It’s hard to imagine a time when she wasn’t a household name, but she wasn’t always the Katy Perry we know and love today. From her early start as a gospel singer to her massive fame today, Katy Perry is the queen of transformation.
And she’s no stranger to hair transformations either. Perry’s made some incredibly daring, bold, and adventurous hair choices over the years. She’s rocked pretty much every style and colour known to mankind, switching up her hair not just every year, but sometimes in a matter of days.
Join us on this tour of Katy Perry’s best haircuts, styles, and colours.
One Of The Biggest Names In Pop
Katy Perry has been one of the biggest names in pop music for the last decade, with hits like “I Kissed a Girl”, “Firework”, and “Roar” dominating the charts during their respective releases. Perry has numerous awards, including four Guinness World Records, 13 Grammy nominations, five MTV Video Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and three Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.
Perry’s career has had its ups and downs. Her first album was a major breakthrough for the pop singer, but it was the runaway success of Teenage Dream that cemented her as one of the decade’s defining artists.
Her most recent album Witness debuted at number one on the charts but didn’t produce the same level of catchy earworms that Perry got famous for. Still, the future is brighter than ever for Katy Perry, thanks to the recent release of her newest single “Never Really Over”, which many critics praise as a return to form for the international star.
Pre-fame
Even though Perry would later rock her iconic jet black hair, her natural hair colour is actually a light blonde/brown, as seen in this adorable yearbook photo.
January 2004
The early naughts was a weird time for hair. Here’s Katy Perry sporting one of the trendy styles at the time, a choppy black fringe that she would keep for many, many years.
December 2008
Around the time that her hit single “I Kissed a Girl” turned her from singer to pop star pretty much overnight, Perry started settling into her iconic black tresses in vintage curls. This pin-up girl style would become her signature look.
March 2010
Katy Perry is a huge fan of wigs. One of her absolute faves is this bright blue one with blunt bangs. She wore this wif (or a version of it) many times over the years, including in her “California Girls” music video. The Bettie Page bangs would become a classic Katy Perry ‘do.
September 2010
The singer spiced up her usual black curls with pink, purple, and blue streaks at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010.
February 2011
Perry showed up at the Grammys with then-husband actor Russell Brand. Dramatic textured curls and a centre part framed her face perfectly.
June 2011
Katy shocked fans across the globe when she sported vibrant red hair during the Canadian launch of her Purr fragrance line. According to Perry’s hair colourist Rita Hazan, it was an “accidental” dye job to help Perry transition from black to blonde.
July 2011
During the New York premiere of “The Smurfs”, the pop singer debuted blonde locks – just like the character she voiced, Smurfette.
August 2011
But the blonde wouldn’t last very long. Just a month later, Perry was seen with a bubble gum pink bob at the MTV Music Video Awards, where she bagged one for “Firework” and two for “E.T.”. She kept this hair colour for a few months and styled it into a retro-inspired pin-up style for the American Music Awards later in the year.
December 2011
As the hair colour faded away, Perry returned to a deep blonde with chunky pink highlights. In late December, she was all blonde, except for a single grey streak down the front.
February 2012
Is blue Katy Perry’s favourite colour? We don’t know, but she keeps coming back to the shade. Here she is with a rich teal pompadour.
June 2012
Dark, gothic, and elegant, Perry channels old Hollywood glamour with a twist. Her unique black and purple hair was called “purple velvet” by hair stylist Rita Hazan.
November 2014
Katy Perry rocking two-tone black and white hair at the 28th Annual ARIA Awards in Sydney.
February 2015
In what was perhaps her most stunning look to date, Perry struck the right balance between laidback and glamorous with these gently-tousled lavender waves.
May 2015
She might be known for her platinum blonde pixie cut today, but that wasn’t the first time Katy Perry’s short hair wowed fans. Her shaggy chic cut graced the pink carpet at the 2015 Met Gala.
January 2016
For the Golden Globes, Perry went back to black for this retro bouffant-and-bangs combo.
August 2017
At the MTV Video Music Awards, Perry unveiled her new hair: a platinum-blonde close-cropped cut. But why did Katy Perry cut her hair? She joked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that it was a “chemical haircut” – basically, some of her hair fall out due to damage from bleaching.
But in a now-famous tearful interview on Viceland’s The Therapist, the singer revealed that her short hair in 2017 was a way of her reconnecting to her true authentic self as she struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts.
September 2018
Perry experimented with neon green hair at The Theatre at Ace Hotel.
April 2019
With the help of celebrity stylist Chris Appleton, Katy Perry proved that blondes really do have more fun. Perry is almost unrecognisable in these fun blonde beach waves! Seeing as she was spotted with cropped hair at Coachella less than a week before this photo was posted, it’s safe to say that it’s probably extensions or a wig.
Conclusion
Whether you love her for her music or her crazy style, Katy Perry is a cultural icon and national treasure. And girl really knows how to rock a ‘do – from gorgeous long lobs to edgy pixie cuts.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
