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
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.
Dating a Hero
Perry begins dating Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy. "She's super hot," he tells PEOPLE of falling for his Warped tour tourmate. After a year of dating and even exchanging promise rings, they call it quits. "It hurts right now," Perry says during a concert after the split. "When you breakup with someone you move on. You don't really want to move on...but you have to because they don't give you any choice." The newly single star is eventually linked to musicians Benji Madden and Josh Groban.
- 2009
Hello Katy
After earning a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocal performance for "I Kissed a Girl", Perry launches her first headline tour, Hello Katy, complete with a huge inflatable cat head and 3-D fruit. "You're gonna see me with all kinds of different things," she tells the AP. In February, she also takes the Grammy stage to perform "I Kissed a Girl" amid giant colorful fruit, gyrating female dancers and user-submitted fan videos.
Katy Kisses Russell
After joking about having a crush on her at the VMAs, British comedian Russell Brand and Perry are spotted strolling in London together. Shortly after, the couple goes public with their romance at Paris Fashion Week, attending shows hand-in-hand and sightseeing together.
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Photo Credits
BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Splash News Online; Red Hill; amazon.com; Lester Cohen/WireImage; Lucy Nicholson/Landov; News International/Zuma
- Name
- Katy Perry
- Real Name
- Katheryn Hudson
- Date of Birth
- October 25, 1984
- Birth Place
- Santa Barbara, Calif.
- Relationships
-
Russell Brand, boyfriend (2009 to present)
Travis McCoy, ex-boyfriend (2008)
