By Bryanne Salazar
6:13am PDT, Oct 20, 2017
Katy Perry is a firework who's inspired all our teenage dreams and she even kissed a girl (and liked it). Could she be any cooler? (Probably not, especially since she's also the reigning queen of social media with more than 105 million Twitter followers — more than anyone else in the world.) In honor of this talented (and very popular) singer's 33rd birthday on Oct. 25, 2017, Wonderwall.com is sharing 33 interesting things about Katy that will only make you love her more. Keep reading to learn all the deets about our favorite "California Gurl"…
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No. 1: She's actually Kate Hudson
Okay, maybe she's not the Kate Hudson (seen here with Katy Perry in 2016) but, since her birth name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, she kinda sorta is Kate Hudson. In fact, early on in Katy's career, she changed her last name professionally from Hudson to Perry (her mom's maiden name) to avoid any confusion.
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No. 2: She shares something with Michael Jackson
Katy Perry isn't just a hit-making singer — she's a record-breaker. In 2011, Katy's album "Teenage Dream" had five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. It's a feat that has only been achieved once before — by the late king of pop, Michael Jackson.
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No. 3: Famous dudes write songs about her
We all know Katy Perry and John Mayer dated on and off from 2012 to 2015, but it seems that Katy left John with some serious musical inspiration when they split as well. On his 2017 album "The Search For Everything" is a song titled "Still Feel Like Your Man," which John confirmed is about Katy. In a New York Times interview, he shared that at times, while working on the album, he was moved to tears.
No. 4: Her parents think her music is inappropriate
Katy Perry's parents, Keith Hudson and Mary Hudson, are deeply religious and both served as pastors at their evangelical Christian church. Along with their unwavering faith comes their belief that their daughter's music isn't appropriate. Katy's dad even asked his congregation to pray for his daughter after she released her newest album, "Witness." Katy later shared on a radio show that both her parents wish she would "do something else" but that ultimately, they've "agreed to disagree." The good news is, even with their differing opinions, there's no loss of love between them.
No. 5: She loved her green hair the most
Katy Perry, who's known to experiment with wild hair colors and styles, was asked in 2015 what her favorite hair look has been. At the time, it was the grassy-colored 'do she rocked during her "Prismatic World" tour in 2014. "I actually really liked my green phase for a long time," she said. But in August 2017, she gushed about her latest look — an ultra-cropped platinum blonde 'do — telling W magazine, "Everything is more fun with short hair! I can just get up and go. I feel so liberated with this hair now."
No. 6: She was a music video girl
When Katy Perry released her first hit song, "I Kissed a Girl," she was dating Gym Class Heroes lead singer Travie McCoy. When his band released their hit song "Cupid's Chokehold" in 2006, Katy was in the track's video as the final, perfect girlfriend after a series of comically failed relationships. He even rapped about Katy in the lyrics, saying, "She's got eyes comparable to sunrise / and it doesn't stop there / man I swear / she's got porcelain skin / of course she's a 10 / and now she's even got her own song." (How true that last line ended up being!) The couple broke up in 2009, a year after Katy became a major music star.
No. 7: She digs the drive-thru
Katy Perry's fancy enough to dine at some of the top restaurants in the world, including Jiro Ono's famous (and famously expensive) sushi restaurant in Japan, but her comfort food is super-basic. That's right, Katy's go-to feel-good meal is none other than an order of crispy chicken nuggets ("but only the boot-shaped ones," she told Us Weekly in 2013). The big question we have is, honey mustard or BBQ sauce?
No. 8: She repped hard for Hillary
During the intense 2016 presidential election season, Katy Perry became one of Hillary Clinton's most vocal Hollywood supporters. Katy even let Hillary use her hit song "Roar" in a campaign ad and headlined a free concert in Philadelphia to get voters excited for the election. In 2017, Katy said Hillary's loss impacted her music and was reflected in her newest album, "Witness."
No. 9: She loves cats more than we do
Not only does Katy Perry have a cat named Kitty Purry — she also has a perfume in her fragrance line called "Purr" and another called "Meow." Oh, and her biggest fans? They refer to themselves as "KatyCats."
No. 10: She also loves dogs
Katy Perry is not just a cat lover. She also loves dogs, especially her adorable teacup poodles Nugget and Butters. In fact, on her Instagram, Katy shared a video of herself reading a children's board book to Butters, who seemed mesmerized by the story.
No. 11: She's devout about self-care
Just because she's running a musical empire doesn't mean Katy Perry slacks off when it comes to taking care of her body. She's shared that aside from getting lots of sleep (at least nine hours a night), she also takes a boatload of vitamin supplements — 26 per day, to be exact. Whatever Katy's doing, it's clearly working for her.
No. 12: She loves hard
When Katy Perry first kissed Russell Brand on the set of "Get Him to the Greek," she knew she felt something strong. The whirlwind relationship that blossomed between the comedian and singer was passionate and for Katy, one of true love. The couple married in India two days before her birthday on Oct. 23, 2010. Sadly, their relationship came to an end just 14 months later in 2011, but Katy kept it classy and refused to discuss their marriage or why it ended for a very long time.
No. 13: Chanel's her soul label
You're likely to see Katy Perry in the front row of every Chanel fashion show she can get to because she's passionate about the brand. Seen here interviewing Chanel's creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, we can only imagine she was asking him for the inside scoop on what looks he was releasing next.
No. 14: She pierced her own nose
When Katy Perry was 13, she rebelled against her strict religious upbringing and pierced her nose with a safety pin and ice cube. When her mom saw what she'd done, instead of getting mad, she said, "Oh, it's not as bad as I thought." However, the improper technique didn't turn out so well and left Katy with a small scar. In August 2014, Katy had her nose re-pierced to cover it, but this time she hired a professional.
No. 15: She's super-tight with her grandma
Katy Perry adores her 96-year-old grandma, Ann Hudson, with a passion. In an interview for Katy's biopic "Katy Perry: Part of Me," she shared that her grandmother lives in Las Vegas and is "so full of sass." She added that Grandma Ann once told her and her siblings that when she had to babysit them as kids, "it was just awful." Katy loves to spoil her grandmother by taking her to movie premieres and award shows, but her grandma still won't make a fuss about her granddaughter's super-stardom.
No. 16: She adores Freddie Mercury
When Katy Perry was 15, she first heard "Killer Queen" by Queen and fell in love with the sound as well as with lead singer Freddie Mercury's talent. In a 2011 birthday tribute video to Freddie (who died in 1991), Katy shared with the world that he was the one who inspired her to become the musician she is today.
No. 17: She's got a wicked sense of humor
There's something to be said about someone who isn't afraid to be silly in the public eye. In 2014, Katy Perry arrived at Kate Hudson's annual Halloween party dressed as a Flamin' Hot Cheeto. She later posted on Instagram that she was "a sad, lonely Cheeto with no one to cuddle." People probably didn't want to get spicy Cheeto powder in their eye, Katy, that's all.
No. 18: She's not religious (anymore)
Although Katy Perry grew up in a extremely religious, sheltered home (she's compared it to a "bubble beyond the bubble"), she now says religion isn't for her. She may no longer subscribe to a particular faith, but that doesn't mean she doesn't pray. Katy claims she prays "all the time" and it's a good way for her to stay connected to a higher power.
No. 19: She's tight with Stevie Nicks
Katy Perry and Stevie Nicks have a legit friendship. During one of their first encounters, Stevie said she stayed up till 3 a.m. talking to Katy "about everything." She also had advice for Katy about so-called "rival" female singers. Stevie told her, "Let me tell you something. You don't have any rivals. So forget that. Never say that word again. All of those girls? Friends. You'll probably work with all of them at some point."
No. 20: She's a total Smurfette
The funny thing about Katy Perry's animated movie debut — she voiced Smurfette in the 2013 flick "Smurfs 2" — is that as a child, she wasn't even allowed to watch "The Smurfs." Katy described her blue alter ego as "vulnerable" and "complex" but noted that as a kid, her mom thought Smurfette was "a little bit slutty."
No. 21: She plays guitar
Everyone knows Katy Perry can sing, but did you know she can also play guitar? She learned how to play acoustic guitar when she was 13 and later, when she tried to make it as a Christian music singer in Nashville, played the instrument for live audiences when she was an opening act for the Christian rock bands she toured with. Who knew?!
No. 22: Rihanna's among her besties
Even Rihanna knows how awesome Katy Perry is. The two have long been close friends (let's just ignore the rumors claiming otherwise) and were practically attached at the hip for fashion shows and parties a few years back. She once called Katy a "strong being" and her "best friend in the industry."
No. 23: She's got mad style
It's almost like we don't need to point out how amazing Katy Perry's style is because we've got tons of pictures that already prove our point. All we'll say are two words: that hat. Okay — maybe three more words: Katy is stylin'.
No. 24: She's got her own record label
Katy Perry is also a music executive: In 2014, she launched her own record label, Metamorphosis Music — now called Unsub Records — under the Capitol Music Group banner. That same year, she signed her first artist, Jordan-born and Los Angeles-raised singer Ferras (seen here with Katy in 2016).
No. 25: She dated the hottest guy in Hollywood
Katy Perry likes to keep us guessing! She and Orlando Bloom spent an amazing year lighting up the tabloids with their fun-loving romance before calling it quits in March 2017. But in September 2017, they were once again seen spending time together — this time on a beach over Labor Day weekend — which led to a new round of romance rumors. On or off, they made a cute couple and Katy clearly has an eye for the hotties.
No. 26: She admits she has hoarding tendencies
Just when Katy Perry seems too perfect to handle, she goes and admits she has a problem "collecting things." Her friends and family call it "hoarding" but we think Katy just takes her role as a gatherer of things (all the things) very seriously.
No. 27: She supports the troops
Katy Perry loves the United States' armed forces. In 2010, she performed for the troops along with other singers at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California. In 2012, Katy actually trained with Marines and featured them in the music video for her song "Part of Me."
No. 28: She's not afraid to open up about depression, insecurity and addiction
In 2017, Katy Perry did one of the bravest things we've ever witnessed. She livestreamed herself for 96 hours — the good, the bad and the ugly — leading up to the release of her newest album, "Witness." During the livestream, she shared an intense therapy session in which she opened up about pretending to be the character Katy Perry because she felt Kathryn Hudson from Santa Barbara "wasn't special." She also detailed the struggles she's had with depression, addiction and insecurity. It showed the world an imperfect and raw side of Katy that honestly made us love her even more.
No. 29: She's got her own shoe line
Of course Katy Perry has her own shoe line (called Katy Perry Collections). We peeped her line's website and might or might not have already ordered a button-accentuated pair of plum suede heels from the "Grandma's Closet" section. There are even shoes with thread spools in place of a high heel! Cuteness overload.
No. 30: She works like a boss
Katy Perry dropped her newest album, "Witness," in June 2017 and in September headed out on a year-long tour across North America and Europe. She's got a work ethic that puts us all to shame — and while touring, she's been traveling back and forth to tape auditions for the rebooted "American Idol," on which she's the only female judge. (But more on that in a minute…)
No. 31: She helps others
Philanthropy has always been important to Katy Perry. Along with traveling on behalf of UNICEF as a goodwill ambassador to help bring attention to the most vulnerable children around the world, Katy has routinely donated massive sums to charities she supports, like the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and the SPCA. In 2016, Hillary Clinton surprised Katy by presenting her with the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award at a UNICEF gala to acknowledge her hard work and dedication to the organization.
No. 32: She loves her sex life
In May 2017 during a performance in London (not long after her rumored split from Orlando Bloom), Katy Perry made an interesting admission about her sex life. She told the crowd, "If you're not having great sex yet, in your 30s, it's going to be AMAZING… I can't speak for those of you in your 40s, but I'm sure it's better… It's fun, consensual and intimate." Basically, Katy's letting us all know she's getting hers and isn't regretting it one bit.
No. 33: She's breaking the glass ceiling
Not only is Katy Perry a new (and the only female) judge on ABC's reboot of "American Idol," which debuts in 2018, but she negotiated a reported $25 million paycheck for the gig — more than any judge (male or female) has received on the show before. In response to haters claiming her paycheck was excessive, Katy told radio DJ Carolina Bermudez, "I'm really proud that, as a woman, I got paid… And you know why? I got paid, like, more than, like, pretty much any guy that's been on that show. And, by the way, I love men. So I'm a paid woman and I'm ready for a beautiful man." Say it again for the people in the back, Katy.
