Is the California Gurls singer actually from California?
Katy Perry is from California. She was born in Santa Barbara and grew up there as well. She is an American national, and she still spends a lot of time in her Californian hometown; her family still lives there as well.
Read on to learn more about Katy’s roots!
Katy Perry is a California Girl at Heart
Katy Perry was born in Santa Barbara, California, but her roots are a bit more extensive – she has English, Portuguese, German, and Irish genes! Katy’s birth name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, but when as she grew famous, she began to fear that her fans might confuse her with the actress Kate Hudson, so she decided to change her name; making her first name Katy and taking her mother’s maiden name as her last name. Fun fact, Katy is related to Oscar-winning filmmaker Frank Perry through her mother.
Katy Perry has always called herself a California girl; she sees herself as one at heart, and she also loves the place she grew up in. Even though she was a bit of a tomboy growing up, at least according to her brother, she still wanted to be a typical Californian girl and adopted hobbies such as surfing, rollerblading, and skateboarding. She also took both vocal and dance lessons.
Katy has spoken about still spending a lot of time in Santa Barbara, saying, “I make a lot of music there ‘cause it’s only an hour and fifteen minutes away from L.A. at the right times and the energy level is so dramatically different — people, priorities, community, connection.”
Katy Perry Grew Up in a Religious Household
Katy’s parents are pastors and born-again Christians Mary Christine and Maurice Keith Hudson. Both of them had turned to religion after having abandoned it in their youth, and they often moved around with their ministry. Eventually, though, the entire family settled in Santa Barbara.
Katy’s education was mostly religious; consisting of religious camps and schools when she was growing up. During her teen years, she used to sing at her parents’ church. Even though her family often struggled financially, her parents still supported her musical aspirations – they gave her a guitar for her 13th birthday and it was her very first one.
Regardless, secular music was not encouraged in Katy’s house, so she grew up listening to, and later performing, Gospel music. Soon though, she discovered more mainstream pop music by sneaking CDs from her friends.
Katy’s first album was a collection of her own gospel songs. She wrote them after having sung at her parents’ church for years and after taking vocal lessons. She also performed this music publicly on many occasions. Katy is not strictly religious now, but she is spiritual. She has said, “I pray all the time – for self-control, for humility.” She also practices Transcendental Meditation, which she learned with her ex-husband Russel Brand, and which they both still advocate for today.
California is a Part of Katy’s Music As Well
Katy’s first studio album was One of The Boys, and it was what made her almost immediately famous. Speaking about her musical influences, Katy often mentions Freddie Mercury – Queen was one of her favorite bands growing up. She has said, “The way Freddie Mercury delivered his lyrics just made me feel like a confident woman; I’d say his fingerprint is all over me in general.” Some of Katy’s more recent hits include Swish Swish and Daisies from her latest album of the same name.
California Gurls is one of Katy’s most famous songs. She released it in 2010 with Snoop Dogg, who co-wrote the song and also features on it. This song was meant to be the lead single for Katy’s third studio album Teenage Dream. It quickly reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album itself debuted number one on the Billboard 200. The music video is one of Katy’s most memorable ones to-date!