Nonreligious music was forbidden in the Hudson household, and she grew up singing church hymns and gospel tunes. As a teenager, she learned to play the guitar and sought a musical career in Nashville with a Christian record label, but her debut album, the gospel-influenced Katy Hudson (2001), sold poorly. By then, however, Hudson had found new musical models in such rock artists as Freddie Mercury and Alanis Morissette, whom she had discovered through friends.
A couple of months before that, the musician went to space on Blue Origin’s first-ever all-woman flight crew — but that venture was also shrouded in controversy, with some critics deeming it a waste of resources. In a lengthy post on Instagram, the pop star reflected on the “incredible impact” she’s felt since releasing her album 143, taking stock of all the twists and turns she’s faced in the process. Controversy continued when Perry was fined over £5,000 for filming the music video for the ‘Lifetimes’ single in a protected area of Spain without permission. “Records are snapshots of an artist trying to tell their story of where they are now or have chicken road been, and hope someone will hear themselves in some of the messages,” the post continued. “Whatever comes next, I’m letting it unfold naturally. No forcing, no controlling — just trusting the angels, the fans, and the music to guide me where I’m meant to go,” she wrote later in the post, seemingly alluding to a year of change in her personal life. “History is important, we learn from history, we are reminded of how to and what not to do when we look back,” she went on.
When Perry headed out on tour, fans were divided again, as she faced multiple occasions where props malfunctioned, experienced a fan fainting on stage, and faced harsh criticism from some online over the choreography involved. The trip sparked memes and controversy, and made headlines after other celebrities responded to her taking the space flight. Actor Olivia Munn, for example, branded Perry “gluttonous”, Emily Ratajkowski said she was similarly “disgusted” by the space flight and Martha Steward made a tongue-in-cheek jab at the mission.
Ahead of the one-year milestone for the album, Perry shared a lengthy response to the backlash she has faced earlier this year. “Please know I am ok, I have done a lot of work around knowing who I am, what is real and what is important to me,” she told fans. Sharing how she has been “through a rollercoaster” of highs and lows since the record was shared, she added that she was “proud” of how her fanbase stuck together. “You KCs know I’m not one for anniversary posts,” the lengthy caption began.
“Looking back now, I realize it has been all about reconnecting to my fans through these songs and through this wonderful tour that has given me the opportunity to see so many of you again and for the first time.” To mark the one year anniversary of her album 143, the pop star shared a long, heartfelt message about what she hopes to take forward into the future. Perry’s post included behind-the-scenes photos and videos of the making of the album and Perry rehearsing onstage for the Lifetimes Tour. The tour is an encapsulation of Perry’s discography, including smash hits like “Firework,” “The One That Got Away” and “California Gurls.”
At 16, Perry released a gospel album titled Katy Hudson (2001) under Red Hill Records, which was unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles at 17 to venture into secular music, and later adopted her stage name from her mother’s maiden name. Perry recorded an album while signed to Columbia Records, but was dropped before signing to Capitol Records. She rose to fame with One of the Boys (2008), a pop rock album containing her debut single “I Kissed a Girl” and follow-up single “Hot n Cold”, which reached number one and three on the U.S.
She soon moved to Los Angeles to pursue success in the secular music realm, adopting her mother’s maiden name, Perry, to avoid confusion with the actress Kate Hudson. Aside from being one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, Katy is an active advocate of many philanthropic causes. In 2013, Katy was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has used her powerful voice to ensure every child’s right to health, education, equality, and protection. She went to explain that she had spent the weekend reflecting on the past year.”143 to me was literally me saying I love you to my fans,” she wrote.
The summer will bring Katy back to North America where, in addition to crisscrossing the U.S., she’ll play seven sold-out arena shows in Canada. After selling out shows around the world for her upcoming The Lifetimes Tour, Katy Perry has announced that she will launch an extensive run in the United States, beginning in Houston, Texas on May 7 at Toyota Center. The mom of 5-year-old Daisy Dove (with Orlando) admitted that she’s entering her next era with ease as she wraps the final legs of her Lifetimes tour. Perry, who recently split from ex Orlando Bloom and has been quietly seeing former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, will take her globe-trotting Lifetimes Tour to Europe next month. New figures were then shared by Page Six and Billboard, showing that even despite the setbacks, her recent run of tour dates have grossed more than $80million (£59million) in sales.
Perry’s initial efforts at mainstream stardom were fruitless, with two separate record labels signing and subsequently dropping her before any material was released. In 2007, however, Capitol Records put out Perry’s EP Ur So Gay, which attracted modest attention for its cheerfully flippant title track. She made a greater splash several months later with the single “I Kissed a Girl,” an assertive ode to sexual curiosity backed by a hard-edged electro-pop beat. The song quickly stirred controversy, as some critics derided it for promoting same-sex relations and others charged that the racy scenario it depicted catered to male fantasies of female sexuality.
“I tend to be mostly a futurist but it would be negligent of me to not acknowledge the incredible impact this last year has had on me.” She just completed her seventh, and final, consecutive season on the show. In Australia, the demand for tickets to her initial eight arena shows was so strong that five shows were added.
On top of that, one of the main singles from the album, ‘Woman’s World’, triggered backlash too when it was shared last year, with many finding the video catered to the male gaze rather than challenging it. Controversy around Katy Perry’s latest album kicked off before she even released the record. Weeks before the album arrived in September 2024, fans were divided over the contributions from Dr. Luke, who Kesha accused of emotional abuse and sexual assault in 2014, culminating in a decade-long lawsuit.
In an Instagram post shared on Monday, Sept. 22, Perry, 40, reflected on the anniversary of the release of her 2024 album 143. Touring in support of her new album, 143, the global pop superstar will be performing all of her hits, drawing from her extensive catalog. The singer, 40, took to Instagram on Monday, September 22, to share several behind-the-scenes photos and videos, as well as a heartfelt letter to her fans.
“We celebrate the wins and reflect on the losses. All of it is valuable. Let’s hope we get to evolve together for years to come and at the end of it all be proud and at peace with how we tried our best in this imperfect world.” Alongside images and videos from her career over the past year on Instagram, Perry wrote, “You KCs know I’m not one for anniversary posts. I tend to be mostly a futurist but it would be negligent of me to not acknowledge the incredible impact this last year has had on me.” Next month she will continue the tour with some stops in the UK, where the ‘E.T.’ singer will perform in Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham, and wrap up the stint with a closing night at London’s O2 Arena. Those shows will also see her make efforts to help support the UK’s grassroots music scene, with £1 ticket from every ticket sold will be given to Music Venue Trust (MVT) – providing security for local music venues and emerging talent. The singer took to social media recently to make a lengthy post about the highs and lows of 2025 so far, and shed light on how the reception to her latest album ‘143’ has affected her.
September will bring her to South America, where her arena dates in Buenos Aires are sold out and limited tickets remain for her stadium show in Chile. Katy will wrap up the 2025 tour in the UK and Europe, where popular demand led to multiple added shows in London, Paris, and new shows in Munich and Bologna. “Lately I have been seeing 341 which has me thinking now after giving so much… do I love myself, finally?” she wrote. “Well, I get the opportunity to answer that question anew every day. Today’s answer is yes. I am proud of where and how I have landed in this moment.” The pop star said she’s “trusting the angels” to guide her from here on out. Perry said she’s “proud that I keep on swinging,” and reflected on the ups and downs of her long journey making pop music.