Katy Perry Biography

Name

Katy Perry

Real Name

Katheryn Hudson

Date of Birth

October 25, 1984

Birth Place

Santa Barbara, Calif.

Relationships

Russell Brand, fiancé (2009 to present) Travis McCoy, ex-boyfriend (2008)

1990s

Gospel Girl

Born Katheryn Hudson, Perry grows up the middle child of two devout Christian ministers from Santa Barbara. "I was raised in a very pseudo-strict religious household where the only thing on the menu was [gospel standards like] 'Oh Happy Day,' 'His Eye Is on the Sparrow' and 'Amazing Grace'," Perry later tells MTV. The sheltered teen begins taking singing lessons and traveling to Nashville, where her parents have contacts in the gospel recording industry.

2001

The Other Kate Hudson

At 16, Perry releases a Christian pop album as Katy Hudson. "It reached literally maybe 100 people," the singer tells EW, "and then the label went bankrupt." A second venture in 2004, this time with mega-hit production team The Matrix of Avril Lavigne fame, falls through weeks before the album's release.

2008

June

Katy Goes Pop

Perry scores a record deal with Capital Records and ditches her Christian fan base for mainstream stardom with her pop debut, One of the Boys. The singer, who writes or cowrites every track on the album, makes waves with her '40s pin-up looks, risqué themes and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. "They're not meant to be 'Oh, no!' songs! They are my life, and I guess my life is a little bit 'Oh, no,'" she tells EW. "I Kissed a Girl," a flirty, pop-rock fusion, spends weeks atop the charts in more than 20 countries.

Dating a Hero

Perry begins dating Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy. "She's super hot," he tells PEOPLE of falling for his Warped tour tourmate. After a year of dating and even exchanging promise rings, they call it quits. "It hurts right now," Perry says during a concert after the split. "When you breakup with someone you move on. You don't really want to move on...but you have to because they don't give you any choice." The newly single star is eventually linked to musicians Benji Madden and Josh Groban.

2009

January

Hello Katy

After earning a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocal performance for "I Kissed a Girl", Perry launches her first headline tour, Hello Katy, complete with a huge inflatable cat head and 3-D fruit. "You're gonna see me with all kinds of different things," she tells the AP. In February, she also takes the Grammy stage to perform "I Kissed a Girl" amid giant colorful fruit, gyrating female dancers and user-submitted fan videos.

September

Katy Kisses Russell

After joking about having a crush on her at the VMAs, British comedian Russell Brand and Perry take their new romance public. Three months later, Brand orchestrates a special New Year surprise in India, where he asks Perry to marry him with a ring hidden in flowers.

2010

August 24

A Dream Comes True

Covered by a cloud of cotton candy, Perry releases her second pop album, Teenage Dream. On the strength of its lead single "California Gurls," the singer's sophomore effort tops the Billboard 200 albums chart. "It's really validating," she tells the AP. "This record is going to kind of solidify the fact that I have something different to offer, a different perspective."