59 Fun Facts About Katy Perry

In which city was Katy Perry born?

Santa Barbara: in 2018 she returned to headline a benefit concert there for people hit by the wildfires and mudslides.

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

As Pentecostal pastors, her parents discouraged secular music at home, so she grew up singing gospel in church.

Under what name did Katy Perry release her 2001 gospel debut album at age 16?

Katy Hudson was promoted on the road, with Perry opening shows on Phil Joel's Strangely Normal Tour.

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

Around 200 copies sold before Red Hill Records closed down, and she soon moved to Los Angeles to chase secular pop.

Where did the 'Perry' in Katy Perry's stage name come from?

Her mother's maiden name supplied the Perry, a switch she made so she wouldn't be confused with a well-known actress.

Which city did teenage Katy Perry head to while pursuing a Christian music career?

Nashville is where she began recording music, and at 15 she had already earned her GED and dropped out of high school.

Which musician does Katy Perry cite as her biggest influence?

Freddie Mercury's 'Killer Queen' had a profound effect on Perry as a teenager and helped draw her into music.

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

Jagged Little Pill is Alanis Morissette's album, and friends introduced Perry to Morissette's music, which shaped her own songwriting.

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

Alfie's soundtrack came from Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart, and in 2013 Perry guested on stage during the Rolling Stones' tour.

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

Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy was her boyfriend, and in summer 2008 she joined him on the Warped Tour.

Which pop icon publicly praised Katy Perry's early song 'Ur So Gay'?

Madonna's approval helped the song take off, even though Capitol had released it online with no plans for radio.

Which Rihanna hit ended the Hot 100 reign of Katy Perry's 'I Kissed a Girl'?

Disturbia also won a 2009 NRJ Music Award in France, but Perry went up and accepted that prize by mistake.

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

Hot n Cold was reworked with Elmo, but parents' feedback about her low-cut outfit kept it off TV, though it stayed online.

What was Katy Perry's first headlining world tour, launched in 2009, called?

Hello Katy Tour ran from January to August 2009, booking intimate clubs and theaters so every room would be packed.

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

Snoop Dogg got the call after Perry looked up rappers online and decided he was still the best.

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

Empire State of Mind had given New York its big song, so Perry asked 'What about California?' and wrote her own.

Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' twists the title of which band's 1965 hit?

The Beach Boys' 'California Girls' shaped the title, but the 'u' spelling honors Big Star's 'September Gurls' after singer Alex Chilton died in 2010.

Limited copies of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream album carried what scent?

Cotton candy fit the cover too: Perry emailed artist Will Cotton to buy a painting, and he offered to paint her instead.

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

Michael Jackson's Bad got its five number ones faster, but Perry's five spent 19 weeks at the top to his seven.

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

Last Friday Night got a Missy Elliott remix the week before it hit number one.

Which stars play the parents of Kathy Beth Terry, Katy Perry's nerdy music-video alter ego?

Corey Feldman and Debbie Gibson turn up in a clip built as a tribute to '80s teen movies.

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

Kanye West wasn't on the album track: his two verses were added when E.T. was reworked for its single release.

Katy Perry's 2010–11 run in the Billboard Hot 100 top ten broke a record held by which Swedish group?

Ace of Base had held the mark at 48 weeks since 1993–94, and Perry passed it by stacking five straight Teenage Dream number ones.

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

Budapest hosted the shoot, and Perry dedicated the finished video to the It Gets Better campaign against anti-LGBT bullying.

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

Video of the Year went to Firework, beating Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep', which won only technical awards that night.

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

Smurfette was first created by Gargamel to work against the Smurfs, until Papa Smurf's magic turned her into a real Smurf.

Whom did Katy Perry marry in October 2010?

Russell Brand met her while she filmed a kissing cameo for his movie Get Him to the Greek, but the scene was cut.

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

California Dreams Tour footage runs through the film, which also shows Perry coping as her marriage broke down during that tour.

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

On a golden truck the title and release date rolled around Los Angeles, and that August a drunk driver's semi hit the truck in Pennsylvania.

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

Brave came out ahead: Bareilles's label, Epic, began pushing it to pop radio as a direct result of the chatter over the similarity.

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

Juicy J features on the track fans voted to release early, before Prism was out.

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

Katy Pätra, a spin on Cleopatra, zaps pharaoh suitors who arrive bearing gifts such as a giant diamond.

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

UNICEF appointed her after she joined its mission to Madagascar that April.

Katy Perry revealed her first pregnancy at the end of the music video for which 2020 song?

Never Worn White ends with Perry cradling her baby bump, and after its release she confirmed the pregnancy on Instagram.

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

Atop a giant mechanical big cat she rolled in singing 'Roar', and for the finale she rose on a platform to circle the stadium.

Which company sponsored Katy Perry's Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015?

Pepsi's halftime show drew 118.5 million US viewers, more than the average audience for the game itself.

Which of Katy Perry's costumed dancers at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show became a viral meme?

Left Shark's offbeat moves went viral, and Perry's lawyers tried to trademark it, but the US Trademark Office rejected the application.

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

Skip Marley, Bob Marley's grandson, debuted the song with Perry at the 2017 Grammys, a set that ended on the preamble of the US Constitution.

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

Nicki Minaj features on the track, but its Saturday Night Live debut went viral when teen dancer 'Backpack Kid' upstaged Perry.

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

American Idol had ended on Fox in 2016, and ABC revived it with Perry as its first announced judge, beside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

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

Orlando Bloom had split from Perry in 2017, but they got back together in 2018 before the Valentine's Day proposal.

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

Daisy Dove's birth was announced alongside a donation page for new mothers and babies, one day before Perry's album Smile came out.

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?

Woman's World was pitched as a female-empowerment anthem, yet Perry drew criticism for making it with producer Dr. Luke.

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?

Valentina Tereshkova was picked for her skill as an amateur parachutist, since Vostok cosmonauts ejected before landing and parachuted down.

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

Justin Trudeau and Perry's romance was confirmed in October 2025, when photos of the two kissing on a yacht came out.

In November 2013 Katy Perry passed which star to become the most-followed person on Twitter?

Justin Bieber had only taken the top spot from Lady Gaga that January, so Perry ended his reign within the year.

Which song beat Katy Perry's 'Roar' for the 2014 Song of the Year Grammy?

Royals also beat 'Roar' for Best Pop Solo Performance, so Perry went home without a win in either category.

In Taylor Swift's 'You Need to Calm Down' video, Katy Perry hugs Swift while dressed as what?

A hamburger suit met Swift's french fries, and their closing hug marked a truce in their long-running feud.

Katy Perry closed which 2021 TV special for Joe Biden's inauguration by singing 'Firework'?

Celebrating America stood in for the usual inaugural balls, which the COVID-19 pandemic had ruled out.

Which awards show did Katy Perry host two years running, in 2008 and 2009?

EMAs host Perry opened the 2008 show in Liverpool riding an oversized tube of cherry ChapStick.

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

Glen Ballard signed her to his label, Java, in 2004, but she and the album they made were dropped before it came out.

At King Charles III's 2023 Coronation Concert, Katy Perry performed at which royal residence?

Windsor Castle hosted the concert on a coronation weekend that also gave Britain an extra bank holiday.

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

The Matrix album was scrapped before release, but it finally came out on iTunes in January 2009, after her solo breakthrough.

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

After Columbia dropped her, record executive Jason Flom signed her to Capitol in 2007.

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

Rise came out as a standalone single because Perry felt the world needed to unite, and NBC played it before and during the Rio Games.

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

Elton John shared that fundraiser stage with her, and months later Perry performed at the Democratic National Convention.

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

Zoolander 2 flopped at the box office, a failure its director and star Ben Stiller later said hit him hard.