Over the course of the last two decades, Katy Perry has been taking the music world by storm by showcasing her unique looks and style of pop songs. However, it's not an unknown secret that prior to her pop success, Katy used to be on the Christian music scene and even said her success is thanks to Jesus.
Despite the success she has received now, her debut album 'Katy Hudson' was her lowest-selling album and only sold 200 copies. This was her one and only Christian album and given the low amount of copies it sold, it's no wonder Perry decided to take her music in a different direction. But what are her thoughts on it?
Is Katy Perry Religious?
Perry certainly used to be religious and like many people who grow up religious, Perry's religion comes from her parents. She has an Evangelical background and has said that due to the strict rules opposed to her and her siblings by their parents, she feels she never really had a childhood and that her younger years were quite tough.
She has previously said how growing up she was only allowed to read one book (the Bible) and the only music she was allowed to listen to was the Sister Act soundtrack. This is certainly a lot different from the music we hear Perry singing now, and it's very clear that such a restrictive childhood would cause a lot of misery.
However, it is understandable that Perry would start off as a Christian singer, both due to how she was raised, and because she felt from a young age that singing offered her an escapism of sorts — even if the songs she was singing had a religious feel to them.
Whilst she may no longer be as religious as she once used to be, Perry has said that she still has a relationship with God and that nowadays she prefers to go more down the personal spirituality route.
Does Katy Perry Regret Her Early Gospel Career?
Even though Perry has since left the Christian music scene far behind her, she certainly seemed very excited to be involved in that scene at the time. Complex has previously reported on a video Perry took while on tour as an opening act for Phil Joel, where she shared her excitement about being on tour.
In the video, Perry talks about how excited she is to be with the "best Christian bands" and how "awesome" it is for her to be there because she gets to hang out with all of them and share jokes with one another. But whilst she seemed perfectly happy with it at the time, it's often wondered what her feelings on her initial start in the music business are now.
In an interview with National Public Radio, Perry stated that despite the non-starter she had when being a Christian artist, this did still help her become the artist she is today. Even though she was working on a Christian album, she went to Nashville to learn some songwriting skills to help her with writing her first album.
In the interview, Perry stated that it was these skills that have since helped her write a number of hit songs, including 'Roar', 'Part Of Me', and 'I Kissed A Girl'. Plus, as she was able to make some connections in the industry during this time, it helped her after her first album flop with being a backing vocalist before getting her big break at 23.
She was even described by Tommy Collier, who is a writer she worked with during the earlier part of her career, as being highly motivated and quick to pick various skills up, including a specific and rarely used chord sequence on her guitar that Perry still uses to this day. This shows just how much it was beneficial to her to have this start in her career.
It's no wonder that Perry eventually moved away from the Christian music scene after just one album because not only was that album a complete flop despite the rave reviews from the critics, but she revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that she always used to question aspects of her religion as a child and didn't just take what she was told as the be all and end all.
However, Perry has never expressed anywhere that she regrets starting out her music career in this way, and given that she clearly learned a lot from this experience, it's more than obvious that her first album helped shape her career today in an indirect way.
Will Katy Perry Go Back To Her Christian Roots?
Given how many years Perry grew up in a Christian household, with Bible teachings having some influence on her life since the moment she was born, this may cause many to speculate whether she would ever consider quitting her pop career and going back to Christian music.
Whilst Perry has never expressed any desire to go back to Christian music, it is very clear that her faith has never completely left her. One of her tour demands is for Perry, her band, and her dancers to get together for a pre-show ritual before every show to do a prayer circle.
Aside from this, at the 2020 American Music Awards, she performed the hymn 'As The Deer' which is known to be based on Psalm 42:1. So, whilst she may no longer be in the Christian music scene, it's very clear that her Christian roots are never far from her and that she incorporates them into her life where she sees them as applicable.
