BY MARNI ROSENSTEIN “Sun-Kissed skin so hot we’ll melt your popsicle,” daring musical innovator Katy Perry sings in her single “California Gurls”; which...

 

BY MARNI ROSENSTEIN

“Sun-Kissed skin so hot we’ll melt your popsicle,” daring musical innovator Katy Perry sings in her single “California Gurls”; which was the summer hit for 2010. When most people think of Katy Perry, they think of her unique approach to life, and the bold lyrics she is not afraid to put out in the public. What many people don’t know is that Perry was born to two pastors. Perry’s musical career actually started with a gospel album back in 2001. Influenced by Alanis Morissette, Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, and Joan Jett, Perry’s career continues to stand out and mold popular culture worldwide.

Katy’s new album, Teenage Dream, was released worldwide on August 30th, 2010. Perry, being her usual self, insisted on being a part of the writing process on every single track on the album. Unlike many of the artists today, Perry actually plays a hands-on role in the production of her music, and doesn’t just sing what is written for her. “This is transcendental, on another level,” expresses Perry in her new song entitled “E.T.”. Upon hearing this single, Perry is seen in a whole new light. The beat sounds nothing like her previous work, showing her evolution as an artist. Another new track on the album, “Not Like The Movies”, shows the more tender, in-love part of Katy. She has recently become engaged to actor/comedian Russell Brand, and this could be responsible for her more sensitive lyrics. Once singing about kissing girls, she has transformed and now touches on subjects such as movie-perfect love and storybook romance.

Katy has seamlessly combined traditional edginess with a more reformed and sensitive approach. There is no doubt that some of her new songs push the envelope and posses risqué wording, however she is now more dimensional. Listeners won’t hear fourteen songs of innuendo; they will hear a mixture of fun, dance music, and deep lyrical pieces. This album works. For one, the beats on the album all sound like nothing we have previously heard from Perry.

Although she is one to never leave the minds of many, she somehow manages to always just avoid going too far. She somehow finds a way to sing about these typically “off-limits” subjects in a very light and fun way. Teenage Dream, the much-anticipated new album of Miss Katy Perry, has lived up to all of its expectations.