry's real name is Katheryn Hudson but she changed it to avoid being confused with actress Kate Hudson.
Whoopi Goldberg kissed Katy Perry on the lips after the singer performed on The View. "I liked it," Goldberg told the audience.

Katy Perry: Biography

1990s: Gospel Girl
Born Katheryn Hudson, Perry grows up the middle child of two devout Christian ministers from Santa Barbara. "I was raised in a very pseudo-strict religious household where the only thing on the menu was [gospel standards like] 'Oh Happy Day,' 'His Eye Is on the Sparrow' and 'Amazing Grace'," Perry later tells MTV. The sheltered teen begins taking singing lessons and traveling to Nashville, where her parents have contacts in the gospel recording industry.
2001: The Other Kate Hudson
At 16, Perry releases a Christian pop album as Katy Hudson. "It reached literally maybe 100 people," the singer tells EW, "and then the label went bankrupt." A second venture in 2004, this time with mega-hit production team The Matrix of Avril Lavigne fame, falls through weeks before the album's release.
2008: June
Katy Goes Pop
Perry scores a record deal with Capital Records and ditches her Christian fan base for mainstream stardom with her pop debut, One of the Boys. The singer, who writes or cowrites every track on the album, makes waves with her '40s pin-up looks, risqué themes and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. "They're not meant to be 'Oh, no!' songs! They are my life, and I guess my life is a little bit 'Oh, no,'" she tells EW. "I Kissed a Girl," a flirty, pop-rock fusion, spends weeks atop the charts in more than 20 countries.