Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television judge. After singing in church during her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music as a teenager.
Perry signed with Red Hill Records and released her debut studio album Katy Hudson under her birth name in 2001, which was commercially unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles the following year to venture into secular music after Red Hill ceased operations and she subsequently began working with producers Glen Ballard, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin.
After adopting the stage name Katy Perry and being dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group and Columbia Records, she signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in April 2007.
Douglas Kiker Dies: ‘American Idol’ Alum Was 32
deadline.comDouglas Kiker, a contestant on Season 18 of American Idol, who brought judge Katy Perry to tears over his rendition of Rascal Flatts’ “Bless The Broken Road”, died Monday, March 10.
He was 32. The cause of death is under investigation, according to multiple media reports. His sister Angela Evans announced his death on Facebook. “It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the passing of my brother Douglas Kiker he was sooo loved and will be missed by so many!
Your singing with the Angel’s now Bubba Please pray for our family as we go threw this very difficult time,” she wrote. In a separate Facebook post, his other sister Donna Kiker Carrillos-Ramirez shared a photo of her brother from his Idol audition and a photo in which she posed with him, writing, “We lost an amazing person today.
He had the biggest smile and knew how to make you laugh. I know I didn’t raise him but I never stopped loving him. My parents did an amazing job with him.
Read more on deadline.com
