# Katy Perry -- predict her future **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075 "2010-09-26T05:08:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/1 "2010-09-26T05:08:42Z")
I just watched Katy Perry performing “California Gurls” on S.N.L. I’d heard of her in connection with Russell Brand, but this was my first exposure to her work and I was reasonably impressed. So what do you think of her? What’s her future? Pop flash in the pan? Drug-fueled flameout? ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/2 "2010-09-26T05:17:11Z")
I thought she would have been a flash in the pan after ‘I Kissed A Girl’, but she’s soldiered on quite admirably and racked up more hits since then, and she now has at least four songs you could call “worldwide smashes” (‘I Kissed A Girl’, ‘Hot N Cold’, ‘California Gurls’ and ‘Teenage Dream’). I’m not a big fan but I’d say she can easily have a great career if she plays her cards right. Something is different for her current, second album - she has a vibe like she’s “here to stay”, while on the first album her future was much more uncertain. And if it all goes tits up (so to speak) she can return to Christian music! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/3 "2010-09-26T06:00:50Z")
> [@multimediac17](#): > > I thought she would have been a flash in the pan after ‘I Kissed A Girl’, but she’s soldiered on quite admirably and racked up more hits since then, and she now has at least four songs you could call “worldwide smashes” (‘I Kissed A Girl’, ‘Hot N Cold’, ‘California Gurls’ and ‘Teenage Dream’). I’m not a big fan but I’d say she can easily have a great career if she plays her cards right. > > Something is different for her current, second album - she has a vibe like she’s “here to stay”, while on the first album her future was much more uncertain. > > And if it all goes tits up (so to speak) she can return to Christian music! I dunno. Chrisitan music fans are pretty upset at her right now. We may preach forgiveness, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a lot of people who will continue to think of her as a sell out. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/4 "2010-09-26T06:08:08Z")
She’s like Gwen Stefani with less drugs. \ And minus the talent, gotta say…I don’t hate Perry or anything, but she’s pretty bubblegum. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/5 "2010-09-26T06:11:18Z")
Perry isn’t really much of a singer, but she’s a savvy-as-hell marketer, very stylish, and of course she’s staggeringly gorgeous. She reminds me of what Gwen Stefani would have been if Stefani hadn’t had No Doubt; Stefani is a much more talented singer, by a factor of about a zillion, but both are intensely beautiful, noted for having memorable, unique personal styles and the ability to pull off multiple looks when it’s called for, and being very strong self-marketers. Both project an image of female strength while remaining likable, which is very hard to pull off. So it’ll come down to the quality of the songwriting, really. Stefani’s solo career started off hot potatoes and slowed down quickly because - IMHO - her songs just were not very good (as oppoed to No Doubt, who made a number of absolutely terrific records.) If Perry’s songwriting remains where it is - which, to be honest, is kind of forgettable - she’ll do okay. If her songwriting picks up and she starts doing some really awesome stuff I think she could be an even bigger star than she is now. ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/6 "2010-09-26T06:25:23Z")
Let it be known that Katy Perry is from my hometown and current city of Santa Barbara, California. She even went to my high school a few years ahead of me. A week or so back she came back to that high school and performed some of her songs during the lunch break. Apparently everyone had a nice time; one girl in the newspaper even said something like “now when people ask me where I’m from, I can say I go to the same high school that katy perry did.” This made me do a double-take, but now that I think about it, it’s not so bad. California Girls is a very Santa Barbara kind of song (in both a good and a bad way). And it was nice for her to do that kind of thing for her old school. I wish homegirl all the best. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/7 "2010-09-26T08:51:19Z")
I hope she gets sick of Russell Brand really, really fast. Like sensible people do. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/8 "2010-09-26T14:02:23Z")
> [@multimediac17](#): > > I…she’s soldiered on quite admirably and **racked** up more hits since then… Nice turn of phrase, there. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/9 "2010-09-26T14:11:36Z")
Coopers droop. Not a fan of her “singing”, brings to mind nails on a blackboard while having a asthma attack. And she smokes. Yuck! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/10 "2010-09-26T14:36:29Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Perry isn’t really much of a singer, but she’s a savvy-as-hell marketer, very stylish, and of course she’s staggeringly gorgeous. I must be the only person who doesn’t think that. Well, only straight guy. I’ll concede she has a nice enough body. But her face is … well, the best I’ll say for it is that it’s not actually ugly. But it’s nothing worth stopping and looking at, either. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/11 "2010-09-26T16:14:45Z")
I’m out of her demographic, but from what I read she seems to have been getting a lot of ‘good’ attention for a long time now, so I don’t see flash-in-a-pan. There are varying levels of attention. ‘Bad’ - Lindsay Lohan, who apparently sang at one time. ‘Meh’ - Mandy Moore, who sang but is trying out acting… I LOATHE that horrendous California Girls song. But I guess her fans can still fit into bikinis and like it. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/12 "2010-09-26T17:20:13Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > [@RickJay](#): > > > > Perry isn’t really much of a singer, but she’s a savvy-as-hell marketer, very stylish, and of course she’s staggeringly gorgeous. > > I must be the only person who doesn’t think that. Well, only straight guy. > > I’ll concede she has a nice enough body. But her face is … well, the best I’ll say for it is that it’s not actually ugly. But it’s nothing worth stopping and looking at, either. I would call her cute rather than gorgeous. But she is very cute. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/13 "2010-09-26T22:09:13Z")
Last night (SNL) was the first time I’ve seen her other than still pics. I find her quite attractive and a fairly decent singer with a good stage presence. She seems to really push the sex angle (fine by me) and I’m surprised (not shocked) to hear she started as a Christian performer. It seemed like she had a “pained” look on her face at times while performing, almost a wince. Her genre is not my thing so I wouldn’t spend money to see her or buy her music but wish her well. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/14 "2010-09-26T23:32:32Z")
I predict she’ll be hostess for a VH1 “One Hit Wonder” special. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/15 "2010-09-26T23:45:24Z")
The problem with being a pop singer is you have a inherent disposability to your fans. The kids that loved you at thirteen will despise you when they’re seventeen. And their thirteen year old siblings are looking for something new. The only way you can stay on top in pop music is by reinventing yourself as something different every few years. In Perry’s case, she’s still riding on her first big image. So it’s too soon to tell if she can come up with a successful new persona or if she’ll end up being forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/16 "2010-09-26T23:52:34Z")
After her records stop hitting gold, she will gradually morph back into a fiji mermaid and merge with Madonna. They will then go platinum. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/17 "2010-09-27T02:16:59Z")
Ugh. I find her stuff bland and banal, this decade’s Britney Spears. I think Spears makes the occasional record and can pay for her own groceries, but the brand has faded quite a bit. She’s the latest pop tart with songs written by Max Martin and the Neptunes (just a guess, but I’ll bet one or both of these parties are involved). The former Christian singer backstory makes me think she’ll do anything to be successful… it’s not like she’s still bringing some of those values to her music; she’s pretty much shit on it. I mean, I’m the last one to defend Christian music, but how you go from singing about Jesus to having your brassiere shoot out pseudo-semen is beyond me. She’s going to have to reinvent herself as a credible artist, because as others have noted, the 13-17 year olds who are all over her now will be embarrassed to have her records in five years. Then what? I suspect the Brand-Perry pairing probably an effort to further both their careers, the way that Becks and Posh were able to. But I don’t either of them are particularly good at what they do, and their annoyabilty factor is off the charts. I wish them both a well-deserved ride to obscurity. Brits, can you please explain his popularity? I watched a few of his shows, like the one where he was supposed to box his dad, and I wanted to throttle him. His one redeeming quality is that he’s a Smiths fan, and apparently Morrissey is quite fond of him. I have heard he’s a decent DJ. But doesn’t someone like Justin Lee Collins serve the same purpose, only about a million times less annoying? (I loved JLC’s series where he tried to get 80s icons to reunite, like the A-Team.) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/18 "2010-09-27T03:37:59Z")
Apparently Sesame Street isn’t in her future. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/19 "2010-09-27T04:01:16Z")
I think she’s sexy, talented and attractive. And that means nothing with regard to her future as a pop phenomenon. She may be the most successful there ever was. Or she might fade in a couple of years. Just no way to tell, if you are honest. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075/20 "2010-09-27T04:03:58Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Brits, can you please explain his popularity? Apparently he’s popular because he offends certain people. The sort of people who read the _Daily Mail_ and are easily offended (but I repeat myself). Oh, and he embarrassed some racist skinhead fascists at one point. So basically he’s made a career out of being “edgy” by targeting the easiest possible targets, and thus he’s loved by the sorts of pseudo-intellectuals that _Private Eye_ makes fun of all the damn time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katy-perry-predict-her-future/555075.md?page=2)