One of the Boys is the second studio album by American recording artist Katy Perry and her major-label debut. Her change in record label and adoption of a pseudonymous surname accompanies a notable shift from the Christian gospel rock of her self-titled debut album. The album was released on June 17, 2008 by Capitol Records. The album features the Billboard Hot 100 number one single "I Kissed a Girl", as well as "Hot n Cold", "Waking Up in Vegas", and "Thinking of You". The album earned Perry two Grammy Award nominations in 2009 and 2010, and has sold 5 million copies worldwide.

Background

Perry has stated that she had been working on the album since she was eighteen years old. During the making of the album Perry was dropped from two record labels and went through two canceled albums. During this time, Perry had written close to seventy songs. Perry collaborated with notable producers Greg Wells, Dr. Luke, Dave Stewart, and Max Martin among others on the album. Perry co-wrote every song on the album as well as writing three of the songs herself.

Once signed to Capitol, label head Jason Flom started work on a new album by convincing Dr Luke to go back into the studio with Perry, with the two having already worked together on the abandoned Columbia sessions. Together with Max Martin they wrote and cut "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Perry then collaborated again with Greg Wells, who she'd also worked with on the Columbia album, creating the songs "Ur So Gay" and "Mannequin". According to Perry's A&R Chris Anokute they ended up with five new songs and then chose the six best songs from the shelved Columbia album to compile "One of the Boys".

When talking about the songs on the album Perry said that she released the single "Ur So Gay" as an introduction to the album:

Themes and style

Life Ball 2009 Katy Perry 4.jpgthumbleftPerry performing "I Kissed a Girl" at Life Ball 2009 in Viena, Austria.

Although Perry's musical style and way of composing ironic and bawdy songs has been heavily compared to the style of singers Avril Lavigne and Lily Allen, the singer was actually influenced by artists and bands like Queen (Freddie Mercury in particular), The Beach Boys, Heart, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper and Alanis Morissette. All songs on the album were written by Perry, assisted by musicians Greg Wells, Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Cathy Dennis, Desmond Child, Andreas Carlsson, Dave Katz, Sam Hollander, Ted Bruner, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard. The album includes several tracks that tell stories - a balance of sad songs and happier tunes. About these opposites, she said, "I think people can appreciate a songwriter who shows different sides . . . I’ve put everything into and I feel like it’s my baby.".

Her first EP, which belongs to the album, "Ur So Gay", was composed as a tool of revenge by the singer on her ex-boyfriend, where Katy satirizes his exaggerated emo style and metrosexual attitude. Her first single "I Kissed a Girl" generated some controversy, dealing with the subject of lesbian homosexuality. The song was inspired by actress Scarlett Johansson. In the second single "Hot n Cold", Perry discusses the theme of uncertainty and the ups and downs of relationships. Other songs like "I'm Still Breathing" and "Thinking of You", both ballads, recounted failed relationships. According to the singer, "Lost" is the most personal song on the album, because its theme is similar to the biographical events of the singer. "Waking Up in Vegas" deals with eccentric and crazy trips with friends to Las Vegas. Just like "Ur So Gay" and "Hot n Cold", the songs "Mannequin" and "If You Can Afford Me" are mocking and critical of relationships with ex-boyfriends.

Release and promotion

Katy Perry @ Campo Pequeno 01.jpgrightthumbPerry performing "Ur So Gay" at the Hello Katy Tour, in Portugal.

The album was first released in June 17, 2008. It was released in separate editions: the standard edition; the Australia Tour edition, Amazon.com, Retrieved in 29-12-2010. which contains the standard CD plus a bonus CD with exclusive songs, an acoustic version of "Thinking of You" and remixes; the special edition, Atomic Mall. Retrieved in 29-12-2010. which is packaged in a digipak and contains four bonus tracks; and the Japan re-issue. Amazon.com. Retrieved in 29-12-2010. Europe; Japan; and iTunes editions contains bonus tracks.

Upon its release, the singer has been heavily criticized for her song, "Ur So Gay", considered by the site to be homophobic. The author of the publication added, "It's time to Katy Perry to stop talking nonsense" because "the song trots out a number of tired gay stereotypes to condemn one of Perry’s ex-boyfriends and includes a paradoxical chorus". The editor of British magazine content lesbian Jane Czyzselska, commented in an article in The Guardian that "Perry's song is a rather sweet, refreshing antidote to the avalanche of overtly sexualised boy-grinds-girl songs." She promoted the song in Portugal, and it wasn't very well received by public. Her first single, "I Kissed a Girl" became a huge controversy worldwide.

Despite the context, Perry is heterosexual. She has been strongly criticized by the LGBT community, who believe that the singer used music to make money and not on behalf of homosexuals, and by some supporters of traditional moral values who claim that music leads the girls to be lesbian. The song was criticized by the local headquarters of the evangelical Havens Corners Church, which has set the following sentence in its garden in September 2008: "I kissed a girl and liked it. So I went to hell."

Singles

The album's lead single, "I Kissed a Girl" was released in early May and soared up the charts. "I Kissed a Girl" was a commercial success. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the 1000th chart-topper of the rock era. The song has since become a major worldwide hit, and along with the United States, it has topped the charts in more than 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. It has sold over 3.95 million digital downloads in the U.S. as of February 2011.

The second single, "Hot n Cold", made it onto the chart after the album came out due to digital downloads. It was released in early September, and peaked at number 3 on the U.S. charts, making it Perry's second consecutive top 5 single. Billboard 2009-01-14. On November 14, the song became Perry's first number 1 on radio airplay. It also became number one on the iTunes comprehensive charts. It is officially one of the ten best-selling digitally downloaded songs of all time after its initial run. It has sold over 4.72 million digital downloads in the U.S. as of February 2011.Week Ending Feb. 6, 2011: Songs: Katy Stands Alone

"Thinking of You", the penultimate single, was originally planned to be the first single from the album, but was scrapped for "I Kissed a Girl" due to its surge in popularity. "Thinking of You" received a video in late April 2008, but the video was removed from YouTube and replaced by a new video after the single was re-released as the third international single from the album. Perry shot the second video with director Melina Matsoukas in the first week of December 2008. The video for the single was released on December 23. The track peaked at #14 on the iTunes comprehensive chart and peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of February 12, 2009 where it remained for the next two weeks before declining to #31 in its seventh week on the chart. It has sold 864,000 digital downloads in the U.S. as of August 4, 2010.

"Waking Up in Vegas" is the fourth and final single from the album. It went for radio adds on April 21 in the U.S. It was released to Australian radio on March 23, where it became the fourth most added song in its release week. Perry performed it on American Idol in May, resulting in a surge of sales for the song and propelling it all the way to number two on the iTunes comprehensive chart. The music video was shot by Joseph Kahn during March 2009 in Las Vegas and officially premiered on the iTunes store in the U.S. and Australia on April 28, 2009. The song has sold over 1.82 million digital downloads in the U.S. as of August 4, 2010.

Other songs

The title track "One of the Boys" peaked at number #40 in Australia Singles Top 50 for five weeks until January 2009. The song is the second to be performed on the shows of the tour Hello Katy Tour in 2009 and was also performed on live during the recording of KISS-FM Live. "If You Can Afford Me" peaked at #28 in the Top 40 New Zealand, where it remained for three weeks.

The albums singles, digital tracks, and mobile products have sold more than 22 million copies worldwide.

Reception

Critical reception

The album received negative reviews from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an score of 47, based on 18 reviews with an average of as low as 2 to 4.9 out of 10.

Despite the unfavorable reviews, the album did receive some positive reviews, such as from Billboard magazine who claimed, "not since Jagged Little Pill has a debut album been so packed with potential hits." Blender described the album as "Perry’s creative-writing-class punch lines don’t always justify her self-congratulatory drag-queen tone. But she hiccups quirkily enough, and myriad big-name producers (from Dr. Luke to Glen Ballard) keep the new-wave synth hooks hopping."

More often, critical reception ranged to generally negative reviews, plus some mixed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album two out of five stars noting that the album "sinks to crass, craven depths that turn One of the Boys into a grotesque emblem of all the wretched excesses of this decade." On the album, Uncut wrote "Gwen Stefani should be nervous" while Slant Magazine wrote that "Perry doesn't possess the grit or vocal prowess to follow through, and the title track is like No Doubt's 'Just a Girl' sans personality and conviction". The NME wrote that "Madonna and Perez Hilton may be fans, then, but if you’ve got even a passing interest in actually enjoying a record, don’t buy this one".

Chart performance

One of the Boys debuted at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 47,000 copies sold in the first week released. The album has shipped and sold over 1.2 million copies, earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The album has been on the chart for 84 weeks. In Canada, the album debuted at number 10 and peaked at number six, It has since been certified double platinum by the CRIA.

In the United Kingdom, the album debuted and peaked at number eleven on the UK Albums Chart. It has since been certified Platinum. In Australia debuted at number eleven, the album has been certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting over 70,000 copies sold.

In New Zealand, the album debuted and peaked at number seventeen. It has since been certified Gold, shipping over 10,000 copies.

Charts and certifications

Charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

Artist/Band Information

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), better known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American pop musician. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her freshman year of high school, she began to pursue a career in music. As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001, which due to the closing of her record label, was deemed unsuccessful. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004–5; neither of which were released.

After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single "Ur So Gay" that November, which garnered public attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album One of the Boys followed later that year and subsequently, became the thirty-third best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications. Her sophomore studio album Teenage Dream was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included hit singles "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream" and "Firework", all of which topped the charts on the Billboard Hot 100.

Perry was credited as a guest judge on the seventh series of British television show The X Factor; has released a fragrance called "Purr"; and will appear in the upcoming 2011 film The Smurfs. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.

Biography

1984–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California on October 25, 1984 to Mary (née Perry), an evangelist who grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe", and Keith Hudson, who was a West Coast scenester in the 1960s. Perry is of German and Portuguese descent on her mother's side. She is the second child of two pastors. She has an older sister and younger brother. Perry's maternal aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry, through whom she is also related to Charles M. Schwab, the founder of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry and sang in their church between the ages of nine and seventeen. She grew up listening to gospel music, was not allowed to listen to what her mother called "secular music", and attended Christian schools and camps. As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug. She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music. Perry initially started singing "because was at that point in childhood where was copycatting sister and everything she ." Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, while Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of her parents, who suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen. She later enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short period of time.

Katy Perry in pink.jpgthumb150pxleftuprightKaty Perry performing on her guitar; an instrument she learned to play when she was just starting her record career.

At the age of 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills. In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar. Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at the age of 15. Performing as Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001. The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased operations at the end of 2001. She later changed her surname to Perry, her mother's maiden name, because "Katy Hudson" was too close to film actress Kate Hudson. At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island. The album was due for release in 2005, but Billboard reported it also went nowhere. Perry was dropped by Island Def Jam Music Group. Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat". Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved, she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by Blender magazine. With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label. While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R company called Taxi Music. In 2006, Perry was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.'s single "Goodbye for Now". She made a cameo appearance in Carbon Leaf's video, "Learn to Fly".

2007–09: One of the Boys and MTV Unplugged

While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company's publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended Perry to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom. At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act. Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star, and at the start of 2007 extended discussions with Columbia resulted in Katy Perry signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal the label secured the masters to the unfinished album recorded while at Columbia that would go on form a significant part of her debut album official mainstream debut album, One of the Boys. Katy Perry performing.jpgthumb170pxuprightrightKaty Perry performing in August 2008.

The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being "very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally" and so one of the executive's first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr Luke. The results were the songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management. A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to "Ur So Gay", aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by "Ur So Gay" was later released to create online buzz and press story. This was a successful move that resulted in bringing Perry to the attention of Madonna, who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ's JohnJay & Rich morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, Wildfire, on the episode "Life's Too Short".

She went on the next step of promoting the album, undertaking a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. Perry's A&R, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme met with strong resistance at the label, "People said, 'This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'" Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label's radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record otherwise Perry would have likely been dropped again. Capitol's SVP of Promotions Dennis Reese saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville. After playing it for three days they were innundated with enthusiastic calls. With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder." The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine Restless Style.

Katy perry live berlin postbahnhof.JPGthumbleftKaty Perry performs live in Berlin, September 2008.

One of the Boys was released on June 17, 2008 to mixed critical reviews. The album has reached number nine on the Billboard 200, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Perry released her second single, "Hot n Cold", which became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009. "I Kissed a Girl" earned Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Perry was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears. She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted, and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards. On February 9, 2009, both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Perry in its 2010 version as the "Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist," for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.

The Matrix's self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team's label, Let's Hear It, during Perry's solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, "I Kissed a Girl" had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of One of the Boys had been dispatched. Despite their communication, The Matrix was released on January 27, 2009, via iTunes Store. Katy Perry @ Campo Pequeno 01.jpg170pxthumbrightuprightKaty Perry performing in June 2009. In December 2008, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke. Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen to know for a fact that she was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.

On May 16, 2009, Perry performed at the opening ceremony of the annual Life Ball in Vienna, Austria. In June 2009, lawyers acting for Katy Perry opposed the recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry who uses her own name to market loungewear., smartcompany.com.au, June 16, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2009. Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which Katy Perry has denied on her blog. LimeLife, June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009. Katie Perry the designer reports on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer's lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark., blog entry of clothing designer Katie Perry. Retrieved July 18, 2009. During the summer of 2009 Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Get Him to the Greek; her scene, in which she kisses her future fiancé Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the final film. Discussing the issue with MTV, Perry hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience. In 2009, Perry was featured on two singles: a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in August (the idea for the collaboration came after Perry's tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act). The song was released over iTunes on September 8, 2009; and "If We Ever Meet Again", the fourth single off Timbaland's album Shock Value II in December. In October 2009, MTV Unplugged revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, "Brick by Brick" and Fountains of Wayne cover "Hackensack". The album was released on November 17, and includes both a CD and a DVD.

2010–present: Teenage Dream

Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show The X Factor on June 28, 2010 (later televised on August 28). She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfil the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She later returned to the show on October 17 to perform "Firework". Perry's second mainstream studio album was titled Teenage Dream and was released in August 2010. The first single from the album was titled "California Gurls". The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the fastest rising single from a Capitol Records artist since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. The cover art for Teenage Dream is a painting by Will Cotton in which depicts Perry lying naked on clouds of cotton candy; resembling the shots of Perry in the video for "California Gurls". The booklet of the physical edition of the album, in keeping with the theme of cotton candy, has a cotton candy scent. The album's second single "Teenage Dream" was released in July 2010. "Firework" is the album's third single.

Katy Perry appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. She was nominated for two awards and presented the award of "Best Male Video" with Nicki Minaj to Eminem. On September 14, she returned to her old high school, Dos Pueblos High School, where she performed a short set for the school's students. Perry performed "Hot n Cold" with Elmo from Sesame Street, which was originally to appear on the forty-first-season premiere of the educational children's program on September 27, 2010. However, four days before the scheduled airing, Sesame Workshop announced, "In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video ... we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube." The main reason was that parents complained about what appeared to be a great amount of cleavage shown by her dress. Perry shot the video for Firework in Budapest in September 2010. An open casting call drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. She proceeded to perform at a concert in Budapest on October 1, her first concert in Central and Eastern Europe. Perry has announced her own fragrance to be released in autumn of this year, named "Purr". It will come in a cat-shaped bottle, and will be available through Nordstrom stores. Teenage Dream led Perry to nominations four awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Teenage Dream", and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "California Gurls".