MNPundit
08-17-2010, 12:09 AM
The Gospel According to Katy
by MNP
http://a.imageshack.us/img375/2127/katy2001.png
Katy Perry from Katy Perry, back cover.
Interview with EffectRadio.com, 12-29-2009, transcript
ER: How did you get the news Red Hill was going to shut down?
KP: They told me some of the female artists were going on the chopping block. I was only 17, and I was devastated. I prayed which I didn't do that much and probably still don't do as much as I should. Then I got an invitation to sing at Dr. Pamplin's church because someone had given him my album and reminded him I already worked for him. I guess you could call it a miracle. But I say it's just God looking after his own.
ER: So where were you then, spiritually?
KP: I was pretty curious at that time. When I first got signed, I was at a place in my life where I was like, "I don't know if I can hold that promise [wait until marriage] because this guy at camp is really cute." Sex wasn't talked about in my home except except for the basics. To tell you the truth, I was starting to pull away from Christianity a bit, there was too much emphasis on how other people were doing wrong.[1] I think a lot of people go through a period like that in life. Romans says that the most important thing is Faith. If everyone had to follow the law 100% to be saved, no one would be saved.
ER: Everyone sins.
KP: Right! But if you have Faith you can find forgiveness.
ER: Anyway...
KP: So here I was kind of questioning, and then the owner of the label says he wants me to sing at his church!
ER: That was in 2001?
KP: 2000 actually. So I decided to go up there [Lake Oswego, OR] because I hadn't had any calls from anyone.[2] A lot of people were there and I got to perform in front of them. It was a pretty big crowd for me at the time and I had a great time performing in front of them. When Dr. Pamplin saw how much the people my age enjoyed it, I was able to stay on at Cathedral Records even though my stuff was more pop than pure gospel.
ER: You can sing gospel though.
KP: I try to include at least one gospel track on each album. It makes a good change of pace and reminds people what the ultimate goal is.
ER: After coming back from Oregon you started promoting your album?
KP: That's right. Dr. Pamplin made sure that we had the money we needed but I still needed to do the work.
ER: But there was a major change right before it went out.
KP: Yes. We almost released it under my original name. I'd worried about that a little before but now we decided to go with Katy Perry to avoid confusion. So when I went on tour, I toured as Katy Perry.
ER: And "Katy Perry" took off.
KP: More than I'd thought. I didn't realize it at the time, because I was doing so much promotional work that I didn't have time for anything else.
ER: What was your first clue?
KP: I was reading the reviews and Christianity Today compared me to Fiona Apple and Sarah McLachlan. I thought "Even if this is the only album I make, I'll remember that!"[3]
ER: That was three albums ago.
KP: And I still remember it.
____________________
[1]The PoD is that Katy's parents are slightly less fundamentalist so her upbringing isn't quite so rigid, slowing her eventual break with them. This is the ASB portion.
[2]IOTL around this time Glen Ballard decided to work with her and they cut an album for Island Records, which also failed. Slightly less rebellion means she's less interesting means no Glen Ballard call.
[3]In OTL the album "Katy Hudson" was quite well received by Christian music publications at the time. Christianity Today really DID compare her to those artists and urged its readers to pick up the album in OTL. However Red Hill folded and her album received very little or no promotion which is the opposite of what happened here, plus no Katy Hudson confusion.
A/N: I have been threatening to make this timeline for a while now. It's fluffy and amusing and probably grabbed me because I find Katy Perry hot and the idea of changing her career so drastically is interesting--so is funneling her personality through evangelical Christianity. While there probably won't be enormous changes to world events there will be a number in the music industry. But this TL is a fluff project for me so who knows when I'll update!
Comments and Criticism appreciated, as always.
by MNP
http://a.imageshack.us/img375/2127/katy2001.png
Katy Perry from Katy Perry, back cover.
Interview with EffectRadio.com, 12-29-2009, transcript
ER: How did you get the news Red Hill was going to shut down?
KP: They told me some of the female artists were going on the chopping block. I was only 17, and I was devastated. I prayed which I didn't do that much and probably still don't do as much as I should. Then I got an invitation to sing at Dr. Pamplin's church because someone had given him my album and reminded him I already worked for him. I guess you could call it a miracle. But I say it's just God looking after his own.
ER: So where were you then, spiritually?
KP: I was pretty curious at that time. When I first got signed, I was at a place in my life where I was like, "I don't know if I can hold that promise [wait until marriage] because this guy at camp is really cute." Sex wasn't talked about in my home except except for the basics. To tell you the truth, I was starting to pull away from Christianity a bit, there was too much emphasis on how other people were doing wrong.[1] I think a lot of people go through a period like that in life. Romans says that the most important thing is Faith. If everyone had to follow the law 100% to be saved, no one would be saved.
ER: Everyone sins.
KP: Right! But if you have Faith you can find forgiveness.
ER: Anyway...
KP: So here I was kind of questioning, and then the owner of the label says he wants me to sing at his church!
ER: That was in 2001?
KP: 2000 actually. So I decided to go up there [Lake Oswego, OR] because I hadn't had any calls from anyone.[2] A lot of people were there and I got to perform in front of them. It was a pretty big crowd for me at the time and I had a great time performing in front of them. When Dr. Pamplin saw how much the people my age enjoyed it, I was able to stay on at Cathedral Records even though my stuff was more pop than pure gospel.
ER: You can sing gospel though.
KP: I try to include at least one gospel track on each album. It makes a good change of pace and reminds people what the ultimate goal is.
ER: After coming back from Oregon you started promoting your album?
KP: That's right. Dr. Pamplin made sure that we had the money we needed but I still needed to do the work.
ER: But there was a major change right before it went out.
KP: Yes. We almost released it under my original name. I'd worried about that a little before but now we decided to go with Katy Perry to avoid confusion. So when I went on tour, I toured as Katy Perry.
ER: And "Katy Perry" took off.
KP: More than I'd thought. I didn't realize it at the time, because I was doing so much promotional work that I didn't have time for anything else.
ER: What was your first clue?
KP: I was reading the reviews and Christianity Today compared me to Fiona Apple and Sarah McLachlan. I thought "Even if this is the only album I make, I'll remember that!"[3]
ER: That was three albums ago.
KP: And I still remember it.
____________________
[1]The PoD is that Katy's parents are slightly less fundamentalist so her upbringing isn't quite so rigid, slowing her eventual break with them. This is the ASB portion.
[2]IOTL around this time Glen Ballard decided to work with her and they cut an album for Island Records, which also failed. Slightly less rebellion means she's less interesting means no Glen Ballard call.
[3]In OTL the album "Katy Hudson" was quite well received by Christian music publications at the time. Christianity Today really DID compare her to those artists and urged its readers to pick up the album in OTL. However Red Hill folded and her album received very little or no promotion which is the opposite of what happened here, plus no Katy Hudson confusion.
A/N: I have been threatening to make this timeline for a while now. It's fluffy and amusing and probably grabbed me because I find Katy Perry hot and the idea of changing her career so drastically is interesting--so is funneling her personality through evangelical Christianity. While there probably won't be enormous changes to world events there will be a number in the music industry. But this TL is a fluff project for me so who knows when I'll update!
Comments and Criticism appreciated, as always.