60 Fun Facts About Katy Perry

In which California city was Katy Perry born?

She moved around the country as a child while her parents set up churches, then the family settled back there.

What did both of Katy Perry's parents do for a living?

Secular music was discouraged at home, so she grew up mostly on gospel and sang in church from ages nine to 17.

Under what name did the future pop star, then 16, release her 2001 gospel debut album?

The contemporary Christian record came out on Red Hill Records when she was 16, and the label folded that December.

Roughly how many copies did Katy Perry's 2001 debut album sell?

The record got mixed reviews and the label ceased operations before the year was out.

Where did the 'Perry' in her stage moniker come from?

She briefly performed as Katheryn Perry in 2003 to avoid being confused with an actress who shared her birth surname.

At what age did Katy Perry complete her GED, leaving high school to pursue music?

She left Dos Pueblos High School during her first year there.

Which musician does Katy Perry cite as her biggest influence?

A friend played her Queen's 'Killer Queen' when she was 17, and she later named her third fragrance after the song.

Which 1995 album did Katy Perry call 'the most perfect female record ever made'?

She chose to work with producer Glen Ballard early in her career specifically because he had made that album with Alanis Morissette.

Katy Perry sang backing vocals on Jagger's 'Old Habits Die Hard' from which 2004 film?

That same year Blender magazine named her 'The Next Big Thing', four years before her breakthrough.

Katy Perry played the love interest in the 'Cupid's Chokehold' video for which band, fronted by her then-boyfriend?

The frontman was Travie McCoy, and the couple later toured together on the 2008 Warped Tour.

Which pop icon praised Katy Perry's early song 'Ur So Gay' on radio in 2008?

The song had gone out as a promotional single months before her debut album, to build a campaign around her.

How many consecutive weeks did 'I Kissed a Girl' spend at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008?

It was the 1,000th chart-topper of the rock era and was finally displaced by Rihanna's 'Disturbia'.

Which Katy Perry song did she sing with Elmo in a Sesame Street segment pulled before airing?

The clip was meant to teach antonyms; complaints about her outfit led Sesame Workshop to keep it off the TV broadcast.

What was her first headlining world outing, in 2009, called?

It ran from January to November 2009 in support of One of the Boys.

Which rapper is featured on Katy Perry's 2010 hit 'California Gurls'?

It gave him his third US number one and Perry her second.

Katy Perry has said 'California Gurls' was written as an answer to which New York anthem?

That Jay-Z and Alicia Keys hit was the East Coast blueprint she wanted a West Coast reply to.

The odd spelling of 'California Gurls' was a tribute to which band's song 'September Gurls'?

The change was made after the death of the band's Alex Chilton in 2010.

Limited copies of the Teenage Dream album carried what scent?

The cover, painted by Will Cotton, shows Perry lying on clouds of pink cotton candy.

Teenage Dream tied whose album for the record of five Billboard Hot 100 number ones from one album?

The record set by that album in the late 1980s stood alone for over 20 years until Perry matched it in 2011.

Which single became the fifth Billboard Hot 100 number one from Teenage Dream in August 2011?

It made her the first woman to pull five number ones from a single album.

In the music video where Katy Perry plays nerdy teenager Kathy Beth Terry, which pair play her parents?

Kenny G appears as Uncle Kenny, and Rebecca Black and Hanson show up as themselves.

Which rapper joined Katy Perry on the 2011 single 'E.T.'?

The song spent five non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100.

In September 2011, Katy Perry set a record for consecutive weeks in the Hot 100 top ten. How many?

The streak was fuelled by the run of hit singles from Teenage Dream.

The music video for 'Firework' was shot in which European capital?

Perry dedicated the video, directed by Dave Meyers, to the It Gets Better Project.

Which prize did 'Firework' take at the 2011 MTV VMAs?

It was also nominated in the newly introduced Best Video with a Message category.

Katy Perry made her film debut voicing which character in the 2011 movie The Smurfs?

She reprised the role across the film series through 2013.

Whom did Katy Perry marry in October 2010?

The ceremony was a traditional Hindu one held near a tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan.

The 2012 documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me followed which of her live outings?

The 3D film was released by Paramount and grossed about $32.7 million worldwide.

How was the title of Katy Perry's album Prism first revealed in July 2013?

The truck drove around Los Angeles carrying the title and the planned release date.

On its release, many accused 'Roar' of copying which Sara Bareilles song?

Bareilles shrugged it off, saying that if she wasn't mad she didn't know why anyone else was upset.

Which rapper features on Katy Perry's 'Dark Horse'?

The song became her ninth US number one in January 2014.

In the ancient Egypt-themed 'Dark Horse' video, what is Perry's pharaoh character called?

The video is set in Memphis, Egypt, a nod to the guest rapper's Tennessee hometown.

Katy Perry was named a Goodwill Ambassador for which organization in December 2013?

Her work with the organization later earned her the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award in 2016.

Who was the first artist signed to Katy Perry's own label, Metamorphosis Music?

She announced the Capitol imprint in June 2014.

How did Katy Perry enter the stadium at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show?

She flew out at the end on a platform attached to a shooting star.

How many US viewers watched Katy Perry's Super Bowl XLIX halftime show, then a record?

Guinness announced the figure two days after the show, three million more than Bruno Mars drew the year before; later halftime shows have since passed it.

Which longtime Katy Perry backup dancer was inside the 'Left Shark' costume at Super Bowl XLIX?

The shark went viral for offbeat moves out of sync with Right Shark during the beach medley.

Which artist is featured on Katy Perry's 2017 single 'Chained to the Rhythm'?

The grandson of Bob Marley joined her on the track, which hit number one in Hungary and number four in the US.

Which rapper features on Katy Perry's 'Swish Swish'?

Its basketball-themed video pits Perry's team, the Tigers, against the Sheep, with cameos from Terry Crews and Rob Gronkowski.

In 2018 Katy Perry became a judge on which singing competition?

She reportedly earned $25 million for the revived show's sixteenth season, sitting alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

To whom did Katy Perry get engaged on Valentine's Day 2019?

The couple had first dated in 2016, split in early 2017 and reconciled in 2018.

What is the name of Katy Perry's daughter, born in August 2020?

She arrived two days before the album Smile was released.

Katy Perry's Las Vegas residency Play was staged at which resort?

The show, inspired by Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, put a tiny Perry among a giant toilet and dancing mushrooms.

What was the lead single from Katy Perry's 2024 album 143?

The album title is a numeric code for the phrase 'I love you', which Perry also calls her angel number.

Which song did Katy Perry sing during her April 2025 Blue Origin spaceflight?

She also held a daisy in tribute to her daughter and a setlist for her upcoming tour.

Katy Perry's Blue Origin flight was the first all-female spaceflight since which cosmonaut's 1963 solo mission?

That Vostok 6 flight made her the first woman in space.

In 2025 Katy Perry began dating which former head of government?

The relationship followed the end of her engagement earlier that year.

In June 2017 Katy Perry became the first person to pass what follower milestone on Twitter?

She had held the top spot on the platform since November 2013.

How many Grammy nominations has Katy Perry received, none of which turned into a win?

The nominations run from 'I Kissed a Girl' in 2009 to Prism and 'Dark Horse' in 2015.

Katy Perry appeared in Taylor Swift's 'You Need to Calm Down' video, ending their feud, dressed as what?

Swift wore a french fries costume, and the two hugged during a food fight.

Katy Perry sang 'Firework' in front of which landmark for Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration celebration?

The 'Celebrating America' special closed with her performance and a fireworks display.

How many Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles has Katy Perry accumulated?

The run stretches from 'I Kissed a Girl' in 2008 to 'Dark Horse' in 2014.

Which producer did a 17-year-old Katy Perry move to Los Angeles to work with?

She picked Ballard specifically because he had produced Alanis Morissette, one of her biggest inspirations.

In 2003 she briefly performed as Katheryn Perry to avoid confusion with which actress?

Her birth name is Katheryn Hudson, so the switch to her mother's maiden name Perry came shortly afterwards.

Which songwriting team did Perry record a shelved 2004 album with as co-lead vocalist?

The self-titled album finally surfaced on iTunes in January 2009, riding on her solo breakthrough.

Which label dropped Katy Perry in 2006 as her album Fingerprints neared completion?

Some Fingerprints leftovers went to other artists, including 'I Do Not Hook Up' and 'Long Shot' for Kelly Clarkson.

Which Katy Perry song was recorded as an anthem for NBC's 2016 Summer Olympics coverage?

She released it as a standalone track rather than holding it for the album Witness.

With whom did Katy Perry perform at a 2016 New York fundraising concert for Hillary Clinton?

She also sang at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and later hosted a fundraiser for Kamala Harris at her home.

Katy Perry's first two fragrances, Purr and Meow!, were sold through which department store?

Her third scent, Killer Queen, followed in 2013 through Coty as a nod to her Queen fandom.

In which 2016 comedy sequel did Katy Perry appear as herself?

She had also played herself in an episode of the Kroll Show and a security guard on Raising Hope.