Katy Perry’s Musical Influences

Interviewer’s Question: I’m sure people ask you all the time if you were influenced by Madonna, but what kind of music did you listen to when you were younger? Katy Perry”s Answer: My mom would let me listen to, like, Billie Holiday and Etta James and really classic stuff like that. My mom speaks fluent French, so she was also really into Édith Piaf, which she turned me on to—although, I guess she didn’t really look into the lyrics. [laughs]. But as I started to hear different kinds of music, my world got bigger. I got a record by Queen, which was so influential for me. I got all the Beatles’ records, like the “white” album [1968], which was really important to me along with Pet Sounds [1966] by the Beach Boys. Those two records were the only things I listened to for probably two years straight. Then I discovered Patty Griffin, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Jonatha Brooke—a little bit of the Lilith Fair–esque stuff. And then I got into more electronic music. But I’m just open to everything these days. Katy Perry’s Speaking Style As you can see from above, like many of the celebrity interviews, Katy uses casual, natural English to connect with the Listener. Katy gives the listener a glimpse from her early years to present day. Her speaking style is ‘rich’ with examples and very clear. There are examples of musicians, albums, and styles throughout her answer. Moreover, at first, she describes her mother’s influence on her music ‘tastes’. Next as the young woman named Katy Perry develops into young adulthood, her musical world expands. And like the musical juggernaut she is, her musical influences expanded exponentially. Present day, we see a professional woman of music that is well versed in various musical styles and genres. Key Phrases for Talking about Music My mom would let me listen to, like (like = for example), Billie Holiday and Etta James and really classic stuff like that. I started to hear different kinds of music, my world got bigger. I got a record by Queen, which was so influential for me. I got all the Beatles’ records, like the “white” album [1968], which was really important to me along with Pet Sounds [1966] by the Beach Boys. Then I discovered Patty Griffin, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Jonatha Brooke—a little bit of the Lilith Fair–'esque' stuff. And then I got into more electronic music. But I’m just open to everything these days. Vocabulary note 'esque' = suffix forming adjectives, meaning: indicating a specified character, manner, style, or resemblance, like, similar to. Example Style 1 My dad would let me listen to, like (like = for example), Al Jolson and Perry Como and really classic stuff like that. I started to hear different kinds of music, my world got bigger. I got a record by Aerosmith, which was so influential for me. I got all the Supertramp records, like the “Breakfast in America” album [1979], which was really important to me along with Close to You [1970] by the Carpenters. Then I discovered Nora Jones, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie—a little bit of the Latin–esque stuff. And then I got into more electronic music. But I’m just open to everything these days.