Christian Rock Pioneer Larry Norman’s Songs Part 14

I posted a lot in the past about my favorite Christian musicians such as Keith Green (I enjoyed reading Green’s monthly publications too), and 2nd Chapter of Acts and others. Today I wanted to talk about one of Larry Norman’s songs. David Rogers introduced me to Larry Norman’s music in the 1970’s and his album IN ANOTHER LAND came out in 1976 and sold an enormous amount of copies for a Christian record back then.

 

1. Only Visiting This Planet – Larry Norman

Posted March 4, 2010 by low5point in ccm, christian, christian alternative, christian cd, christian music, christian rock, jesus music, music, Uncategorized. 51 Comments

 

Interestingly there is a line in the song that appears to be a knock on hymns and the tradition of hymns. Norman would later argue that he loved hymns, especially older hymns with deep theological content, but his complaint more against the modern church music of the time being dry and empty.

The album closes with “Readers Digest,” another lyrically heavy song that pre-dated rap by almost a decade and can be closely compared to Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” A fast-moving, groove oriented music serves as a backdrop for Norman to critique everything from the moon landing to The Beatles. Often caustic and humorous there are few sacred cows left standing at the end of the much too short song.

Rolling Stones are millionaires, flower children pallbearers,
Beatles said All you need is love, and then they broke up.
Jimi took an overdose, Janis followed so close,
The whole music scene and all the bands are pretty comatose.
This time last year, people didn’t wanna hear.
They looked at Jesus from afar, this year he’s a superstar.

Dear John, who’s more popular now?
I’ve been listening to some of Paul’s new records.
Sometimes I think he really is dead.

Norman would actually later remove the comments regarding Lennon and McCartney out of respect to the artists and even apologized for including the words originally. The song closes with the lyric in which the album derives its name.

You think it’s such a sad thing when you see a fallen king
Then you find out they’re only princes to begin with
And everybody has to choose whether they will win or lose
Follow God or sing the blues, and who they’re gonna sin with.
What a mess the world is in, I wonder who began it.
Don’t ask me, I’m only visiting this planet

Larry Norman and Mike Roe

Despite the controversy, rejection and vitriol spilled out over this album it has endured and more than one generation has been impressed and blessed by it. As stated above it was important on so many levels that a book would be required to discuss it all.

The same can be said for Larry Norman himself. Perhaps someday, like William Wallace, the legend will supersede the history and what is important will not be the failed marriages, failed friendship and finances, but rather the “legend” that will inspire future generation to create art as honestly, profoundly and professionally as is found on “Only Visiting This Planet.”

Katy Perry and the material from the Prism Album!!!! Part 3

Katy Perry – Roar (Official)

Related posts:

Christian Rock Pioneer Larry Norman’s Songs Part 11

I posted a lot in the past about my favorite Christian musicians such as Keith Green (I enjoyed reading Green’s monthly publications too), and 2nd Chapter of Acts and others. Today I wanted to talk about one of Larry Norman’s songs. David Rogers introduced me to Larry Norman’s music in the 1970’s and his album IN ANOTHER LAND came out in 1976 and sold an enormous amount of copies for a Christian record back then.

 

1. Only Visiting This Planet – Larry Norman

Posted March 4, 2010 by low5point in ccm, christian, christian alternative, christian cd, christian music, christian rock, jesus music, music, Uncategorized. 51 Comments

 

Christian Rock Pioneer Larry Norman’s Songs Part 8 Album “Only Visiting This Planet”

I posted a lot in the past about my favorite Christian musicians such as Keith Green (I enjoyed reading Green’s monthly publications too), and 2nd Chapter of Acts and others. Today I wanted to talk about one of Larry Norman’s songs. David Rogers introduced me to Larry Norman’s music in the 1970’s and his album IN ANOTHER LAND came out in 1976 and sold an enormous amount of copies for a Christian record back then.

Larry Norman – Only Visiting This Planet – I’ve Got To Learn To Live Without You

Katy Perry and the material from the Prism Album!!!! Part 2

Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Neil Patrick Harris Interviewed at ‘The Smurfs 2’ World premiere

From Wikipedia:

Katy Perry

Katy Perry
Perry promoting her song “Roar” in New York City, August 12, 2013
Background information
Birth name	Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
Also known as	Katy Hudson
Born	October 25, 1984 (age 28) Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Genres	Pop, electronic, dance, rock
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Red Hill, Island, Columbia, Virgin, Capitol
Associated acts	The Matrix
Website	katyperry.com

Katheryn Elizabeth “Katy” Hudson^[1] (born October 25, 1984), known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, businesswoman, philanthropist, and actress. She was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. Having had very little exposure to mainstream pop music in her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music as a teen and released her debut studio album, Katy Hudson (2001). She also recorded a second solo album which never received release.

In 2007, Perry signed a recording contract with Capitol Records and adopted her current stage name. The following year, she came to prominence with her second studio album and first mainstream release, One of the Boys (2008), which produced singles “I Kissed a Girl“, “Hot n Cold“, “Thinking of You” and, “Waking Up in Vegas“. The project was further promoted through the Hello Katy Tour. Perry’s third record, Teenage Dream (2010), spawned the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles “California Gurls“, “Teenage Dream“, “Firework“, “E.T.” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)“. In doing so, it became the first album recorded by a female artist in history to produce five number-one hits, and the second album overall behind Michael Jackson‘s Bad (1987). Perry embarked on the California Dreams Tour following its release. In 2012, it was reissued as Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection and contained the number-one single “Part of Me“. Her fourth album, Prism, which contains the Billboard Hot 100 number 1 single “Roar“, is expected to be released October 22, 2013.

Perry has received numerous awards and nominations. She has also been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and was named by Billboard as 2012’s Woman of the Year.^[2] She remains the only artist to spend 69 consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100.^[3] She has ventured into celebrity endorsement and released fragrances Purr, Meow and Killer Queen. She made her film debut voicing Smurfette in The Smurfs (2011). Perry was ranked at number fourteen on Billboard’s list of top moneymakers of 2011, grossing more than $11 million.^[4] She was spotlighted in her own 3D autobiographical film, Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012), which concentrated on her life as a touring artist and the breakdown of her one-year marriage to English comedian Russell Brand.

Early life

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson was born in Santa Barbara, California,^[5] to devout Pentecostal pastors Keith Hudson and Mary Perry. She is the second of their three children,^[6] and has Irish, Portuguese, English, and German ancestry.^[7] She has a younger brother named David (whose stage name is Hudson)^[8] and an older sister named Angela. Her mother’s half-brother was director Frank Perry.^[9]

As a child, Perry attended Christian schools and camps.^[6] She was incorporated into her parents’ ministry,^[6] singing in the church between the ages of nine and seventeen.^[10] She grew up listening to gospel music,^[11][12] and in an interview she said, “Growing up I wasn’t really allowed to listen to a whole lot of what my mom would call, secular music,”^[10] She learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug.^[13] She took her GED during her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music.^[14] Perry initially started singing “because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do].”^[14] She took cassette tapes her sister Angela practiced with and rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of their parents. They suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen.

Career

1999—2006: Career beginnings and Katy Hudson

At 15, Perry’s singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills.^[15] In Nashville, she started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans how to craft songs and play guitar.^[10][12] Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album.^[16] Performing as Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel rock album in 2001.^[15] She supported this album with The Strangely Normal Tour, accompanied by Phil Joel, LaRue, Luna Halo, Earthsuit and V*Enna.^[17] The album was unsuccessful as the label ceased operations at the end of 2001.^[16]

At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for Island Records.^[18] Growing up listening to mostly Country Gospel, she had few references when she began recording songs.^[10] Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Alanis Morissette;^[10] Ballard produced Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, which had a “huge influence” on her.^[15] She expressed interest in working with Ballard to her initial collaborator, who arranged a meeting for her with Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented one of her songs to Ballard, who then helped develop her songwriting over the next few years.^[10] The album was initially planned to be released during the Fall of 2004 along with a promotional DVD, according to a promotional video on the Java Records website.^[19] The album was due for release in 2005,^[15][16] but Billboard reported it also went nowhere.^[16] Subsequently, Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group.^[20] Some of her collaborations with Ballard, including “Box”, “Diamonds”, and “Long Shot”, were posted on her official MySpace page.^[21] “Simple”, one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.^[22][23]

Kelly Clarkson later used “Long Shot” and “I Do Not Hook Up” for her 2009 album All I Ever Wanted.^[24] Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision and did not put her in the “driver’s seat”.^[16] Instead, one of Columbia’s ideas was to pair her with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved,^[25] she caught the attention of the music press. Her burgeoning music career led to her being named “The Next Big Thing” in October 2004 by Blender magazine.^[16] With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own, titled Fingerprints.^[26] Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her from the label.^[16] In 2004, Perry and Kaya Jones provided backing vocals on Mick Jagger‘s song “Old Habits Die Hard“, which won the 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.^[27] While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R company called Taxi Music. In 2006, she was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.‘s single “Goodbye for Now“.^[28]

2007—09: Breakthrough with One of the Boys

While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company’s publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended her to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom.^[29] At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act.^[29] Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star and, at the start of 2007, extended discussions with Columbia resulted in her signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on to form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, One of the Boys.^[29]

The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being “very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally” and so one of the executive’s first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke.^[29] The results were the songs “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot n Cold“. Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management.^[16] A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to “Ur So Gay“, aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by “Ur So Gay” was later released to create online buzz and press story.^[6][16][30] This was a successful move that brought Perry to the attention of Madonna,^[16] who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ‘s JohnJay & Rich morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, Wildfire, on the episode “Life’s Too Short“.^[31]

In the next step of promoting the album, Perry undertook a two-month tour of radio stations. “I Kissed a Girl”, was released on May 6, 2008. Her A&R, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme had met with strong resistance at the label: “People said, ‘This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'”^[30] Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label’s radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record; otherwise, she would have likely been dropped again. Capitol’s SVP of Promotions, Dennis Reese, saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville, which is in the Bible Belt. After playing it for three days they were inundated with enthusiastic calls.^[30] With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to “establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn’t seen as just a one-hit wonder.”^[16] The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.^[16] On June 12, 2008, she appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless,^[31] posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine Restless Style.^[32] Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, “Another Night in the Hills” from Gavin Rossdale‘s 2008 solo album Wanderlust.^[33]

One of the Boys was released on June 17, 2008, to mixed critical reviews.^[34] The album has reached number nine on the Billboard 200,^[35] and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[36] “Hot n Cold” became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100,^[16] as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009.^[16] “I Kissed a Girl” earned her a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards.^[37] She was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears.^[38] She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted,^[39] and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards.^[40] On February 9, 2009, both “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot n Cold” were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million.^[41] The Guinness Book of World Records recognized her in its 2010 version as the “Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist,” for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.^[42]

The Matrix’s self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team’s label “Let’s Hear It” during her solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, “I Kissed a Girl” had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of One of the Boys had been dispatched. Despite their communication, The Matrix was released on January 27, 2009 onto iTunes.^[43] In January 2009, Perry embarked on her first headlining world tour, the Hello Katy Tour, visiting North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Beginning on January 23, 2009, and ending on November 28, 2009, the tour consisted of 89 concerts. During that time, she also opened select concerts for the band No Doubt, on their Summer Tour 2009.

In June 2009, lawyers acting for Perry opposed the then-recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry, who uses her own name to market loungewear.^[44] Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which she denied on her blog.^[45] Katie Perry reported on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer’s lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark.^[46] During the summer of 2009, Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Get Him to the Greek; her scene, in which she kisses Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the film. Discussing the issue with MTV, she hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience.^[47] In 2009, she was featured on two singles: in August, a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3‘s song “Starstrukk” (the idea for the collaboration having come after Perry’s tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act, the song being released by iTunes on September 8, 2009); and, thereafter, in December, on “If We Ever Meet Again” from Timbaland‘s album Shock Value II.^[48] In October 2009, MTV Unplugged revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, “Brick by Brick” and a cover “Hackensack” by Fountains of Wayne.^[49] The album, released on November 17, included both a CD and a DVD,^[50] and debuted at No. 168 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

2010—12: Teenage Dream, film debut, and Part of Me

Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show The X Factor on June 28, 2010.^[51] She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfill the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. Perry’s third studio album Teenage Dream was released on August 24, 2010, in the United States. It topped the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 192,000 units.^[52] The album has since sold over two million copies in the US, being certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was preceded by the May release of its lead single, titled “California Gurls” featuring rapper Snoop Dogg, which picked atop the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks.^[53][54] “Teenage Dream” was released in July as the album’s second single, and also topped the Hot 100. In October, “Firework” was released as the third single from Teenage Dream. It became the album’s third consecutive number one on the Hot 100. As a result, she became the first female in eleven years to have three consecutive number-ones from a single album.^[55]

In November 2010, she released her first fragrance Purr. It is packaged in a cat-shaped bottle, and is available through Nordstrom stores.^[56] In February 2011, Perry embarked on an extensive world tour in support of Teenage Dream. It was titled the California Dreams Tour and including 124 shows in Europe, Australasia, Asia, North America and South America. It earned over $59 million.^[57] That same month, a remixed version of “E.T.” featuring rapper Kanye West was released as the fourth single from Teenage Dream. It topped the Hot 100 chart for five non-consecutive weeks.^[58] With “E.T.” at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.^[3] In June, the album’s fifth single “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” topped the Hot 100. This allowed her to achieve a record for being the first female to achieve five number one Hot 100 songs from one album, and she tied with Michael Jackson‘s record. Additionally, Teenage Dream boasted a record-breaking six number-one songs on Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart.^[59] In October, “The One That Got Away” was released as the sixth single from Teenage Dream, peaking at three on the Hot 100. Teenage Dream became the third album in history to produce six top five hit singles,^[60] “The One That Got Away” became the album’s seventh track to reach the top of the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, the most by any album and setting a new record in the chart.^[61]

In July 2011, she made her film debut in the 3D family film The Smurfs as Smurfette. The Smurfs earned $557,771,535 worldwide during its theatrical run, though received many negative reviews from critics. The week of September 17, 2011 marked Perry’ 69th consecutive week in the Top 10 with single “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”.^[62][63] On September 23, 2011, she performed, along with Elton John, Brazilian Claudia Leitte, and friend Rihanna, on the opening day of the 2011 Rock in Rio festival, which was extended to October 2.^[64] She performed for 100 thousand people, a show that received high praise from critics and audience alike.^[65] Perry hosted Saturday Night Live on December 10, 2011 with Robyn serving as the episode’s musical guest. Perry’s work on the episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised her comedic timing and the episode’s digital short which featured Perry and Andy Samberg, however some critics noted that Perry’s performance in the episode was overshadowed by cast regular Kristen Wiig.^[66] Her second fragrance Meow was released December 2011.^[67] Also in December, she was elected the Artist of the Year by MTV, for their performance on the charts worldwide and won the record during the year.^[68] Also that month, she revealed plans to release a Barbie doll that represents her style.^[69][70]

On January 5, 2012, Perry was named the sixth best-selling digital artist in the United States, with sales of 37.6 million units according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[71] That month, she became the first artist to have five songs sell over 5 million digital units.^[72] Later that month, EA Games recruited her to promote their new expansion pack The Sims 3: Showtime.^[73] In March 2012, Teenage Dream was re-released under the title Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. It was preceded by the February release of “Part of Me“, which became the album’s seventh single released and sixth single overall to top the Hot 100.^[74] “Wide Awake” was released in May as the album’s eighth and final single, peaking at number two.^[75] In June, she revealed plans to launch her own record label, which would be under Capitol Records.^[76] In July, her movie Katy Perry: Part of Me was released to theaters under Paramount Pictures.^[77][78] It garnered positive critical reviews and grossed $30 million worldwide at the Box Office.^[79][80] That September, it was announced that Perry would take home the 2012 “Woman of the Year” Award at Billboard’s Women in Music event, which took place on November 30, 2012 in New York City.^[2] She also supported Barack Obama during his campaign for re-election in November 2012.^[81]

2013: Prism

Perry told Billboard in late 2012 about her upcoming album: “I know exactly the record I want to make next. I know the artwork, the coloring and the tone….. I even know what type of tour I’m doing next. I’ll be very pleased if the vision I have in my head becomes a reality”. However, Perry mentioned that she does not want the album to be a “Teenage Dream 2.0”, stating: “That would be silly. It’s not of any interest for me to try and outdo myself at every corner. Eventually you just like pop, explode”.^[82]. Even though Perry initially said that the record would contain “darker” elements, departing from her previous sound, she later clarified, stating: “There’s not really any darkness on the record, there’s definitely some textures and colors but I think I was saying that when I saw going through a different phase, but I really let that light in”.^[83] Diplo,^[84] Sia Furler, Klas Åhlund, Greg Kurstin, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Emeli Sandé, Greg Wells, Juicy J, Sarah Hudson, Cirkut, Stacie Orrico, and Bonnie McKee have collaborated with her on the album.^[85] Songs that have been recorded for the album include “Double Rainbow”, ^[85]Bad Photographs”,^[86] “It Takes Two”, “Unconditionally”,^[87] “Roar“, “Dark Horse”, “Walking on Air”,^[88] “By The Grace of God”, “This is How We Do”, “Ghost”, “International Smile”, “Love Me”,^[89] “Legendary Lover”, and “Birthday”.^[90]

Perry reprised her role as Smurfette in The Smurfs 2, which was released in theaters on July 31, 2013.^[91] Like its predecessor, it received many negative reviews from critics. She released her third fragrance, Killer Queen, in August 2013, through Coty, Inc.^[92] On July 29, 2013, it was announced that Perry’s fourth studio album would be titled Prism, and is due for release on October 22, 2013.^[93] “Roar” made its debut as the album’s lead single on August 10, 2013.^[94] Perry recorded a duet with John Mayer, titled “Who You Love”, for his album Paradise Valley, which was released on August 20, 2013.^[95] She closed the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards by performing “Roar” live for the first time on August 25, 2013 in a special performance under the Brooklyn Bridge.^[96]

On August 20, 2013, due to Perry teaming up with Pepsi and MTV, fans were given the opportunity to unlock song titles, lyrics, and snippets from Prism by tweeting #KATYNOW. After fans heard the two snippets, they chose which one they wanted to be released in full before the album is released.^[97]. The two snippets were “Dark Horse” and “Walking On Air”. On August 25, 2013, at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, Pepsi announced “Dark Horse” feauturing Juicy J won, 64% to 36%.^[98]. The same day, a 21-second teaser of the official “Roar” music video was released.^[99]. “Dark Horse” will be released via iTunes on September 17, 2013.^[88] Perry later tweeted: “Dark Horse ft Juicy J is just a PREVIEW of #PRISM when released on Sept 17, NOT the 2nd single”.^[100] On September 4, 2013, Billboard announced that “Roar” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.^[101] The official full length music video for “Roar” was released the following day.^[102]

Artistry

Public image

Rolling Stone ranked Perry 7th in its global Queen of Pop poll in July 2011.^[104] Men’s Health dubbed her the “sexiest woman of 2013”.^[105] She is a sex symbol^[106] and is known for her unconventional style of dress,^[13] which is often humorous, bright in color, reminiscent of different decades, and often includes food-related themes^[107][108] such as her trademark peppermint swirl bra.^[103] Her transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain‘s portrayal in the 1997 film Lolita.^[15] She defines her fashion style as “a bit of a concoction of different things”.^[13] Her fashion has caught the attention of designers.^[6]

In June 2008, a photo of her posing with a switchblade was criticized.^[109] The picture was defended as only an effort to give her a “sexy, harder edge”.^[109] She later posed with a spoon, mocking the criticism.^[110]

Perry is Pentecostal and an avid supporter of gay rights. According to Dosomething.org, she voted no on Prop 8 (California’s Nov 4, 2008, amendment declaring that marriage is defined as a union solely between a man and a woman).^[111] Through Twitter and by performing at his rallies, Perry supported President Barack Obama in his run for re-election in 2012 due to his stance on same-sex marriage,^[112] and believing in “equal rights for all”.^[113]

She is also known for philanthropy. In October 2012, she performed “Firework” with a fan who has autism on Comedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars”.^[114] In early April 2013, she worked with UNICEF to assist children in Madagascar with education and nutrition.^[115] Later that month, she appeared in a video clip for the “Chime For Change” campaign that aims to spread female empowerment.^[116]

Musical style and themes

Her first album is within the gospel music genre.^[6][16] She related that her perspective in music was “a bit enclosed and very strict”, and everything she did was church-related.^[6] Her second album, One of the Boys, is described as “secular” and “rock,” and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots.^[6] Her next album, Teenage Dream, featured more pop songs in contrast to Boys.^[13] Many of her songs have been described as EDM or electropop,^[117][118] and she herself has been credited as an electropop artist.^[119] In her childhood, Perry was introduced to the music of Alanis Morissette and Freddie Mercury, the late frontman of the English band Queen.^[25] In her tribute to Mercury on what would have been his 65th birthday, Perry stated; “Without you I wouldn’t be making music or doing what I do because your lyrics inspired me as a 15 year old girl.”^[120] Queen’s song “Killer Queen” inspired her to pursue a career in pop music after her first album.^[6] She also described that Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill as having influenced her music profoundly; even going on to work with Morissette’s collaborator on the album, Glen Ballard because of that.^[15] Perry has also listed Madonna as a significant influence, saying “I want to evolve like Madonna.”^[121][122]

	“Part of Me” Menu 0:00 “Part of Me” is a pop song with traces of dance and rock, common genres in her songs.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Perry has a contralto vocal range.^[123] She is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. She is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life, and has said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak.^[10] Most of the themes in One of the Boys deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and “puking into toilets”.^[15] Her mother Mary once reportedly told English tabloid Daily Mail that she disliked her daughter’s music, calling it “shameful and disgusting”.^[6][124] She said Mary was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information.^[124] Perry has written songs for other singers, including Ashley Tisdale (“Time’s Up”), Selena Gomez & the Scene (“Rock God” and “That’s More Like It”), Jessie James (“Bullet” and “Girl Next Door”) and Lesley Roy (“Slow Goodbye”).

Her songs “Ur So Gay” and “I Kissed a Girl” have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as “lez ploitational“.^[6] MTV mentioned criticism about her using “bi-curiosity” as a way to sell records.^[124] Perry responded to the controversy surrounding “Ur So Gay”: “It’s not a negative connotation. It’s not, ‘you’re so gay,’ like, ‘you’re so lame,’ but the fact of the matter is that this boy should’ve been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever….. It wasn’t stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends.”^[125]

Personal life

Perry has had relationships with Justin York,^[126] Matt Thiessen, Johnny Lewis,^[127] Travie McCoy, and Russell Brand. Since August 2012, she has been in an on-again, off-again relationship with John Mayer.^[128]

With Matt Thiessen, she and Glen Ballard wrote several songs during her early recording sessions. Two of the tracks that the three wrote, “Long Shot” and “I Do Not Hook Up“, would go on to be recorded by Kelly Clarkson on her 2009 album All I Ever Wanted.^[129] Thiessen also co-wrote the song “Dressin’ Up” from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection.

She played the love interest of Travie McCoy in the music video for Cupid’s Chokehold by Gym Class Heroes (of which McCoy is the lead singer).^[130] He is allegedly the subject of her song “Circle the Drain” from Teenage Dream.^[131]

She first met Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when she filmed a cameo appearance for his film Get Him to the Greek.^[132] The two began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.^[133] The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India.^[134] They married on October 23, 2010, in a traditional Hindu ceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India.^[135] After 14 months of marriage, he filed for divorce on December 30, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences.^[136][137] After reaching an agreement on financial issues, a judge granted the divorce request in February 2012. The divorce became effective in July 2012 following a mandatory six-month waiting period.^[138] Her autobiographical movie revealed that the disagreement over starting a family led to the end of the marriage.^[139] In June 2013, she revealed in an interview with Vogue that Brand divorced her via a text message and never spoke to her again.^[86]

Discography

• Katy Hudson (2001)
• One of the Boys (2008)
• Teenage Dream (2010)
• Prism (2013)

Tours

Headlining Hello Katy Tour (2009) California Dreams Tour (2011–2012) Co-headlining The Strangely Normal Tour (2001)[140] Warped Tour 2008 (2008)

Opening act No Doubt – Summer Tour 2009 (North American select dates) (2009)

Perfumes

• Purr (2010)
• Meow (2011)
• Killer Queen (2013)

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	The Smurfs	Smurfette	Voice
2012	Katy Perry: Part of Me	Herself	Also co-producer
2013	The Smurfs 2	Smurfette	Voice
2015	The Smurfs 3	Smurfette	Voice

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	The Young and the Restless	Herself	Soap opera; Season 1, Episode 8.914
2008	Wildfire	Herself	“Life’s Too Short” (Season 4, Episode 8)
2010	American Idol	Herself / guest judge	Season 9, episode 5
2010	The X Factor	Herself / guest judge	Series 7, episode 2
2010	Sesame Street	Herself	Online special (deleted from TV episode due to viewer controversy)
2010	The Simpsons	Herself	“The Fight Before Christmas” (Season 22, Episode 8)
2010	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition	Herself	“Boys Hope/Girls Hope” (Season 8, Episode 1)
2010–2011	Saturday Night Live	Host/Various roles	“Amy Poehler”/”Katy Perry” (Season 36, Episode 1) “Katy Perry”/”Robyn” (Season 37, Episode 9)
2011	50 Greatest Wedding Shockers	Herself	Television documentary
2011	How I Met Your Mother	Honey	“Oh Honey” (Season 6, Episode 15)
2012	Raising Hope	Rikki Hargrove	“Single White Female Role-Model” (Season 2, Episode 16)

See also

List of Billboard Social 50 number-one artists

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