Although we may not have access to the album as it takes 20 years to inform us about Katy’s artistry before we make it big, we can gain insight into those who knew her. With that in mind, E! News exclusively spoke to some of Katy’s earliest co-workers about the girl they knew at the time. And what they had to say may surprise you.
Raised by Pentecostal parents Mary Christine (no Perry) en Maurice Keith Hudson, Katy immersed her childhood days in the world of gospel music, as secular sounds were not entirely welcome in the house. At 9, she was singing in her parents’ ministry. At 13, she received her first guitar. Two years later, during her first year in high school, she received her GED and began pursuing her own music career.
After heading to Nashville, where she began recording demos and learning to write songs, she drew the attention of Red Hill Records, a print of Pamplin Music on the youth market. They signed her to an agreement and she started working on what would become her first album.
One of the authors Katy was paired with was Tommy Collier, who co-wrote and produced two of the album’s ten tracks. “I met her and her mother during a meeting and listened to a little bit of what she was working on,” he recalls. And finally I came to her and wrote some. Katy knew of three or four guitar chords. She had a wonderful voice. It was just like a jazz voice, you know, with good sound and stuff. ‘