Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, or famously known as Katy Perry, is a talented American singer-songwriter and musician. She hails from Santa Barbara, California and grew up in a family of Christian pastors. During her formative years, Katy was solely exposed to gospel music and regularly performed in church. She received her GED during her freshman year in high school and pursued a career in music. In 2001, she released a gospel album under the stage name Katy Hudson, but it did not achieve success due to the closure of its record label. She then collaborated with The Matrix for an album in 2004-2005 before working on a solo album, but both projects went unreleased.