Why does Katy Perry have to pay Christian rapper Flame £450,000 for her 2013 song Dark Horse?
DESPITE having kept a low profile in recent months, Katy Perry was back in the headlines after being ordered to pay a whopping $2.7 million for a copyright infringement ordeal regarding her hit song, Dark Horse.
But what caused her to lose the case? We have the full lowdown...
How old is Katy Perry? What's her background?
Katy Perry, 34, is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actress from Santa Barbara, California.
Born on October 25, 1984, she was named Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson – but goes by the stage name Katy Perry to avoid confusion from the Oscar-nominated actress Kate Hudson.
She was raised in a Christian environment with her parents Mary and Maurice being Pentecostal pastors.
Why was Katy Perry sued and did she lose the case?
On August 30, Katy Perry lost a copyright lawsuit in which it was claimed the singer had ripped off rapper Flame's 2008 track, Joyful Noise, for her 2013 hit song, Dark Horse.
A judge ruled that Katy, along with her label and other producers on the song, would pay a total of $2.7 million (£2.2 million).
Capitol Records - which is Katy's record label - was ordered to pay $1.2 million (£990,000) in damages, while Perry was told to pay $550,000 (£450,000).
In July, the Firework hitmaker had testified in court that she believed her song was an original piece of work, but it appeared that the jury thought otherwise given the evidence against her.
It's believed that Katy plans to appeal the decision, according to her attorney Christine Lepara.
She told reporters outside the court: "The writers of Dark Horse consider this a travesty of justice";.
It was revealed that Dark Horse made an astounding $31 million in earnings, while Katy reportedly pocketed $3.2 million.
Is Katy engaged to Orlando Bloom?
In February 15, 2019 Katy revealed that she had got engaged after a romantic Valentine’s Day proposal.
The singer took to Instagram to confirm the news after fans shared pictures from her engagement party.
"In bloom," she commented, sharing a picture of her pink diamond engagement ring.
The couple have been dating on and off since 2016 but rekindled their romance in 2018.
What are Katy Perry's biggest hits and how much is she worth?
Katy’s first ever album was her self-titled Christian-rock debut, Katy Hudson, and was released on 6 March 2001 under a record label called Red Hill.
By 2008, she had reinvented herself as Katy Perry and released her debut album under that name – One Of The Boys.
The album was led by saucy track I Kissed a Girl and included further hits Hot n Cold, Thinking of You, and Waking Up in Vegas.
Subsequent albums Teenage Dream and Prism were UK number 1’s and her fifth studio album, Witness, was released in June 2017.
Some of her biggest hits include UK number 1’s California Gurls (featuring Snoop Dogg), Part of Me, and Roar.
Katy was named as one of the highest paid female celebrities in 2018 and is reportedly worth $83 million.
Does Katy Perry act as well as sing?
Katy Perry has appeared in both TV and big screen productions.
She played a character named Honey in US comedy How I Met Your Mother and voiced the character Smurfette in two film outings of The Smurfs.
She has also appeared as herself in Zoolander 2, and also released a big screen documentary of herself titled Katy Perry: Part of Me in 2012.
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When did Katy Perry marry Russell Brand?
Katy Perry was married to British comedian Russell Brand on 23 October 2010 in a lavish ceremony in India.
The pair first started dating in 2009 after appearing together at the MTV Video Music Awards and became engaged on 31 December that same year.
By 30 December 2011, however, the marriage had crumbled and Katy filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, with the divorce being finalised in July 2012.