Katy Perry’s 40th birthday: Her career started in church

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (40) has been causing controversy in the music business for 16 years under her pseudonym Katy Perry. The pop singer defied her Christian upbringing and first attracted international attention with her debut single “I Kissed a Girl.” The singer not only likes to provoke in her lyrics, her outfits also regularly provide a topic of conversation.

Nevertheless, the main focus remains her music, with which she won several awards in the 2010s. Today, Perry still holds the record for the most singles with five songs sold, with over five million records sold. Her current album “143” didn’t help her: Perry missed a position in the top five of the US charts. This Friday, however, the focus is on herself: the singer is celebrating her 40th birthday.

Early departure after a sheltered childhood

Katy Perry is an old hand in music. At the age of 16 she released her debut album “Katy Hudson”, which she released under her real name at the time. It has little in common with her current sound: she initially wrote gospel rock songs instead of pop hits. Since her parents were devout Christians, she was previously involved in the gospel choir of a church. Her childhood was very monotonous, as she said. “From birth it was pure Bible cramming,” she noted.

But even before her music debut, Perry rebelled. At 15, she dropped out of high school to pursue music. Just two years later, the desire led her to move to Los Angeles. The change of scenery gave her a “completely different perspective,” as she said. Her musical inspiration also formed a stark contrast to her faith-driven life. As she revealed at the 2012 NARM Music Awards, the rock band Queen got her into music. A friend played her the song “Killer Queen”. “And I thought to myself, ‘Oh my God, this music is incredible. These lyrics speak to me…’ and that’s what made me become who I am today,” the magazine quotes her as saying.

Breakthrough and kissing controversy

She had to endure a number of setbacks before she achieved her breakthrough. Her first label, Red Hill Records, folded in 2001 and she went through two more labels before her debut as Katy Perry. She achieved success under the record company Capitol Records: her first single “I Kissed a Girl” shot to number one on the US “Billboard” charts and its successor “Hot N Cold” also placed in the top three. Both secured first place in Germany. As Perry reportedly revealed in an interview with “Steppin’ Out” in 2008, actress Scarlett Johansson (39) served as the inspiration for “I Kissed a Girl.” The singer told her boyfriend at the time: “‘I’m not going to lie: If Scarlett Johansson came into the room and wanted to make out with me, I would make out with her.'”

Miley Cyrus (31) later claimed in an interview with radio station “WKTU” that Perry had told her at the time of its release that the song was about her. Cyrus shared a kiss between the two musicians in early 2014. However, according to Perry, it was an unwanted incident. As she told the TV show “Sunrise,” she wanted to give her a friendly kiss, but Cyrus turned her head for a deeper kiss. “God knows where that tongue has been,” she said. On X (formerly Twitter), Cyrus shot back,

Successful streak led them to the Super Bowl

However, scandals weren’t the only thing that made headlines. She was even more successful than her second album with “Teenage Dream,” which was released in 2010. It was certified Diamond in the US and won her numerous awards, including several MTV Video Music Awards. Their success continued in 2013 with “Prism.” In addition to awards, it earned her a performance at the halftime show of the 49th Super Bowl. Until Rihanna’s (36) appearance in 2023, it was the act with the most viewers for eight years. 121 million people watched their performance on television.

The performance left a lasting impression on Perry. She revealed in 2023: “Playing the Super Bowl was really the most intense feeling ever.” The singer added: “But I thought, ‘Oh, this must be what it feels like before you give birth or when you’re about to die’.”

Katy Perry’s extravagant outfits

In the interview, she also talked about some of her daring outfits. One of the most famous looks is her ensemble from the . For the clip, she wore a bra with two cupcakes attached to it. In addition to the lyrics, many found the music video offensive – not least because Perry was seen in a top with spray cream bottles from which she shot cream.

However, the musician and her team faced another problem when recording the music video. Perry said she used self-tanner on the day of the shoot, and it became more and more orange as the day went on. “We had to spend so much extra money color grading this music video,” she revealed.

Your path to personal happiness

Perry also had to overcome some hurdles in his private life. Before she found her true love in her fiancé Orlando Bloom (47), she was in a relationship with a few men. She tied the knot with comedian Russell Brand in 2010. However, their marriage did not last long: on New Year’s Eve in 2013, her ex-husband informed her via text message that he was divorcing her. Perry made this public. The divorce was official in 2012.

The journey with her fiancé was equally rocky. After getting together in 2016, they separated in February 2017. A few months later, they resumed their relationship in August and got engaged in February 2019. Her daughter Daisy Dove (4) made her happiness in love complete in August 2020. The singer announced her pregnancy in her music video for “Never Worn White” in March.

Perry and Bloom’s wedding is still pending. The couple had originally planned a wedding on February 27, 2020, which fell victim to the corona pandemic. “I’m turning 40 at the end of October this year, so maybe I’ll celebrate that first,” she revealed in the . On her big birthday, she’s not looking forward to a big celebration, but rather a card game competition. “For my 40th birthday, I’ll be “I’ll organize a Monopoly tournament,” she said, adding: “With real prizes.”