Katy Perry built one of the most successful pop careers of the 2010s on candy-colored hooks, bold visuals and a string of chart-topping singles. Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson on October 25, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California, she grew up singing gospel before reinventing herself as a pop star.
The breakthrough
After a gospel album under her birth name flopped, she signed to Capitol and broke through in 2008 with “I Kissed a Girl”, the lead single from One of the Boys. “Hot n Cold” kept the momentum going.
Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream (2010) made history. Its singles “California Gurls” with Snoop Dogg, “Teenage Dream”, “Firework”, “E.T.” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” all hit number one, making her the first woman and only the second artist after Michael Jackson to land five chart-toppers from one album.
Prism and beyond
Prism (2013) sent both “Roar” and “Dark Horse” to number one. She later released Witness (2017) and Smile (2020), and co-wrote singles like “Harleys in Hawaii” with Charlie Puth.
A pop fixture
Perry has nine number-one singles, seven Diamond certifications and a Super Bowl halftime show to her name, and she has served as a judge on American Idol. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Most loved songs
A spread across the catalogue. Each title opens through the in-site player.
- Full nameKatheryn Elizabeth Hudson
- BornOctober 25, 1984, Santa Barbara, California
- GenresPop
- Also known forTeenage Dream and its five number-one singles
From a fireworks finale to a candy-colored summer hook, the odds are good a Katy Perry song is stuck in your head. Type the line you remember into the search box above and you may find it leads back to her.