Coordinates	9°1′48″N38°44′24″N
name	Yellowcard
landscape	yes
background	group_or_band
origin	Jacksonville, Florida, United States
genre	Alternative rock, pop punk, punk rock, melodic hardcore
years active	1997–2008, 2010–present
label	DIY (1997, 2000)Takeover (1998–1999)Lobster (2001)Fueled By Ramen (2002)Capitol (2003–2008)Hopeless (2010–present)
associated acts	Reeve Oliver, Craig's Brother, Big If, Inspection 12
website
current members	Ryan KeySean MackinRyan MendezLongineu W. Parsons IIISean O'Donnell
past members	Ben DobsonTodd ClarryWarren CookeAlex LewisBen HarperPeter Mosely''See Members for full line-up details.'' }}

Yellowcard is an American pop punk/alternative rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and based in Los Angeles, California since 2000. Their music features the use of a violin, unusual for the genre. They are best known for their songs "Ocean Avenue", "Only One", "Lights and Sounds", and "Light Up the Sky". The band went on to a two-year hiatus then announced their return in August 2010 and released their latest album so far, ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'' in mid-March 2011.

History

Early years (1997–2002)

Yellowcard was formed in 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida after meeting at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The band released its first album, ''Midget Tossing'', in 1997. The original members were vocalist Ben Dobson, guitarist/vocalist Todd Clary, bassist Warren Cooke, guitarist Ben Harper, and drummer Longineu W. Parsons III ("LP"). While vocalist/violinist Sean Mackin was featured on some of the songs, he was not a member yet, as he still objected to many of the band's messages.

''Where We Stand'', their second album, featured the same lineup as ''Midget Tossing'', and Mackin was featured on more songs. Soon Ben Dobson was replaced by Ryan Key (vocals and rhythm guitar). Ryan Key was formerly in the Californian Tooth & Nail Records band Craig's Brother. This changed the band's music style drastically, from hardcore punk to pop punk. It also changed most of their fan base, leaving them with a new beginning and a fresh start as a band.

In early 2000, the band recorded the ''Still Standing EP''. Soon after ''Still Standing EP'' was released, Todd Clary left the band. Key then filled both Clary's and Dobson's duties, guitar and vocals respectively. After sending the new EP to friend Steve Lubarsky at Lobster Records, the band signed their first recording contract in June 2000 and by November had headed west to Camarillo, CA to begin working on another full length album.

The group released their third album, ''One for the Kids'' (Lobster Records), in 2001 and followed up with ''The Underdog EP'' (Fueled by Ramen Records) in 2002. Both of these were well-received by fans. However, soon after ''The Underdog EP'' was released, Warren Cooke left the band due to personal reasons. The band then asked an old friend, Peter Mosely from Inspection 12, to play bass for them. Before Warren Cooke left, the band filmed an unreleased music video for the song "Powder". The video was later put on the enhanced version of the band's next album, ''Ocean Avenue''.

''Ocean Avenue'' (2002–2005)

left|thumb|Pete Mosely under the stage lights (April 2006). Shortly after releasing ''The Underdog EP'', Yellowcard signed with Capitol Records, which was looking to sign pop punk groups at the time. Yellowcard began recording their major-label debut in late 2002, and the production of the record was finished in the spring of that year. During the recording of ''Ocean Avenue'', Mosely left Yellowcard, devoting his time his first band, Inspection 12, and putting the finishing touches to their upcoming album, ''Get Rad''. The band again began the search for a new bass player and found Alex Lewis, whose sister, Alieke Wijnveldt, contributed vocals to the ''Ocean Avenue'' track, "View From Heaven".

The band released their first single from the album, "Way Away". The song did well on MTV2 and rock radio, peaking at #25 on the modern rock charts. The song created enough buzz to cause the band's mainstream explosion. In the middle of the band's first headlining tour, Peter Mosely decided to leave Inspection 12 and asked if he could rejoin Yellowcard. Because Mosely had been an integral part of the writing for ''Ocean Avenue'' and had also been friends with most of the band's members since high school, Lewis was asked to leave, and Mosely was reinstated as the bass player.

In late 2003, the band finally broke through with a hit single, "Ocean Avenue". The song premiered on MTV's TRL program, and quickly shot up the charts to #1. Radio eventually picked up on the single, and the song made it to #37 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song "Empty Apartment" was also featured on an episode of the TV Show ''One Tree Hill''. Suddenly, Yellowcard was everywhere from the covers of Alternative Press, to headliners of the 2004 Warped Tour, to on stage at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, performing "Ocean Avenue". The band took home the MTV2 award as well. Yellowcard featured on an episode of MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge, performing "Way Away" while cast members trashed a mock hotel room in true rock star fashion. The album's first track, "Way Away" appeared on the soundtracks of SSX 3 and Madden NFL 2004. The album's second track, "Breathing", also appeared in EA's Burnout 3: Takedown and FlatOut 2. Following "Ocean Avenue"'s success, the band released the single "Only One", a rock ballad which also did fairly well on TRL and radio. The ''Ocean Avenue'' album sold over one million copies in the US alone.

As ''Ocean Avenue'''s popularity began to decrease, the band spent some time contributing songs to various soundtracks. The first, "Gifts And Curses", appeared in the hit film ''Spider-Man 2''. Another, a cover of Lagwagon's "Violins", was featured on ''Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2'' compilation album. At the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, Yellowcard performed a cover of the song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" during a special tribute to the movie ''The Breakfast Club''.

''Lights and Sounds'' (2005–2006)

After almost two years of touring, Yellowcard took a few months off at the beginning of 2005. Ryan Key and Peter Mosely moved to New York City to write the songs for their upcoming album. The rest of the band remained in Los Angeles. The band regrouped in LA in the spring and began pre-production for the follow-up to ''Ocean Avenue'' in March. Recording and production was finished in September and advertising began for the album. The band had originally announced that the album was expected for August 2005, but production and other delays pushed the release date back several months.

In the months following, many problems had arisen between the band mates, mainly involving Ben Harper. Ryan Key has made many comments since then stating, "The fame went to their heads." After two months of court appearances, Ben left the band. He was eventually replaced by Ryan Mendez from the band Staring Back. Up until the announcement of this, Harper's record label was about to record Staring Back's next album. After leaving Yellowcard, Ben Harper joined the band Amber Pacific, but he soon dropped out. Harper is now in the band HeyMike! and runs Takeover Records in California.

''Lights and Sounds'' was finally released on January 24, 2006.

A loose concept album, the theme centers around the band's negative feelings towards Los Angeles. Prior to the release of ''Lights and Sounds'', Ryan Key said that this ambitious album would probably alienate a large portion of their fan base, and that he was 100 percent okay with that. 20 songs were recorded for the album, 14 of which are on the CD, plus a B-side available on import versions, CD singles, and at the iTunes Store, called "Three Flights Down". ''Lights and Sounds'' is also the only Yellowcard album to contain an instrumental track ("Three Flights Up").

The title track, "Lights and Sounds", was the first single, released a week before the album. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks. It is also featured on the video games Burnout Revenge and Guitar Hero: Modern Hits. In its first week of release the album sold just over 90,000 copies, but it only went on to receive gold status. High first week sales are most likely the result of high anticipation of the album, as it was the follow-up to the highly-successful ''Ocean Avenue''; low total sales backup Ryan's statement about the album being very ambitious and different in sound from ''Ocean Avenue''. On May 6, 2006, the second and final single and video of the album, "Rough Landing, Holly", was released. The single wasn't as well received as the first, and after its first week of release it quickly dropped on the charts.

In May 2006, Ryan Key had surgery on his vocal chords done after having problems with his singing. He had started having problems in December 2005. He was mute for a week and couldn't sing for more than a month. The band, after canceling some shows and receiving some time off from touring, joined the Virgin Mega Tour for Summer 2006.

''Paper Walls'' (2006–2008)

On October 16, 2006, the band announced over their official website that they were back in the studio recording a new album. Guitarist Ryan Mendez posted on the official Yellowcard message board on October 21, 2006 that three songs had been completed and stated "I really think fans of both older and newer Yellowcard are going to be very happy." Pre-production began in October 2006 and tracking began on January 2007.

Between the months of January and March 2007, studio footage labeled "Yellowcard Sessions" regarding the band's progress on making the album was posted on the band's MySpace, with a new video added every Thursday. In total, 10 videos have been posted, with additional footage released on the deluxe CD/DVD edition of ''Paper Walls''. Additionally, in January 2007, some sample demo songs were released on the band's MySpace, though they were only rough recordings from preproduction and not the final recorded versions. The first demo was a 30 second preview of the iTunes bonus track, "Bombers", and the second was a clip of an unmixed version of "Light Up the Sky".

The first Yellowcard show since October 2006 took place on March 29, 2007, at the Troubadour in Hollywood, California. At the show lead singer Ryan Key announced to a sold out crowd that the new album would be titled ''Paper Walls''. He said he would "probably get in trouble for [it]," but went on to announce the title anyway; Key also announced the album title during a concert at Southern Connecticut State University. During the Troubadour show, Yellowcard played two songs from their new album ("Fighting" and "The Takedown"). Yellowcard played an acoustic set the next night at the Troubadour and premiered two new songs, "Shadows and Regrets" and "Light Up the Sky".

In the teaser of an interview with Jason Tate of absolutepunk.net released on June 17 (one month before the release of the album), Key described the album as The whole interview was released on July 17, the release date of the album.

''Paper Walls'' was released in the U.S. on July 17 (July 16 on iTunes) in an additional CD/DVD format, as ''Lights and Sounds'' was the previous year. The DVD contains exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the band, an extensive photo gallery and two additional live bonus tracks. On July 9, Yellowcard released ''Paper Walls'' on their Myspace music player to give fans a taste of what was to come on the new album. Yellowcard announced on May 15 on their MySpace blog that the first single would be "Light Up the Sky". This song was released to iTunes and radio on June 5. Soon after its release, ''Paper Walls'' became the second most popular album on iTunes and the most popular album in the alternative section. In June 2007, Yellowcard was voted to do AOL Sessions Under Cover. It was released on July 20, and it featured two songs from ''Paper Walls''. The album debuted at #13 on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling about 40,000 copies in its first week.

Yellowcard has been promoting their new album nonstop since its release and has started touring for ''Paper Walls''. They supported Blue October in their United States 2007 fall tour and also supported Linkin Park in Japan in November/December 2007. While touring for ''Paper Walls'', Peter Mosely announced in a MySpace blog message that he would be leaving Yellowcard to pursue other endeavors, moving back to Jacksonville and rejoining his old band. Joshua Portman from the bands Near Miss and Staring Back took over on bass until the reformation of Yellowcard in 2010, upon which Sean O'Donnell of Reeve Oliver is now a permanent bass player.

The band canceled several European shows in January due to drummer Longineu Parsons taking a couple months off. He spent the time with his grandmother in Jacksonville, FL who raised him and whose health was failing. On January 7 Yellowcard went to the Middle East to do a USO tour. They went to Kuwait, but as originally planned, couldn't get into Iraq because of the president arriving and canceling all flights there. Yellowcard was originally scheduled to headline a spring tour with All Time Low, but All Time Low dropped out to take part in the Alternative Press spring tour. They were then replaced by MxPx, who canceled a few weeks later. Yellowcard then went on an acoustic tour with The Spill Canvas, Secondhand Serenade, PlayRadioPlay!, and Treaty of Paris. Yellowcard released a live album on January 22, 2008. It is titled ''Live from Las Vegas at the Palms'' and was recorded during their Blue October Tour in October 2007 in Las Vegas.

Hiatus (2008–2010)

Yellowcard announced in an interview in April 2008 that they would be going on an "indefinite hiatus." Their European tour set for 2008 was canceled, and instead the band embarked on an acoustic tour in Spring 2008 before going on hiatus.

Another reason for the band's hiatus was individual member situations. Longineu Parsons took some time off in the winter to spend time with family and is now part of a side project band based in Jacksonville, FL. Sean got married in 2008, and he wanted to take some time off to spend with his family. Ryan Key stated that the members needed some time to figure out their personal lives. The band didn't know how long the hiatus would be, but they assured their fans they would not be breaking up, just taking some time off. In May 2008, Yellowcard left Capitol Records and was left unsigned.

The original Yellowcard lineup from 1997 featuring Ben Harper, Warren Cooke, Todd Clary, Longineu Parsons and Ben Dobson announced they would be performing tracks from ''Where We Stand'' in Jacksonville, Florida. They decided to be called Where We Stand instead of Yellowcard because Sean Mackin would not be present with them.

Yellowcard announced on their MySpace page that they would be performing their first show in months at Utah State University on September 30, 2008. The song choice was much like that of their recent tour performed with Ryan Key, Ryan Mendez, and Sean Mackin which featured songs from their entire discography. The band later announced on their MySpace page that they would be having another acoustic performance at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana on November 13, 2008.

Ryan Key and Sean O'Donnell of Reeve Oliver formed a small side project called Big If. Big If released many demos online, and had a record due out in late 2009 which was cancelled. The band featured a more pop punk approach in most of their first songs, though by the time they had reached the second set of demos they had almost completely progressed into a pop rock style. After the band's fourth set of demos, the band announced a fundraising event on February 10, 2010, called the "Help Mend A Heart Auction", which was to fund Jordan Pundik's mother's heart transplant operation. After that final announcement, there has been no word from the band, and their MySpace page is no longer active.

In early January 2009, it was rumored that Longineu Parsons had joined the band Lostprophets to fill in a gap left when their drummer left to join Nine Inch Nails. However, Lostprophets' bassist Stuart Richardson and Longineu Parsons himself have stated that these reports are untrue.

On June 16, 2009, Capitol released an EP titled ''Deep Cuts'', which consists of four previously-released tracks.

Longineu Parsons played drums for Adam Lambert from October 2009 through September 18, 2010, returning to Yellowcard after ending their hiatus.

Reformation and ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'' (2010–present)

Longineu Parsons mentioned in a YouTube video that the band had started talking about a new record. Yellowcard's official Facebook page announced on August 1, 2010 that the band has reformed and will be working on a new record. Peter Mosely, the former bass player, was replaced by Sean O'Donnell, of Reeve Oliver and Ryan's other side project, Big If, in the new record. Regarding the direction of the new album, Key said on the Hopeless Records website on August 2, "We’re talking about a ton of different ideas, and we’re itching to start as soon as possible. Ultimately, we want to make something the fans will love. What we love to do most, is look out from the stage and see people exploding with energy, and I think we keep that in mind while we are writing. We miss being out on the road playing for Yellowcard fans all around the world, and without their support we wouldn’t have a career."

Lead singer Ryan Key told BackstageOL.com that the album's title "came from a text message from a young lady I was attempting to court. I was reading back through my messages and remembered that could be a cool line or a lyric but it never ended up being a lyric. When it came time to start thinking of a title for the album I came to the guys and said 'I have this line that never ended up in any of the songs and I think it fells pretty right' and they agreed. I think it's kinda rad for where we are as a band right now. It is very descriptive of our attitude, our focus and where we want to be."

Yellowcard released dates for many new concerts, throughout the majority of 2011 and some of 2010. The band will be touring with All Time Low throughout Europe in March 2011, the same time the new album will be released. Key also confirmed that there will be new songs played at these shows, which are most reminiscent of ''One for the Kids'', the first album Key worked on for Yellowcard. Since the reformation announcement, the Yellowcard YouTube account was reopened and featured weekly sessions about recording of the new album. It was also in these sessions that a handful of names and snippets of songs were released. Big If songs "Empty Street" Hide" and "Hang You Up" will be reworked by Yellowcard and featured on their new record. "Hide" will be more upbeat than the original Big If demo.

Other confirmed tracks on the record are "Be the Young", "See Me Smiling", and "Sing For Me." "Be the Young" is Sean Mackin's favorite of the new songs due to its "strong melody and great guitar work". "See Me Smiling" was an instrumental demo Ryan Mendez wrote and recorded at his home studio, which he sent to the rest of the band. They decided to record it for the new record. The bridge is one of Key's favorite vocal parts in all of Yellowcard's library. "Sing For Me" was confirmed in the November Issue of Alternative Press Magazine, Issue 269. The song is written from the perspective of Key's terminally ill aunt, Aunt Stephanie, who was mentioned in "Rock Star Land". The recording process finished on November 8, 2010.

On November 13, 2010, Yellowcard played their first show after coming back from hiatus at The Glass House in Pomona, California. This was the first time the whole band has played since December 2007, during which Ryan Key revealed the name of the new record after insistent chants. The new record will be called ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'', they then went onto play a new song called "For You, and Your Denial" Responding to the apparent lack of Yellowcards older work at The Glass House show, Key stated that it was to keep the energy up in the crowds. In addition to the Europe tour in March, Yellowcard announced a Spring 2011 US Tour with All Time Low, Hey Monday, and The Summer Set.

The band announced the name and release date of the first single, "For You, and Your Denial". It was made available for purchase on iTunes and streaming at www.absolutepunk.net starting January 18, 2011. Also, the music video for this song was recently released and is currently online. The second single, "Hang You Up", was released February 22. The new album released on March 22, 2011 on iTunes and CD.

Ryan Key has also recorded a song with Silverstein called "Stay Posi" (Stay Positive) for the Take Action! Vol 10. Compilation.

In the May issue of Alternative Press, former bassist Pete Mosely revealed he was contacted before the band reconvened but ultimately decided not to reunite with the rest of Yellowcard. He states his fallout with Ryan Key as a primary reason, stating he wished to regain the friendship they once had. Key and Mosely co-wrote most of Yellowcard's material from ''Ocean Avenue'' onward.

On April 11 it was announced that Yellowcard will be touring the US with Good Charlotte and Runner Runner.

In June 2011 on an interview with Punkvideosrock.com Ryan Key stated they were going to do their headlining tour in the fall, he also talked about having to get a job while Yellowcard was on hiatus in order to make their new record

Band members

Sean Mackin – violin, vocals (1997–2008, 2010–present)

Longineu W. Parsons III – drums, percussion (1997–2008, 2010–present)

Ryan Key – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2000–2008, 2010–present)

Ryan Mendez – lead guitar (2005–2008, 2010–present)

Sean O'Donnell – bass, vocals (2010–present)

Former members

Ben Harper – lead guitar (1997–2006)

Peter Mosely – bass, piano, vocals (2002–2003, 2004–2007)

Alex Lewis – bass, vocals (2003–2004)

Warren Cooke – bass, vocals (1997–2002)

Todd Clary – guitar, vocals (1997–2000)

Ben Dobson – lead vocals (1997–1999)

Discography

''Midget Tossing'' (1997)

''Where We Stand'' (1999)

''One for the Kids'' (2001)

''Ocean Avenue'' (2003)

''Lights and Sounds'' (2006)

''Paper Walls'' (2007)

''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'' (2011)

References

External links

Official website

Audio: interview with Ryan Key at Alternative Press

Category:Capitol Records artists Category:American pop punk musical groups Category:Musical groups from Jacksonville, Florida Category:Musical groups established in 1997 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2008 Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2010

an:Yellowcard ca:Yellowcard cs:Yellowcard da:Yellowcard de:Yellowcard es:Yellowcard fr:Yellowcard ko:옐로카드 (밴드) id:Yellowcard it:Yellowcard he:ילוקארד lv:Yellowcard nl:Yellowcard ja:イエローカード (バンド) pl:Yellowcard pt:Yellowcard ru:Yellowcard sk:Yellowcard fi:Yellowcard sv:Yellowcard th:เยลโล่คาร์ด tr:Yellowcard uk:Yellowcard

Coordinates	9°1′48″N38°44′24″N
name	Katy Perry
background	solo_singer
birth name	Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
alias	Katy Hudson
birth date	October 25, 1984
birth place	Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
genre	Pop, rock, gospel
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
years active	2001–present
label	Red Hill, Island, Columbia, Capitol
website	}}

Katy Perry (born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; October 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents. Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a career in music. As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001, which was unsuccessful. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004–05, the later of which was never released. Perry is the first female artist to get five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in one year.

After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single "Ur So Gay" that November, which garnered public attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album ''One of the Boys'' followed later that year and subsequently became the 33rd-best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications.

Her second studio album ''Teenage Dream'' was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included the Billboard chart-toppers "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", and "E.T." and most recently "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". The album produced five Hot 100 toppers, making ''Teenage Dream'' only the second album—after Michael Jackson's ''Bad''—to do so. With "E.T." at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist in history to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Perry was a guest judge on the seventh series of British television show ''The X Factor'', has released a fragrance called "Purr", and voices Smurfette in the 2011 film ''The Smurfs''. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.

Early life and career

1984–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California to Keith, a West Coast scenester in the 1960s, and Mary Hudson (née Perry), an evangelist who grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe". Perry has German, Portuguese, Irish, and English ancestry. She is the second child of two pastors. She has an older sister and younger brother. Perry's mother's aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry.

Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry and sang in their church between the ages of nine and seventeen. She grew up listening to gospel music, was not allowed to listen to what her mother called "secular music", and attended Christian schools and camps. As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug. She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music. Perry initially started singing "because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do]." Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, while Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of her parents, who suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen. She later enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short period of time.

At the age of 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills. In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar. Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at the age of 15. Performing as Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001. The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased operations at the end of 2001. She later changed her surname to Perry, her mother's maiden name, because "Katy Hudson" was too close to film actress Kate Hudson.

At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island. Growing up listening to mostly gospel music, Perry had few references when she began recording songs. Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Alanis Morissette; Ballard produced Morissette's ''Jagged Little Pill'', which had had a "huge influence" on Perry. She expressed interest in working with Ballard to her initial collaborator, who arranged a meeting for her with Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented one her songs to Ballard, and received a call back a day later. Ballard then helped Perry develop her songwriting over the next few years. The album was due for release in 2005, but ''Billboard'' reported it also went nowhere. Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group. Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants''.

Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat". Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved, she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by ''Blender'' magazine. With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label. While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R; company called Taxi Music. In 2006, Perry was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.'s single "Goodbye for Now". She made a cameo appearance in Carbon Leaf's video, "Learn to Fly". She also appeared in other videos like Timbaland's "If We Ever Meet Again" and more. There were other videos she was included in too.

2007–09: ''One of the Boys'' and ''MTV Unplugged''

While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company's publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended Perry to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom. At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act. Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star, and at the start of 2007 extended discussions with Columbia resulted in Katy Perry signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, ''One of the Boys''. The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being "very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally" and so one of the executive's first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke. The results were the songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management. A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to "Ur So Gay", aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by "Ur So Gay" was later released to create online buzz and press story. This was a successful move that resulted in bringing Perry to the attention of Madonna, who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ's ''JohnJay & Rich'' morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, ''Wildfire'', on the episode "Life's Too Short".

She went on the next step of promoting the album, undertaking a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. Perry's A&R;, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme met with strong resistance at the label, "People said, 'This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'" Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label's radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record otherwise Perry would have likely been dropped again. Capitol's SVP of Promotions Dennis Reese saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville. After playing it for three days they were innundated with enthusiastic calls. With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder." The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine ''Restless Style''. Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, "Another Night in the Hills" from Gavin Rossdale's 2008 solo album ''Wanderlust''.

''One of the Boys'' was released on June 17, 2008 to mixed critical reviews. The album has reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Perry released her second single, "Hot n Cold", which became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009. "I Kissed a Girl" earned Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Perry was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears. She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted, and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards. On February 9, 2009, both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Perry in its 2010 version as the "Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist," for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.

The Matrix's self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team's label, Let's Hear It, during Perry's solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, "I Kissed a Girl" had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of ''One of the Boys'' had been dispatched. Despite their communication, ''The Matrix'' was released on January 27, 2009, via iTunes Store. thumb|left|upright|Perry performing in June 2009 In December 2008, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke. Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen[ed] to know for a fact that she [Perry] was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.

On May 16, 2009, Perry performed at the opening ceremony of the annual Life Ball in Vienna, Austria. In June 2009, lawyers acting for Katy Perry opposed the recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry who uses her own name to market loungewear. Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which Katy Perry has denied on her blog. Katie Perry the designer reports on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer's lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark. During the summer of 2009 Perry filmed a cameo appearance for ''Get Him to the Greek''; her scene, in which she kisses her future fiancé Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the final film. Discussing the issue with MTV, Perry hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience. In 2009, Perry was featured on two singles: a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in August (the idea for the collaboration came after Perry's tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act). The song was released over iTunes on September 8, 2009; and "If We Ever Meet Again", the fourth single off Timbaland's album ''Shock Value II'' in December. In October 2009, ''MTV Unplugged'' revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, "Brick by Brick" and Fountains of Wayne cover "Hackensack". The album was released on November 17, and includes both a CD and a DVD.

2010–present: ''Teenage Dream'' and Film debut

Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show ''The X Factor'' on June 28, 2010 (later televised on August 28). She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfil the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She later returned to the show on October 17 to perform "Firework". Perry's second mainstream studio album was titled ''Teenage Dream'' and was released in August 2010. The first single from the album was titled "California Gurls". The single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the fastest rising single from a Capitol Records artist since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. The cover art for ''Teenage Dream'' is a painting by Will Cotton in which depicts Perry lying naked on clouds of cotton candy; resembling the shots of Perry in the video for "California Gurls". The booklet of the physical edition of the album, in keeping with the theme of cotton candy, has a cotton candy scent. The album's second single "Teenage Dream" was released in July 2010. "Firework" is the album's third single.

Perry appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. She was nominated for two awards, including the Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for "California Gurls", and presented the award of "Best Male Video" with Nicki Minaj to Eminem. On September 14, she returned to her old high school, Dos Pueblos High School, where she performed a short set for the school's students. Perry performed "Hot n Cold" with Elmo from ''Sesame Street'', which was originally to appear on the forty-first-season premiere of the educational children's program on September 27, 2010. However, four days before the scheduled airing, Sesame Workshop announced, "In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video ... we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of ''Sesame Street'', which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube." The main reason was that parents complained about what appeared to be a great amount of cleavage shown by her dress. Perry shot the video for ''Firework'' in Budapest in September 2010. An open casting call drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. She proceeded to perform at a concert in Budapest on October 1, her first concert in Central and Eastern Europe. Perry released a perfume named "Purr" in November. It comes in a cat-shaped bottle, and is available through Nordstrom stores. ''Teenage Dream'' led Perry to nominations four awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Teenage Dream", and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "California Gurls". Following the Grammys, Perry released "E.T." as the fourth single from the album. The single was a remixed version featuring Kanye West. The music video for "E.T." was directed by Floria Sigismondi and features Shaun Ross as the main love interest. In June 2011, Perry released the fifth single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". A remixed version featuring American rapper Missy Elliot was released in early August. The single has topped U.S. download and radio charts. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on August 17, 2011, making Perry the first female artist ever to have five #1 singles from one album. Katy Perry appeared at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011. She was nominated for ten awards, received the most nominations of the ceremony and was the only singer in history to have four different music videos shown on various categories, eventually winning three of those, including Video of the Year for "Firework", Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects for "E.T.".

On September 17, 2011, Perry hits the 69th consecutive weeks in the Top 10.

On September 23 she attended the opening day of the 2011 Rock in Rio festival, which was extended to October 2. During the show, produced one of the most striking scenes of the event, when he called to the scene ''Júlio César de Salvo'', a fan who was an anonymous until then. The man, who became known as "''Júlio de Sorocaba''", became an instant celebrity when he was "harassed" by the singer with a kiss, getting the opportunity to give back also one another. The fact made ​​headlines in most Brazilian television news programs, including the Fantástico and the Jornal Nacional, including therefore becoming a trend topic, not just in Twitter, but at Internet in general.

Artistry

Musical style and themes

Perry has a contralto vocal range. Perry's first album is of the gospel music genre. She related that her perspective in music was "a bit enclosed and very strict", and everything she did was church-related. Her second album, ''One of the Boys'', is described as "secular" and "rock," and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots. Her next album ''Teenage Dream'' featured more pop songs in the vein of ''Boys''. Among Perry's musical influences are Alanis Morissette, pop rockers Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Shirley Manson, and Freddie Mercury, the late frontman of the British band Queen. In her tribute to Mercury on what would have been his 65th birthday, Perry stated; "Without you I wouldn't be making music or doing what I do because your lyrics inspired me as a 15 year old girl." She was especially inspired by the Queen song, "Killer Queen" to pursue a career in pop music after her first album. She also described Morissette's album, ''Jagged Little Pill'' as having influenced her music profoundly; even going on to work with Morissette's collaborator on the album, Glen Ballard because of that.

Perry is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. Perry is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life. She said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak. Most of the themes in ''One of the Boys'' deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and "puking into toilets". Perry's mother reportedly told British tabloid ''Daily Mail'' that she dislikes her daughter's music, calling it "shameful and disgusting". Perry said her mother was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information. Her songs "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl" have received negative reactions from both religious and gay sectors. The songs have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as "lez ploitational". MTV mentioned criticism suggesting that Perry is using "bi-curiosity" as a way to sell records. Perry responded to the controversy surrounding "Ur So Gay": "It's not a negative connotation. It's not, 'you're so gay,' like, 'you're so lame,' but the fact of the matter is that this boy should've been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever ... It wasn't stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends."

Public image

Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress. It is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, and she frequently used fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits. Since the Teenage Dream era, Perry has included more glamorous and food-related outfits in her wardrobe. Having learned dancing at an early age, she fantasized about having her own style. Perry's transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain's portrayal in 1997 film adaptation of the novel ''Lolita''. She defines her fashion style as "a bit of a concoction of different things". Johnny Wujek, Perry's stylist, described her style, upon meeting her for the first time, as "very colorful and vintage". Her fashion has caught the attention of designers. In June 2008, a publicity photo that showed Perry posing with a switchblade was criticized. The picture was defended as only an effort to give Perry a "sexy, harder edge". The criticism leveled at her was mocked by Perry who subsequently posed with a spoon instead. She has appeared in FHM Magazine's 100 Sexiest Women poll twice, ranking at No.23 in 2009 and No.37 in 2010.

She was ranked 7th in ''Rolling Stone'''s global Queen of Pop poll in July 2011.

Personal life

Perry has been generally associated with three men: Matt Thiessen, Travie McCoy, and Russell Brand. She dated Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen for a few years. Thiessen has worked on Teenage Dream. Perry dated Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy, whom she met in a recording studio in New York. They broke up in December 2008.

Perry first met British comedian Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Brand's film ''Get Him to the Greek''. Perry and Brand began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand, as host, remarked, "Katy Perry didn't win an award and she's staying at the same hotel as me, so she's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way, I'm the real winner tonight." The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India. Perry stated that she plans to take dual British citizenship. "One of the first things I'll do is apply for dual citizenship. I'm not too sure if I have to take a test as I've not had time to look into it. But England is like my second home". Perry and Brand married on October 23, 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India, where Brand had proposed.

In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."

Discography

''Katy Hudson'' (2001)

''One of the Boys'' (2008)

''Teenage Dream'' (2010)

Tours

Warped Tour 2008 (2008)

Hello Katy Tour (2009)

California Dreams Tour (2011)

Filmography

Television

!Year	!Title	!Role	Notes
	''''	Herself	Episode 8914
	Herself
	''American Idol''	Guest judge
	Guest judge
''Sesame Street''	Herself	Online special (deleted from televised episode due to viewer controversy)
''The Simpsons''	Herself	1 episode, "The Fight Before Christmas"
2011	''How I Met Your Mother''	Honey	1 episode, "Oh Honey"
2011	''America's Got Talent''	Guest Judge	July 27 (Season 6, Qtr Finals 3 results)

Films

!Year	!Title	!Role	class="unsortable"	Notes
	''Get Him to the Greek''	Herself	Deleted sceneUncredited
''Out in the Desert''	Herself	Post-production
	2011		Smurfette	Voice

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:American bloggers Category:American Christians Category:American contraltos Category:American dance musicians Category:American female guitarists Category:American female pop singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:American pop rock singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Brit Award winners Category:Capitol Records artists Category:English-language singers Category:Female rock singers Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Santa Barbara, California Category:Singers from California Category:The X Factor judges

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