failure, Perry transitioned
toward pop music, relocating
to Los Angeles and working
with producer Glen Ballard,
the chief collaborator
ofAlanis Morissette, one
of Katy's biggest
inspirations. As she
abandoned Christian music,
she also abandoned her
surname Hudson, choosing to
use her mother's maiden
name Perry instead.
Ballard signed Perry to his
Island/Def Jam-distributed
label Java in 2004 but once
the producer's imprint
severed ties with its parent
company, Perry and the
album were dropped. Next
up, Perry signed to
Columbia Records, where she
worked on a record for two
years, collaborating with the
likes of Max Martin, Dr.
Luke, the Matrix, Desmond
Child, and Butch Walker,
but just as the album was
reaching the finish line in
2006, she was dropped from
JOY FEELINGS
Columbia. Perry continued
to soldier forth, working as a
backup singer for hire (she
can be heard on Mick
Jagger's "Old Habits Die
Hard" from the soundtrack to
2004's Alfie), and recording a
full album with the
production team the Matrix,
only to find that album also
scrapped. She finally saw a
song called "Simple" released
on the sound