Katy Hudson
Studio album by Katy Hudson
ReleasedMarch 6, 2001 (2001-03-06)
Studio
  • The Velvet Elvis, Nashville
  • House of Tom, Cool Springs
  • Sound Kitchen, Cool Springs
  • Kong's Cage, Franklin, Tennessee
Genre
  • Christian pop
  • Christian rock
Length48:11
LabelRed Hill
Producer
  • Tommy Collier
  • Otto Price
  • David Browning
Katy Perry chronology
Katy Hudson
(2001) 		Ur So Gay
(2007)

Katy Hudson is the debut studio album by the American singer Katy Hudson, later known as Katy Perry. It was released on March 6, 2001, through Red Hill Records, and was produced by Tommy Collier, Otto Price, and David Browning. The album, unlike the subsequent albums that made her known worldwide,[1] primarily incorporates Christian pop and Christian rock, with elements of alternative rock and pop rock, and lyrical themes of childhood, adolescence, and Hudson's faith in God. It sold between 100 and 200 copies before Red Hill went bankrupt nine months later, and received mixed reviews.

Background

Growing up in a conservative household and raised by pastor parents, Hudson spent most of her childhood with gospel music, as secular music was not permitted. At the age of 15, she began pursuing a career in music, recording demos, and learning to write songs. She captured the attention of Red Hill Studios, who signed her a deal. Hudson then began working on her debut album, Katy Hudson.[2]

Composition

Themes and influences

Katy Hudson saw Hudson exploring Christian pop[3] and contemporary Christian rock[1] with elements of alternative rock.[4] Amongst what was described as an alternative direction were prominent influences of pop rock. During an interview for her official website at the time, Hudson cited artists Jonatha Brooke, Jennifer Knapp, Diana Krall, and Fiona Apple as her musical influences. The album was described as eschewing bubblegum pop and evoking Christian pop songstresses Rachael Lampa and Jaci Velasquez.[5]

Songs

"Trust in Me", "Naturally", and "My Own Monster" were said to capture "loneliness, fear and doubt often ascribed to teens".[6] The first features "haunting" strings with "electronica effects" and "solid rock roots".[7]

An aggressive track, "Piercing" depicts the infatuation people have with expendable things. In "Piercing", Hudson sings: "Lord, help me see the reality / That all I'll ever need is You".[6] "Last Call" was written by Hudson while reading the book Last Call for Help: Changing North America One Teen at a Time, written by Dawson McAllister. Musically, it sees Hudson going into a more jazz-oriented sound.[1] Hudson described "Growing Pains" as an anthem for children and adolescents, explaining that society shares a misconstructed image of them, often viewing them as individuals who do not believe in or do not know much about God.[8]

"Faith Won't Fail" was inspired by faith always sufficing in Bible situations and chapters. Hudson commented on "Search Me": "I was struggling with the fact that I would have the huge responsibility of how others would be affected through what I was doing or saying on stage. I don't want to put on some kind of front that everything is good when it's not. I wanted to keep it real, but still give people hope." The record closes with "When There's Nothing Left", which has been described as a "crisp and clean 'love note' to God".[9]

Release and promotion

The album was released on March 6, 2001.[1] It was a commercial failure for bankrupted Red Hill Records, only selling between 100 and 200 copies.[10]

Tour

To promote the album, Hudson embarked on Phil Joel's The Strangely Normal Tour as an opening act,[11] with Earthsuit and V*Enna joining her.[12] She later embarked on 46 solo performances throughout the United States.[13]

North American solo performance dates
Date
(2001) 		City Country Venue
September 6 Sherman United States Austin College Auditorium
September 7 San Antonio University United Methodist Church
September 8 Abilene Hardin–Simmons University
September 9 Austin Westlake Bible Church
September 11 Wichita Falls The Wichita Theater
September 13 Dallas The Door
September 14 Norman Common Ground CoffeeHouse
September 15 Houston 1st Baptist Church-Metro Worship
September 16 Bryan VFW Wall
September 19 Lubbock Indiana Avenue Baptist Church
September 21 Bartlesville Bartlesville Wesleyan College
September 22 Shiloam Springs JBU Cathedral of the Ozarks
September 23 Jonesboro First Baptist Church
September 26 Arkadelphia Ouchita Baptist University
September 28 Grove City Grove City College (Crawford Auditorium)
September 29 Grantham Messiah College (Brewbaker Auditorium)
October 3 Malibu Pepperdine University
October 6 Deerfield Trinity College
October 7 Bolingbrook Westbrook Christian Church
October 9 Upland Taylor University
October 11 Toledo University of Toledo
October 12 Dubuque Emmaus Bible College Auditorium
October 13 Wilmore Asbury College
October 14 Nashville Belcourt Theater
October 15
October 16 Lafayette University Church at Purdue University
October 18 Bloomington Sherwood Oaks Christian
October 20 Grand Rapids Ground Floor, Res Life Church
October 21 Milwaukee Crossroads Presbyterian
October 22 New Brighton O'Shaughnessy Education Center
October 23 Sioux Falls University of Sioux Falls
October 25 Colorado Springs Vanguard Church
October 26 Boulder Flat Irons Theater
October 27 Denver Regis University Auditorium
October 28 Buena Vista Mountain Heights Baptist
October 31 Hattiesburg William Carey College (Smith Auditorium)
November 1 Gainesville Florida Theater
November 2 Tallahassee Lawton Chiles Auditorium
November 4 Orlando Wesley Foundation
November 9 West Palm Palm Beach Atlantic College
November 11 Clemson Clemson University
November 12 Montgomery The Train Shed
November 13 Auburn Auburn University
November 16 Columbia Shandon Baptist Church
November 17 Elon 1st United Methodist Church of Elon
November 18 Harrisonburg Court Square Theater

Chart performance

The song "Trust in Me" spent three weeks on the Radio & Records Christian Rock chart, peaking at number 17.[14] "Search Me" also appeared on the Christian CHR chart, spending three weeks and peaking at number 23.[15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
BillboardPositive[16]
Christianity TodayPositive[7]
Cross Rhythms[17]
The Phantom Tollbooth[5]

The album received generally mixed reviews from critics.[10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic and The Phantom Tollbooth's Andy awarded the record three stars out of five. Erlewine wrote that on the album, Hudson betrays "a heavy, heavy debt to Alanis Morissette". He concluded that "as an album, Katy Hudson is only instructive as the first act in a prefab pop star's career, to show that she has talent but that she was mismarketed -- and that she couldn't quite fit as a Christian singer, either, so everybody is better off with Katy tasting cherry chapstick instead of communion wine".[1] Argyrakis stated that Hudson having been reared in church had "paid off", and noted that "Although a mere pop lightweight, it's hard to ignore Hudson's sincerity and lyrical maturity."[5]

Christianity Today writer Russ Breimeier was positive about Katy Hudson, highlighting Hudson's songwriting style for being "insightful and well matched to the emotional power" of Hudson's music. He further deemed Hudson a "young talent" and expected to hear more from her in the next year.[7] Similarly, Tony Cummings from Cross Rhythms also considered Hudson to be a "vocal talent", recommending readers to listen to the album and rating it nine stars out of ten.[17] DEP from Billboard, also calling Hudson a talent, classified the record as "textured modern-rock collection that is equal parts grit and vulnerability" and "impressive".[16]

Aftermath

Katy Hudson is the only Christian music-influenced album by Hudson, who subsequently adopted the stage name Katy Perry.[18] After her popularity increased, previously sold copies of Katy Hudson have become a sought-after item amongst her fans.[10]

The album was released on iTunes on June 1, 2012, under the R-Records label,[19] but is no longer available.[20] As of December 2025, Katy Hudson is available for streaming on Amazon Music in India.[21]

During a September 2024 interview with Zane Lowe, Perry acknowledged Katy Hudson as her first album but mentioned that "it is not something I would ever play live".[22] The album was included in the "Choose Your Own Adventure" portion of the Lifetimes Tour seven months later along with her other albums up until Smile, where fans could select various songs to be performed.[23]

Track listing

Credits extracted from Katy Hudson liner notes.[24]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Trust in Me"Otto Price4:46
2."Piercing"
  • Hudson
  • Tommy Collier
  • Brian White
Collier4:07
3."Search Me"
  • Hudson
  • Collier
  • Scott Faircloff
Collier5:01
4."Last Call"HudsonDavid Browning3:07
5."Growing Pains"
  • Hudson
  • Dickson
Browning4:05
6."My Own Monster"HudsonBrowning5:25
7."Spit"HudsonPrice5:10
8."Faith Won't Fail"
  • Hudson
  • Dickson
Price5:14
9."Naturally"
  • Hudson
  • Faircloff
Browning4:33
10."When There's Nothing Left"HudsonBrowning6:45
Total length:48:11

Personnel

Adapted from Katy Hudson liner notes.[24]

References

Citations

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Katy Hudson – Katy Hudson". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013.
  2. Nilles, Billy (March 6, 2021). "When Katy Perry Was Katy Hudson: A Look Back at the Pop Star's Christian Album Debut 20 Years Later". E!. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021.
  3. "Katy Goes Pop". People. June 2008. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009.
  4. Owings 2015, p. 24.
  5. Argyrakis, Andy (February 6, 2001). "Katy Hudson – a Review of The Phantom Tollbooth". The Phantom Tollbooth. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015.
  6. "Katy's bio". katyhudson.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2001.
  7. Breimeier, Russ (January 1, 2001). "Katy Hudson: Katy Hudson". Christianity Today. Christianity Today International. Archived from the original on January 31, 2014.
  8. Maloney & McAllister 1999.
  9. "Growing Pains lyrics (incorrect title)". katyhudson.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2001.
  10. Summers 2012.
  11. Monroe, Blaire (September 17, 2015). "Remember When Katy Perry Was a Christian Music Artist?". Complex. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  12. Martin, David (May 6, 2003). "The Strangely Normal Tour – Phil Joel, Earthsuit, V*Enna & Katy Hudson". Epinions.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. "Katy's tour info". katyhudson.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2001.
  14. "Christian" (PDF). Radio & Records: 124. June 1, 2001.
  15. "Christian" (PDF). Radio & Records. August 31, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 15, 2021.
  16. DEP (June 2, 2001). "Katy Hudson – Katy Hudson". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019.
  17. Cummings, Tony (July 26, 2001). "Katy Hudson – Katy Hudson". Cross Rhythms. Cornerstone House. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013.
  18. Cutforth, Dan; Lipsitz, Jane (directors); Perry, Katy (autobiographer) (July 5, 2012). Katy Perry: Part of Me (Motion picture). United States; filmed in studios: Insurge Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Perry Productions et la.: Paramount Pictures.
  19. "View image: iTunes Katy Hudson". PostImage.org.
  20. Hudson, Katy. "Katy Hudson". iTunes.
  21. Hudson, Katy (June 1, 2012). "Katy Hudson". Amazon Music.
  22. Lowe, Zane (September 19, 2024). "Katy Perry: New Album 143, Motherhood, & Tour". Event occurs at 30:30 – via YouTube.
  23. Sanchez, Micko (April 24, 2025). "Katy Perry Arena CDMX 23 de Abril 2025 The Lifetimes Tour". Event occurs at 56:12. Archived from the original on April 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
  24. Katy Hudson (liner notes). Katy Hudson. Red Hill Records. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)