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Career runs hot for singer who made splash last year with chart-topping song. Cleveland show sells out
By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal music writer
Published on Thursday, Mar 26, 2009
Ubiquitous — existing everywhere at the same time: constantly encountered.
Throughout the summer of 2008, it was difficult to turn on pop radio, flip past a cable music channel or look at a pop music publication without seeing or hearing something related to Katy Perry's song I Kissed a Girl.
Perry, whose show on Saturday at House of Blues Cleveland is sold out, made her first buzz-generating splash with the digital EP UR So Gay. However, she had her first bona fide hit with the mildly titillating I Kissed a Girl, a plainspoken declaration of curiosity explored over a bouncy four-four dance groove.
Folks a little older than Perry's target audience of tweens, teens and college co-eds may recall that folkie singer/songwriter Jill Sobule had a minor hit back in the mid-'90s during the media's flirtation with Lesbian Chic with a song of the same name and basic M.O. of a straight girl locking lips with another girl out of curiosity.
And let us not forget the '90s phony Russian teenage ''lesbian'' duo t.A.T.u., whose entire gimmick was its alleged Sapphic connection. Add the fact that with the help of a few choice shots of liquor thrown down the throats of the right ladies, similar acts of (bi)curiosity can be seen/manufactured at almost any college bar or frat party and a little of the naughtiness out of Perry's hit evaporates.
Nevertheless, the song's groove and hook obviously spoke to many fans around the globe as it topped the Billboard charts for seven weeks, climbed to the top of charts in several other countries, sold more than 6 million units and earned Perry a best female pop vocal performance nomination from the Grammys.
The album on which the song appears, One of the Boys, has been certified triple platinum and Perry has hit the road for a successful tour dubbed Hello Katy.
I Kissed a Girl also had the
added benefit of sparking some ''controversy'' garnering the media double whammy of being accused by some church groups and Fox News talking head Bill O'Reily of promoting homosexuality (despite Perry clearly stating she has a boyfriend and doesn't like girls in the song) and for being exploitive by lesbian and gay groups who believed the young singer used lesbianism to sell more records (she has since been embraced by many such groups and graced the cover of Out Magazine).
It's the latter charge that seems not too farfetched as the album's other singles have been the metrosexual-baiting Ur So Gay, which sparked its own anti-homosexual controversy and the emasculating kiss-off Hot N Cold.
Both those songs and others such as Mannequin fit in with Perry's growing image of a colorful, confident relatable spunky chick crushing unworthy boys (her inadequate paramours are definitely ''boys'') under her withering gaze and lyrics.
But though Perry's singles prop her up as a tough chick who takes no guff from no boy, she does soften her stance on songs such as the ballad Lost, where the 24-year-old sings of feeling alone and confused. On both Thinking of You and Self-inflicted Perry also sings from a place of vulnerability.
Perry, who wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, enlisted an impressive team of producers and songwriters including Alanis Morissette producer Glen Ballard (Morissette is one of Perry's big influences), Cathy Dennis (Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears), Desmond Child (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith) and Andreas Carlsson (N*SYNC, Celine Dion) to help clarify her vision. The result is a super-slick pastiche of radio-ready pop-rock, light dance and alterna-rock, none of which is particularly engaging without Perry's attitude and a solid voice that recalls Gwen Stefani's hiccup-laced bellowings.
For most, Perry seemed to drop out of the sky but despite her youth, she has been kicking around the ''bizness'' for several years.
Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, Perry is the middle daughter of two Santa Barbara, Calif., pastors and grew up singing in her parents' ministry in a strict household where secular music and movies were not allowed.
It wasn't until a sleepover that Perry first experienced rock's majesty in the form of Queen and it changed her life.
In her teens Perry GED'd her way out of high school and decided music was her passion.
She moved to Nashville where she met and hung out with seasoned Music City songwriters and soon after signed to a Christian music label and released the Christian rock album Katy Hudson, (unmentioned in her current press materials but about which Perry talks of freely) that no one heard.
The then 17-year-old Perry was introduced to Ballard and she entered that new artist purgatory known as ''development,'' recording an album, signing with Def Jam and even receiving a release date before the album was shelved.
Perry then signed with Columbia where the label paired her with Avril Lavigne's star-making production duo the Matrix for one project while at the same time she worked on a solo album.
Perry recorded a few songs for the Matrix album and before she could complete her solo disc, both projects were canceled.
Perry took what she had, hooked up with yet another record label, Capitol in 2007, and finished One of the Boys, which was released in summer 2008. She also changed her last name to Perry, her mom's maiden name, to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson.
Since then, Perry's profile has been very high online and on television.
On the road Perry's management team adroitly booked her onto the annual traveling emo-punkfest Warped Tour to help build street cred and widen her audience.
Her live shows, which are selling out consistently around the country, have garnered mostly positive reviews for her high energy and engaging persona.
Perry could easily become a three-hit wonder (giving her two more than Sobule), as there is no shortage of spunky 20-something fashion plates who own guitars and listen to Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morissette. Plus, now that record labels have witnessed Perry's carefully managed ascent, no one should be surprised if several more ''relatable'' uniquely dressed songstresses flood the radio come summer.
But while the Avril Lavignes and Hilary Duffs figure out their next musical career moves (OK, Duff is probably going to be OK with that acting thing), it is finally Katy Perry's time in the pop culture spotlight and she is making the most of her opportunity.
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
Ubiquitous — existing everywhere at the same time: constantly encountered.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 07:55 AM, 03/26/2009
I kissed a girl once too. . . .and I liked it. What I don't like is Malcolm X Abram and his slanted, racially biased method of Critiquing music/entertainment. What Qualifies him to spew this grabage? Never read an article written by him that I liked. . . . but I like Katy Perry! Go figure!
North Canton, OH
Posted 11:12 AM, 03/26/2009
That song about kissing a girl was done back in 1992 by Jill Loeb as well. It was on MTV back when they used to play music videos. No big deal.
Patti Smith is way better.
Akron, Oh
Posted 11:22 AM, 03/26/2009
I guess I'm missing the racially biased stuff, but still... I agree, go Katy Perry!
Akron, Oh
Posted 12:29 PM, 03/26/2009
I'm not sure what Traditionalist is talking about since race wasn't mentioned in this article-- are you just searching for a reason to whine? I'll give you several--the economy, the war, education. I’m sorry someone stole your joy, but it wasn’t the reporter!
The first time I heard reports on the Katy Perry song, my old a** thought they were talking about the version from 1992. I was like 'that’s an interesting song to re-release'...
Canton, OH
Posted 09:45 PM, 03/27/2009
I wanna kiss Katy. . .
