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Today, with an endless stream of music available at our fingertips and hundreds of new artists moving through the music business’ never-ending revolving door, it would be easy to believe that it’s no longer possible to become a bonafide pop star. But then comes along an artist like Katy Perry. The daughter of two pastors, Perry, born Katy Hudson, has risen from a struggling artist, jumping from one label to the next, to become the only artist other than Michael Jackson to score five Number One singles on a single album. It’s an amazing story. And so, to that end, Perry’s journey has been captured in a feature-length film. Katy Perry: Part of Me, the brand new film which tells Perry’s fascinating story, hit theaters on Thursday. Naturally it would only be right that we dedicated this edition of Flashback Friday to the one and only Katy Perry.
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“I Kissed A Girl”
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It’s rather ironic that the song that catapulted a former church girl into the national spotlight centered around the temptation of a same-sex fling. “I Kissed A Girl,” the first single off Perry’s sophomore album, One of the Boys — she released a self-titled debut, Katy Hudson, in 2001 to minimal success — became an overnight success: the song would top the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks, and firmly established Perry as a force to be reckoned with in the music business. While there’s no denying the songs’s New-Wave catchiness, its lyrical conent was met with some controversy: many critics believed Perry’s description of kissing a girl and liking it was merely an attention-grabbing ploy. Whatever side of the debate you were on, the fact remained: “I Kissed A Girl,” which would go on to be nominated for the Grammy award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, had established Katy Perry as a new name to watch on the pop music circuit.
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“California Gurls”
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With the success of “I Kissed A Girl,” soon followed up by her next smash single off One of the Boys, “Hot N’ Cold,” the anticipation was at a high point for Perry’s sophomore LP, Teenage Dream. And did Perry come charging out of the gate. Complimenting a risqué album cover which saw the singer naked, obscured only by a cloud, was the video for the album’s Snoop Dogg-featuring lead single “California Gurls.” It found Perry frolicking semi-clothed through a fictional world entailed “Candyfornia” and being both playful and seductive, it appealed to all segments of Perry’s audience. The proof was in the numbers:, “Califronia Gurls” became Perry’s second Number One single, peaking on the Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks.
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“FIrework”
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While Perry’s chart-topping singles — “I Kissed A Girl” and “California Gurls,” later followed by “Teenage Dream” — had established the singer as a true pop star, it wasn’t until she released “Firework” that she became an icon. The song, with its message of acceptance and open-mindedness, became something of a mantra for Perry, a woman who loved to dress up in outlandish costumes and constantly preached the motto of “being yourself.” What Perry did with “Firework,” aside from amassing yet another Number One hit, is expand her brand from that of a pop star to a global icon. And the video, complete with bra canons, wasn’t so bad either.
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“Part of Me”
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One of the obvious pitfalls of fame is the world’s incessant need to know every detail of a celebrity’s personal life. Perry quickly discovered this to be true when she entered into a high-profile marriage with actor Russell Brand. However, when the couple split in early 2012, Perry responded: not by allowing others to feel sorry for her, but by continuing to kick ass. “Part of Me,” which found Perry going full-on army-girl badass, sent a blunt, clear message: this is one pop star who wasn’t about to let a man bring her down. Furthermore, “Part of Me” also signaled Perry’s continued drive to establish herself as a powerful female figure: a woman that rose from humble beginnings to become of the biggest names in the pop-music universe.
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