[25] Her singing caught the attention of rock artists Steve Thomas and Jennifer Knapp from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to improve her writing skills.

[38] Some of the material from Fingerprints that did not make it on One of the Boys was given to other artists, such as "I Do Not Hook Up" and "Long Shot" to Kelly Clarkson, and "Rock God" to Selena Gomez & the Scene.

[39][40] Perry worked with songwriters including Desmond Child, Greg Wells, Butch Walker, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, the Matrix, Kara DioGuardi, Max Martin, and Dr.

[81] Perry also appeared on two singles with other artists; she was featured on a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in September 2009,[82] and on a duet with Timbaland entitled "If We Ever Meet Again", from his album Shock Value II, three months later.

[126] Perry subsequently mocked the controversy on Saturday Night Live, where she was a musical guest and wore an Elmo-themed shirt showing large amounts of cleavage during one skit.

[134] In March 2012, she guest starred as a prison security guard named Rikki on the Raising Hope episode "Single White Female Role Model".

[193] In March 2014, she made a guest appearance playing herself in the episode "Blisteritos Presents Dad Academy Graduation Congraduritos Red Carpet Viewing Party" of the Kroll Show.

[202] Perry started writing songs for her new album in June 2016,[203] and recorded an anthem for NBC Sports's coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics titled "Rise", which was released the following month.

[275] On her 37th birthday the next month, Perry guest hosted The Ellen DeGeneres Show[276] and starred in a holiday advertisement for Gap Inc. which featured her singing "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles.

[287] Perry collaborated with the tech company Apple Inc. starring in advertisements for their GarageBand music software where users could have "Remix Sessions" featuring her song, "Harleys in Hawaii".

in February 2024, Perry announced her exit from American Idol following the conclusion of the twenty-second season, saying she wanted to "go out and feel that pulse to my own beat" and release new music after being "in the studio for a while".

[308] She cites the band's frontman, Freddie Mercury, as her biggest influence and expressed how the "combination of his sarcastic approach to writing lyrics and his 'I don't give a fuck' attitude" inspired her music.

[312] Other artists who Perry has cited as influences include Stevie Nicks,[314] ABBA, the Cardigans,[315] Whitney Houston,[316] Cyndi Lauper,[317] Ace of Base, 3OH!3,[318] CeCe Peniston, C+C Music Factory, Black Box, Crystal Waters, Mariah Carey,[319] Heart, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Imogen Heap, Rufus Wainwright,[320] Pink,[321] and Gwen Stefani.

"[15] Actress and comedian Kristen Wiig commented that "as easy, breezy, and infectious as Perry's songs can be, beneath the surface lurks a sea of mixed emotions, jumbled motives, and contradictory impulses complicated enough to fill a Carole King record.

[335] Throughout her career, Perry has also co-written songs recorded by other artists, including Lesley Roy,[336] Kelly Clarkson,[337] Jessie James Decker,[338] Selena Gomez & the Scene,[339][340] Britney Spears,[341] Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora,[342] Nicki Minaj, and Ariana Grande.

Betty Clarke of The Guardian commented that her "powerful voice is hard-edged"[346] while Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone described Perry's vocals on Teenage Dream as "processed staccato blips".

[327] Darren Harvey of musicOMH compared Perry's vocals on One of the Boys to Alanis Morissette's, both possessing a "perky voice shifting octaves mid-syllable".

[347] Alex Miller from NME felt that "Perry's problem is often her voice" on One of the Boys, stating that "somewhere along the line someone convinced her she was like, well, a ballsy rock chick".

[354] In June 2017, Time magazine listed Perry among its "25 Most Influential People on the Internet" of the year, writing that her live-stream for Witness was "blazing a trail" for being "the closest any major entertainer has come to giving fans the kind of 'real' intimacy that social media purports to provide".

[355] Perry has been described as a sex symbol; GQ labeled her a "full-on male fantasy",[9] while Elle wrote her body looked "as though sketched by a teenage boy".

[359] Perry lists Gwen Stefani, Shirley Manson, Chloë Sevigny, Daphne Guinness, Natalie Portman, and the fictional character Lolita as her style icons.

"[382] A 2017 journal published by Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts studying structural patterns in the melodies of earworm songs compiled lists of catchiest tracks from 3,000 participants, in which Perry's "California Gurls" ranked number six.

[383] She has been called a "gay icon" by Taylor Henderson of Out, noting how "I Kissed a Girl" helped fans explore their sexuality and how Perry openly embraced the LGBTQ+ community.

[266] Perry's music has been described by Out as having a "lasting legacy", with American singers Fletcher sampling "I Kissed a Girl" and Olivia Rodrigo referencing Teenage Dream on "Brutal".

[386] On December 3, 2013, she was officially named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, "with a special focus on engaging young people in the agency's work to improve the lives of the world's most vulnerable children and adolescents.

[388] In September 2010, she helped build and design the Boys Hope/Girls Hope foundation shelter for youth in Baltimore, Maryland along with Raven-Symoné, Shaquille O'Neal, and the cast of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

[185] In June 2014, she teamed up with Staples Inc. for a project entitled "Make Roar Happen" which donated $1 million to DonorsChoose, an organization that supports teachers and funds classroom resources in public schools.

[396] On February 26, 2017, she served as a co-chair alongside various celebrities such as Beyoncé, Lea Michele, Jim Carrey, Jared Leto, and Kevin Spacey for the 25th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party, a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS healthcare.

[401] On March 29, 2014, she helped raise $2.4 million for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles along with other celebrities such as Ryan Seacrest, Pharrell Williams, Tim Allen, Lisa Edelstein, and Riley Keough.

[424] Four years later, she supported Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during the 2020 United States presidential election, praising the latter as a leader who had "experience we desperately need right now" and believed that the former "choosing her as his running mate is already a testament to his decision making".