109 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.

Which cereal was banned from Katy Perry's childhood home because her mother objected to one word in its name?

Lucky Charms was off the menu because the word luck reminded her mother of Lucifer. For the same reason the family had to call deviled eggs 'angeled eggs'.

In the music video for Part of Me, a heartbroken Katy Perry enlists in which branch of the US military?

The Marines let her film on one of their own bases, and Perry said the shoot used only real Marines, no actors.

Katy Perry's 2010 wedding took place beside a wildlife reserve in which country, where she had also got engaged?

India hosted both moments: the couple got engaged in Rajasthan on New Year's Eve 2009 and returned ten months later for a traditional Hindu ceremony.

In which long-running animated series did Katy Perry play a bartender's girlfriend in a live-action Christmas segment?

The Simpsons put her on screen in the flesh as Moe Szyslak's girlfriend in its 2010 episode The Fight Before Christmas.

The title of Katy Perry's seventh album, 143, is a numeric code for which three-word phrase?

I love you is the message: Perry calls 143 her angel number, saying she kept seeing it during a frightening medical time for her family.

In the music video for Roar, Katy Perry tames which big cat after surviving a plane crash in the jungle?

A tiger is the animal she tames, and it wears a collar reading Kitty Purry, the name of the singer's real-life cat.

Which television journalist flew to the edge of space with Katy Perry on Blue Origin's all-female flight?

Gayle King was one of six women aboard the flight, which lasted just 10 minutes and 21 seconds and was organised by journalist Lauren Sánchez.

Katy Perry's 2021 single Electric was released to mark the 25th anniversary of which gaming franchise?

Pokémon put the song on its anniversary album, and the video has Perry and Pikachu in Hawaii helping younger versions of themselves.

Katy Perry's 2015 bid to buy what kind of Los Angeles property led to a years-long legal battle?

A former convent in Los Feliz was the prize: two elderly nuns opposed her $14.5 million offer and tried to sell to a developer instead, but a judge ruled that sale invalid.

Which singer-songwriter did Katy Perry date and duet with on Who You Love, a track from his album Paradise Valley?

John Mayer co-wrote the duet with her while they were a couple and released it in August 2013; the pair split the following year.

Katy Perry sang at One Love Manchester in 2017, a benefit concert organised by which fellow pop star?

Ariana Grande organised the show for victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, and it was broadcast live on radio and television across the globe.

Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams and Big Sean all feature on Feels, a UK number one for which DJ and producer?

Calvin Harris strands all three guests with him on a desert island in the song's video, everyone lounging about in tropical outfits.

At the 2019 Grammys, Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves sang Here You Come Again in a tribute to which country star?

Dolly Parton was on stage for it herself, singing her own hit alongside the two younger stars who were honouring her.

Which video game series released Sweet Treats, a 2012 pack of Katy Perry-inspired furniture, outfits and hairstyles?

The Sims 3 got the stuff pack after publisher Electronic Arts first hired Perry to promote the game's Showtime expansion.

Which TV series scored its biggest first-week single sales with an a cappella cover of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream?

Glee sold 214,000 copies of the cover in a week, passing the cast's own Don't Stop Believin'; the backing voices were the Tufts University group the Beelzebubs.

Katy Perry Collections, the fashion line the singer launched in 2017, started out selling what kind of product?

Shoes are her icebreaker: she recalled thrifting a pair of flats shaped like Dalmatian dogs, with ears that moved, when she first reached Los Angeles.

On the cover of her 2020 album Smile, Katy Perry appears glum-faced and dressed as what?

A clown with a red nose and a checked suit stares out unsmiling; fans uncovered the artwork by popping virtual balloons on Twitter.

Vogue and Rolling Stone have both given Katy Perry which regal nickname for her playful, over-the-top style?

Queen of Camp suits a wardrobe built on humour, bright colours and food, including a signature dress covered in spinning peppermint swirls.

Around the release of her album Witness, Katy Perry swapped her long black hair for which new look?

A blonde pixie cut marked a fresh start after a career break; she described Witness as a record of 360-degree liberation.

Katy Perry has said her breakthrough hit I Kissed a Girl was partly inspired by which Hollywood actress?

Scarlett Johansson was only part of it: Perry has said the lyrics also drew on a teenage friendship with a girl she really did kiss.

Katy Perry won a People's Choice Award for guest starring as a woman known as Honey on which sitcom?

How I Met Your Mother gave her the part in its 2011 episode Oh Honey, and viewers voted her Favorite TV Guest Star the following January.

Which singer recorded I Do Not Hook Up and Long Shot, songs Katy Perry wrote for her own shelved album?

Kelly Clarkson got both songs after Perry's unreleased record Fingerprints was scrapped; another leftover, Rock God, went to Selena Gomez & the Scene.

Which record label signed Katy Perry in April 2007 and released her breakthrough album One of the Boys?

Capitol took her on after an executive carried her demos to Virgin chairman Jason Flom, who was convinced she could be a breakthrough star.

Which travelling rock festival did Katy Perry spend the summer of 2008 on as I Kissed a Girl topped the charts?

Warped Tour had her travelling for three months alongside then-boyfriend Travie McCoy, who gave her a diamond promise ring before it began.

Which hip-hop group features on Bon Appétit, the second single from Katy Perry's album Witness?

Migos rap their verses in a video where chefs prepare Perry as a dish and serve her to a room of hungry diners, before she turns the tables on them.

Katy Perry says a passage likening lively people to fireworks in which 1950s novel inspired her hit Firework?

On the Road by Jack Kerouac compares people who are full of life to fireworks shooting across the sky, an image Perry built her anthem around.

Katy Perry credits which 1990s film about witchcraft with inspiring her chart-topping song Dark Horse?

The Craft set the tone: Perry wanted a dark, spell-casting feel and wrote the lyric as a sorceress warning a man that she would be his last love.

Katy Perry opened the 2013 American Music Awards with a criticised performance of Unconditionally dressed as what?

A geisha was the look, and Asian-American groups accused her of cultural appropriation; Perry has called the song her favourite on Prism.

Which Mexican actor plays Katy Perry's artist boyfriend in the music video for The One That Got Away?

Diego Luna's character drives off after a fight and is killed in a crash, while Perry plays both the girlfriend and her elderly self looking back.

Which Las Vegas magic act gets thrown out of a hotel suite by Katy Perry in the Waking Up in Vegas video?

Penn & Teller get the last laugh, reclaiming the suite once the couple have lost their winnings and doing a card trick before slamming the door.

In the hidden-camera video for Birthday, Katy Perry disguises herself as five hopeless versions of what?

Party entertainers was the brief, from an elderly burlesque dancer called Goldie to face-painter Princess Mandee, who finally unmasks in front of screaming children.

Which fellow pop singer appears among Katy Perry's friends in the music video for I Kissed a Girl?

Kesha joins the burlesque-styled scenes alongside actress Shannon Woodward, Perry's DJ friend Mia Moretti and a cat called Bella.

Which DJ, her partner on the single 365, also co-produced Katy Perry's acclaimed 2019 song Never Really Over?

Zedd shared production with the duo Dreamlab, and because the track was inspired by Norwegian singer Dagny's Love You Like That, her writers are credited too.

To launch her album Witness, Katy Perry live-streamed her daily life for four days on which platform?

YouTube carried the stream from a house rigged with 41 cameras, showing her sleeping, hosting dinner parties and even undergoing therapy.

In her gospel-singing days, a young Katy Perry aspired to be as successful as which Christian pop star?

Amy Grant was the career model, while Perry names her older sister Angela as the woman who has influenced her most.

Katy Perry recorded the song Immortal Flame for a mobile game in which long-running role-playing series?

Final Fantasy's mobile spin-off did more than use her song: it added a playable character modelled on the singer.

Katy Perry promoted One of the Boys by opening a 2009 summer tour date for which rock band?

No Doubt gave her the support slot in August 2009, the same month she wrapped up her own first headlining tour.

De Soi, the company Katy Perry co-founded with Morgan McLachlan in 2022, makes what kind of drink?

Non-alcoholic apéritifs were the idea because both founders wanted something to unwind with that came without the buzz.

Katy Perry covered Waving Through a Window in 2018 to promote the national tour of which Broadway musical?

Dear Evan Hansen's own songwriters asked her to record it, and her version appeared on the deluxe edition of the cast album.

In The One That Got Away, Katy Perry sings of a lost love as her Johnny Cash and casts herself as whom?

June Carter is the role she takes; a Rolling Stone critic thought she was picturing the scrubbed-up Hollywood couple from the film Walk the Line.

In The One That Got Away, Katy Perry recalls teenage kisses in a Mustang set to the music of which band?

Radiohead is the unlikely make-out soundtrack in what Entertainment Weekly called an ode to a summer-after-high-school love.

The rap verses added to the single version of Katy Perry's E.T. include a reference to which animated film character?

Shrek turns up amid all the alien imagery; the verses were recorded for a remix, as the original album track featured Perry alone.

Circle the Drain, a furious track on Teenage Dream, has Katy Perry telling off a former boyfriend over what?

His drug addiction and the strain it put on them both drive the lyrics, set to disco-rock and released early as a preview of the album.

Katy Perry says she wrote Lifetimes, a dance single from her album 143, about which person in her life?

Her daughter is the soulmate the song celebrates: Perry said people look for one in a partner, but hers arrived as her child.

Katy Perry wrote Cozy Little Christmas about a family holiday she spent in which European city?

Copenhagen was where the family gathered, and the lyrics put love and affection ahead of presents.

Katy Perry said Chained to the Rhythm and its lyrics about complacency stood for which kind of liberation?

Political liberation was her label for it, and NME heard the lyrics as a rallying cry for society to become more involved.

Which ballad, the final track on Teenage Dream, has a woman still waiting for the man of her dreams?

Not Like the Movies was the first song Perry wrote for the album, and she performed it at the 2011 Grammys.

Which single from Prism has Katy Perry sing-talking through a day out with friends, tacos and karaoke included?

This Is How We Do struck the New York Times as a modest, grown-up idea of fun, and its official remix added rapper Riff Raff.

Katy Perry wrote This Moment, a Prism song about living in the present, after hearing which self-help audiobook?

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle influenced the whole album, though Perry gave the message of this track a romantic spin.

At a 2012 Las Vegas rally for Barack Obama, Katy Perry wore a dress made to look like what?

A voting ballot with Obama's box already filled in was the design, her outfit for one of three rallies where she sang for his re-election.