Katy Perry

About

Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who rose to fame in 2008 with singles “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot n Cold”.

Transitioning from gospel music to secular music, Perry started writing songs with producer Glen Ballard, and moved to Los Angeles at age 17. Then in 2003, she briefly performed as Katheryn Perry to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson. She later adopted the stage name Katy Perry, using her mother’s maiden name.

Ballard then introduced Perry to Tim Devine, an A&R executive at Columbia Records, and she was signed as a solo artist. Over the course of the next two years, Perry wrote and recorded material for her Columbia debut, and worked with established songwriters.

Perry then released her first single with Capitol, “I Kissed a Girl”, on April 28, 2008, as the lead single from One of the Boys. The track reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

After finishing the Warped Tour 2008, Perry then hosted the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards in November 2008, where she won the award for Best New Act.

After serving as a guest judge on American Idol, Perry released “California Gurls” featuring rapper Snoop Dogg on May 7, 2010. Moreover, the song was the lead single from her third studio album, Teenage Dream, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in June. She also served as a guest judge on The X Factor UK later that month before releasing the album’s second single, “Teenage Dream”, in July.

On social media, Perry surpassed Justin Bieber as the most followed person on Twitter in November 2013. She won the 2015 Guinness World Record for most Twitter followers, and became the first person to gain 80 million followers on the site in January 2016.