Katy Perry isn't actually her real name. Her full name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, but she later changed her name to avoid confusion with the actress Kate Hudson.
Perry is actually her mother's maiden name.
She was born October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California.
Both of her parents are pastors. She started her singing career at her parents church at the age of 9 and sang until she was 17.
Perry grew up with strict Pentecostal Christian parents and she wasn't even allowed to watch The Smurfs or read Harry Potter. Ironically enough, in July 2011 Katy made her film debut as Smurfette in The Smurfs.
She grew up listening strictly to Christian music, but when she heard her first non-Christian album, Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, she was inspired by You Oughta Know.
Perry is the second child of three siblings. She has an older sister and a younger brother
She studied Italian Opera singing for a short time.
Perry began her music career singing Christian pop.
When she was 16, Katy Perry released a Christian pop album under her real name, Katy Hudson. She told 'EW,' 'It reached literally maybe 100 people,' 'and then the label went bankrupt'.
She left home at the age of 17 to pursue her music career. She was signed by Island Def Jam Music Group and went to Los Angeles to work on a new album, which unfortunately never saw the light of day.
Katy and Gym Class Heroes lead singer, Travis McCoy, dated on and off for several years until they split for good in 2009.
Katy was still dating Travis when she recorded the video for I Kissed a Girl. Travis also has a cameo in the video.
She's been the only artist since Michael Jackson to have 5 number 1 hits from the same album,Billboard reported.
Katy Perry's 3D concert/bio movie Katy Perry: Part of Me was released in theaters July 5th 2012.
Part of Me received a PG rating. It was the second movie made by MTV Films to get a PG rating after Napoleon Dynamite, and the studio's first documentary film to receive the rating, IMDB said.
Perry has a contralto vocal range.
Got engaged to Russell Brand during the Christmas holidays in 2009. They were dating since September 2009.
Brand proposed around New Years 2009 in India, while sitting atop an elephant watching fireworks.
She was supposed to appear in the Russell Brand film Get Him to the Greek, but later had her scene cut.
Her hit song "I Kissed a Girl" was partially inspired by actressScarlett Johansson.
Some of her close celebrity friends include Rihanna, Perez Hilton and Adam Lambert.
She has a cat named Kitty Purry. Cat has its own blog.
She married Russell Brand in India and he filed for divorce from her after a year of their marriage [December 30, 2011].
Was reportedly offered $20,000,000 to join American Idol's 12th season in 2013 as a judge, but declined.
She had a cool 28th birthday treat - she had lunch with First Lady Michelle Obama.
Katy's ancestry is three sixteenths Portuguese (Katy's mother is of three eighths Portuguese descent). Katy's other roots include English, German, and Irish.
Katy Perry once described herself as 'a fatter version of Amy Winehouse and the skinnier version of Lily Allen'. Later, Allen took offense to the statement and threatened to release Perry's personal phone number.
After Katy Perry performed on 'The View,' host Whoopi Goldberg kissed her on the lips and exclaimed, 'I liked it!'
She has written songs for Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale and Kelly Clarkson.
Perry has gotten a tattoo to commemorate each album: a strawberry for "One of the Boys" and a peppermint for "Teenage Dream." Perry even brought a tattoo artist on tour. She said, "We open it up to the band and the dancers and the crew. Even my manager is representing with a peppermint, which they probably hate!" she joked. One of her backup singers on stage that night was repping a peppermint tattoo as well. But the tattoos were done towards the end of each tour, so a prism tattoo is on hold for now.
Katy's favorite song to listen to in the car? "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston
Whenever she meets TV host and hunk Mario Lopez, she sticks her finger in his irresistible dimples.
When asked what she would be doing right now if she weren't a singer, she said she'd be a stay-at-home mom or a stylist.
Not only can she sing, but he can play acoustic guitar and electric guitar.
Katy released a fragrance in November 2011 called Purr, which comes in a cat-shaped bottle.
She also has a Katy Perry Barbie Doll that she released in December 2011
Her natural hair color is blonde.
She appeared as herself in a 2008 episode of The Young and the Restless.
She is a strong supporter of the Democrat Party.
