Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Religious Music and Entertainment
Interview: When Katy Perry was Katy Hudson, New Christian Artist

Interview: When Katy Perry was Katy Hudson, New Christian Artist

Last updated on: March 8, 2021 at 1:32 pm by DeWayne Hamby

Interview: When Katy Perry was Katy Hudson, New Christian Artist 2021-03-08T13:32:28-04:00 DeWayne Hamby

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Out of any of the crossover artists that came from Christian music, Katy Perry is one of the most popular. What kept most people from making the Christian music connection, however, was that she didn’t have a huge amount of success in the market, even though that debut album, which released 20 years ago this week, won rave reviews from critics. As part of our annual pilgrimage to Gospel Music Week in Nashville, I interviewed her for that debut project when she was 16 years old. A few years ago, I was contacted by a journalist looking for insight on her beginnings, so it made me dig out the old interview. Katy was kind, gracious, and had a lot of spunk, as you can tell in this interview.

Katy Perry image by DeWayne Hamby

It’s refreshing to be a suite. We’ve been out in public doing interviews.

Well, we want to refresh you. We don’t want this to be the “Average Joe” interview. We want this to be new, exciting, SPECIAL.

I listened to your CD last week. It’s really good. When they said it was a 16-year-old. . .

You were thinking, I know what you were thinking! You’re bad, you’re really mean! (louder) You’re really mean!

No, not that I don’t like that, because I do! I like pop music

(singing) I like pop music!

But it’s ROCK! (to a friend) She’s got a real deep soulful voice.

Well, it’s different! We’ve got things from the Beatles, Fiona Apple, Jennifer Knapp! This is like a melting pot of different things! It’s not exactly Debbie Gibson or Tiffany!

Embed from Getty Images

If you listen to the CD, you’d be shocked at how young she is!

Thank you!

Not that that’s an insult or anything.

Well, I made the CD when I was 15!

And you’re 16 now! (yeah) And you wrote all the songs? (yeah!) That’s impressive. One you wrote in eighth grade.

How’d you know that?

I know things!

(laughs) I’m impressed! It’s really important that I write. I think that somebody out there would like to see the views of a 16-year-old or be in my shoes at least

And be a Christian . . .

Yeah! and to love God, basically! I think it would tickle somebody’s ear. What was I going to say? I think it’s super important that I write because you have all these people who are my age in the industry that are saying, “I have lots to say and I’m really here for some reason, I’m saying a lot.” Well if you do have lots to say, write it! I mean, the least you can do is write it down on paper, get it out there some way. And I understand that record labels don’t necessarily like things. I really do respect singer/songwriters, because it’s original! It’s not a copy!

It comes straight from your heart

Right! I think even like us in the Christian industry, we should always be pushing the envelope, trying to be something a little bit better than the mainstream is! We shouldn’t be influenced by them, they should be influenced by us! I mean, come on! The whole time we’re influenced by them, we’re so far behind that the average person’s ear doesn’t even want to listen to it. I think we’re worth more than that, because obviously they’re not serving God, they’re not in it for the same motives that we’re in, they’re in it for the same motives that we’re in. They’re in it for something totally different, whatever reason they may be in it for, and we have the ultimate Creator. I mean, look around, dude! I live on the coast, Santa Barbara, California. I live five minutes from the ocean, I get inspired every time I go out there. We ought to be the best at what we do. Not second, but the best. God is our God! I go off sometimes!

Well, go off!

Don’t make me start! Don’t make me start! I am homeschooled. I am going to be going to a junior college, I’ve been moved back for two months and it’s insane. I really wish I could go to high school. I went there for a semester and I loved it! I just think well you know, I have to sacrifice some things. And everyone’s thinking, “oh, she has to sacrifice working and school, pity pity pity, I’m going to cry a little river for you!”

Well there’s the social aspect . . .

Yeah, but two, its just that I always want to keep my brain on and keep learning. I’m going to have kids one day and they’re going to need to know something other than music.

How involved are your parents in the music?

Totally involved! Mom was actually the first one to get me involved in this. Threw me off the edge because she’s like a total stage mom! Then I came back and realized this is what I want to do, not what my parents want to do. It’s likewise with my faith, forever with my parents. I just adopted it as my own. And basically, I’ve adopted my music as my own. Sure my mom would take me when I was 11 or so and we’d do weekend churches. I didn’t want to be there because I wanted to be eleven. I wanted to be what you do at eleven. But then I saw how affected and touched people. Then when I turned thirteen, I just got really focused. I just thought now I’m going to start writing. I’m going to start doing what i’m going to be doing. umm, I always lose my train of thought.

Me too.

But they are very involved! They tell me to “Just go wherever you can go!” My mom comes when she can, but my dad pastors so she has to be there. I do keep people around who are good, solid accountability to me. I’m very particular about what I receive from people, I don’t listen to everybody. i listen to a few key people. Too many influences on you, you don’t know what to do. It’s like making the record, that was hard. Everyone was like, “Be that way” and I was like “God, just help me to know what I want to be!” Sure, you can always sit and listen to what people have to say, but most of it is bad for your ear.

Watch Katy return to her roots singing the Maranatha Music song “As the Deer” on last year’s American Music Awards below:

Music

Christian Music

contemporary Christian music

Katy Perry

Previous Post

March 3, 2021

From the Archives: Carman Licciardello in His Own Words Part One — His Ministry

Next Post

March 9, 2021 Bobbi Jo Reed's Incredible Transformation Profiled in New Doc 'Bobbi Jo: Under the Influence'

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Comics Movies Music Plays and Musicals Podcasts Television Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 September 2015 July 2015 March 2015 November 2014 September 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 May 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 February 2012 December 2011 November 2011 August 2011 July 2011 March 2011 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 April 2006 February 2006 December 2005 October 2005 September 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 February 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who is the author of the Book of Revelation?

Select your answer to see how you score.

John Paul Ezekiel Peter