Katy, You're a Firework: The True Story of Katy Perry's Iconic 'Firework'

Katy Perry is one of the biggest names in pop music today. 

Her albums have sold in the millions and she’s had numerous number one singles, including five consecutive songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 from her 2010 album, Teenage Dream, alone.

But things didn’t come easy for Katy, and her early career looked much different to that of the megastar we know today.

Katheryn Hudson was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. Her parents were both Pentecostal ministers, and restricted her from such things as cartoons and sugary cereal, claiming something as harmless as Lucky Charms were evil because the word “lucky” reminded her mom of Lucifer.

Her parents did allow her to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. She sang in church and her parents would drive her to local farmers markets where she would perform weekly. When she turned 13, they escorted her to Nashville, where she promoted herself as a young gospel singer. Katy later left high school to pursue music, eventually setting herself up in Nashville where she was discovered by some songwriters. They helped her record a demo of contemporary Christian music and at the age of 16 she signed a deal with Red Hill Records. 

Despite its cool, alternative pop sound, the album was a flop, selling only 200 copies, largely due to her label going bankrupt months later. 

By 2004, Katy Perry was all set to launch a new, exciting chapter in her new recording career.  She signed with Glen Ballard’s label, but that quickly fell through. Not long after that opportunity, Ballard helped her get a deal with Columbia Records, and she began writing her next album she called Fingerprints... which was also soon shelved. 

Finally in June 2008, Katy released her debut album proper, One Of The Boys, a collection of provocative, tongue-in-cheek bangers that announced pop’s newest sensation had arrived. With her controversial first single, “I Kissed A Girl,” Katy was all of a sudden everywhere, and One of The Boys earned her plenty of accolades in its own right. 

Things would only get bigger for Perry, with 2010's Teenage Dream aiming to launch Katy Perry in the the stratosphere. While California Gurls and Teenage Dream brought success - it was Firework that lit up Katy's career.

This is the story of Katy Perry's Firework, with unearthed audio from Katy Perry herself!