Katy Perry
From LoveToKnow Music
Katy Perry has taken the world by storm with her mega hit song I Kissed a Girl. Whether you love the song, are outraged by the song or just can’t stand to hear it one more time, it has firmly put Katy Perry on the map as music’s next big thing.
Katy Perry: Early Years
In 2008, it certainly seemed to many people like Katy Perry (real name Katherine Elizabeth Hudson) had popped onto the scene from out of nowhere, but in reality it took her several years to make her way to the music big time.
As the daughter of two pastors, Perry grew up singing in the church and as such discovered music at an early age. When she graduated high school, she moved from her small California hometown of Goleta to Los Angeles in hopes of making in the music industry. She got a record deal soon after moving there with the small label Red Hill Records and released her self titled debut album (Katherine Hudson).
Katherine Hudson was a Christian rock album, but soon after, Katy discovered a new kind of music than what she had been singing in her church choir for all of her life. Queen was the first band she uncovered – she still counts them as her biggest influence – and a slew of 80s female pop icons like Cyndi Lauper and Pat Benetar.
Katy changed her sound, and she also took up her mother’s maiden name of Perry to avoid any confusion between her and Kate Hudson. After that, things started happening fast.
Katy Perry – Big Breaks
The first big opportunity Perry got was the chance to work with songwriting and production super team The Matrix. Through her involvement with The Matrix, she met Glen Ballard, famous for working with Alanis Morrisette, and Ballard helped her begin her debut album with her new sound and new name.
Her record deal for that album fell though, but the Ballard tracks drew a lot of press attention anyway, thanks to MySpace. In 2004, Blender Magazine bestowed their Next Big Thing title on Perry. An appearance on the soundtrack to Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants followed, and in 2006, she sang on P.O.D.’s Goodbye for Now.
Although things were growing throughout the 2000s, it wasn’t until 2008 that Perry burst into the mainstream. Her single I Kissed a Girl topped the charts in 20 countries and was absolutely unavoidable on the radio, TV commercials and as the topic of conversation. Part of the thing that propelled the single to so much attention was the controversy it generated, both from conservatives and gay rights groups.
I Kissed a Girl Controversy
The first group to take exception to the song I Kissed a Girl was conservative Christians. They objected to the homosexuality in the song and claimed that it glamorized promiscuity.
The second group that disliked the song was gay rights groups. From their perspective, the song was homophobic in that it suggests that same sex relationships between females are experimentation or frivolous rather than a sexual orientation that everyone should take seriously. These groups were also angered by another Perry track called Ur So Gay, which they also feel is homophobic.
On the Ur So Gay controversy, Perry has justified her lyrics saying that the song was about an ex-boyfriend she believed to be gay and was not intended to be insulting to anyone. The gay rights groups counter that you could not replace another minority group in for the “gay” or the “girl” in I Kissed a Girl and still get away with the song.
Yet more critics suggested that Perry’s I Kissed a Girl was “anti-male.”
Katy Perry and The Internet
Perry’s success is a good example of the power of the internet and the new breed of musicians it is creating. She is embraced by Perez Hilton and MySpace, both of whom feature her prominently, and it has turned her into a household name. Whether this turns into a long lasting career or if the very things that have made her popular will make her gimmicky in the future remains to be seen.
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Comments
Katy Perry is just awesome!!! Her "I kissed a girl" is unforgettable! And I like "Hot and Cold" too which is one of her most popular songs.Luv u Katy!
-- Contributed by: Bella
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