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.
Perry rose to fame in 2008 with her second album, One of the Boys, a pop rock record containing the controversial U.S number one song "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Three subsequent albums have topped the U.S. Billboard 200. The disco-influenced Teenage Dream (2010) spawned five chart-topping U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles–"California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T.", and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" — a record tying her with Michael Jackson's "Bad". Its follow-up record Prism (2013) was inspired by her divorce, and incorporates pop and dance along with themes of self-reflection, everyday life, and relationships. With the music videos for its chart-topping songs "Roar" and "Dark Horse", Perry became the first artist to have multiple videos reach one billion views on Vevo. Her 2017 electropop album, 'Witness' featured a political subtext and a theme of liberation. Her sixth studio album 'Smile' followed in 2020.
Perry has nine U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number one singles and has received various awards, including four Guinness World Records, five Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, a Brit Award, and a Juno Award. She has been included in the annual Forbes lists of highest-earning women in music from 2011 to 2019. Her estimated net worth as of 2016 is $125 million. Perry is one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 18 million albums and 125 million singles worldwide. In film, she released an autobiographical documentary titled "Katy Perry: Part of Me" in 2012, and voiced Smurfette in the 2011 film The Smurfs and its sequel in 2013. Her Super Bowl halftime show performance is the most watched in history. Perry also began serving as a judge on American Idol in 2018.
Piercing
Katy Perry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But holding to You is so hard
I cling to what I see
In a world where my emotions
Seem to rule my every move
They will challenge my devotion
To seek and know the truth
You’re piercing me
This self will bleed
You’re killing all of my securities
Lord, help me see the reality
That all I’ll ever need is You
Here in this haze a distant light
Seems to draw me near
But in the shadow of my doubt
My faith just disappears
In a world where my emotions
Seem to rule my every move
They will challenge my devotion
To seek and know the truth
You’re piercing me
This self will bleed
You’re killing all of my securities
Lord, help me see the reality
That all I’ll ever need is You
In this song, Katy Perry is expressing her struggles with holding onto her faith and trust in God. She speaks about the difficulty of living in a world where her emotions seem to rule her every move and how they challenge her devotion to seek and know the truth. She acknowledges that even though she may cling to what she sees, she understands that living in fear is not what God had in mind for her. She asks for God's help to see the reality that all she'll ever need is Him.
The lyrics are a reminder to listeners to hold on to their faith and truth in the midst of their struggles. It also highlights the challenges one may face in trying to follow their faith in a world that often challenges and conflicts with those beliefs. The song is also a call to surrender, an acknowledgement that man is flawed and needs God's help to overcome daily struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Living in fear is not what You had in mind for me
The author believes their life should not be governed by fear and that it is not aligned with what the higher power wishes for them.
But holding to You is so hard
Despite their desire to follow a path of faith, the author explains that it is difficult to remain on this path.
I cling to what I see
The author relies on tangible objects or experiences to maintain their grip on faith and struggles with the abstract, unseen elements.
In a world where my emotions seem to rule my every move
The author recognizes the impact of their emotions and how they can control decision-making and perceptions in their life.
They will challenge my devotion
The author acknowledges that their emotions can interfere with their practice of faith.
To seek and know the truth
Ultimately, the author's goal is to seek knowledge and a true understanding of their faith in practice and principle.
You’re piercing me
The higher power or idea of faith is breaking through the author's emotional barriers to guide them to a deeper understanding of truth.
This self will bleed
While following the path of faith, the author must confront their own ego and surrender to something greater to achieve understanding.
You’re killing all of my securities
The greater power is forcing the author to confront their own fears and doubts to find real security.
Lord, help me see the reality
The author is asking for guidance to see things as they truly are and not through the lens of their emotions or limited perspective.
That all I’ll ever need is You
Ultimately, the author realizes that everything else they thought they needed is fleeting, and the only real security they can find is through faith and a deeper relationship with the higher power.
Contributed by Caroline O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@samanosuke_the_oni
anybody else hearing this for the first time in 2020?
@omar-lm3ds
بحبها اوي اوي
@kimjaney
Is this song about losing her faith? it's beautiful but sad
@beastmaster73beyondo64
Still....prayinv for ya 👌🖐️🤙
@ZMAMOXYZ
katy hudson is her real name
@tamtamLOVESkaty
she changed her name from katy hudson to katy perry cuz there's the actress kate hudson and because perry was her mother's maiden name. she was born katheryn elizabeth but she never used that name. she's now in process of changing her name to katy brand since she got married. so she's katy hudson perry brand ;)
@carriepelley6413
Ok before I even had a kid I watched
Blues clues I was a adult
Favorite part
When I hear the. Mail
It makes me want to yell mail
And i like paprika shaker
@Lizzie200292
and Perry is her mother's maiden name :)
@beastmaster73beyondo64
Take care kate .. great zong . Girl
@Caitlindavidson
Her mums maiden name is 'Perry; and her name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson but she changed to Perry when she became 'Katy Hudson' 'cause theres anactress called Katy Hudson