In 2001 Mike Rimmer met up with a young singer Katy Hudson. Six years later, as KATY PERRY the singer was stirring up considerable controversy.

The first time I meet Katy Perry, it's 2001 and she's 16 years old. She's also wired! She's the new kid on a new Christian record label, Red Hill, and her publicist Beth Blinn is making a fuss about her, telling me that I am going to enjoy the interview later in the week. In the hustle and bustle of the "meet'n'greet", she seems a little overawed by what is happening but she also strikes me as being a little cheeky.

Of course, back then she was plain old Katy Hudson with a self-titled debut album, blonde hair and a collection of Christian songs. These days, of course, she's got a reputation for being more than cheeky. Her debut mainstream single "UR So Gay" was released in November 2007 and was a calculated attempt to give her a controversial image. Both church groups and gay rights organisations objected to the song. In her defence, Perry said the song was about a specific ex-boyfriend and seems indifferent to the fuss saying, "I'm not the type of person who walks around calling everything gay. That song is about a specific guy that I used to date and specific issues that he had. The song is about my ex wearing guyliner and taking emo pictures of himself in the bathroom mirror. People have to read the context of the song and decide for themselves."

That other queen of controversy, Madonna, gave Perry an early piece of publicity when she name dropped Katy on some high profile talk shows on American TV and radio. The buzz about Perry built in the early months and the summer release of her huge breakthrough single "I Kissed A Girl" happened in May 2008. Ultimately the song became a smash hit across the world topping the UK charts for what seemed like most of the summer.

Again, the song was controversial and she was accused of promoting homosexuality and toying with lesbianism simply to shock and gain publicity. It was definitely a far cry from the teenager I met when her debut album was released. Back then Kate Hudson hadn't yet changed her name to avoid confusion with the actress and was a fairly typical teenage Christian artist with a precocious personality and plenty of talent. But also, back then her faith was obviously important to her. She began our interview by telling me, "I was one of those kids going to camp and every time there was an alter call I was there. I'm a pastor's kid so I grew up knowing about Christ and Christianity and stuff like that. I didn't actually make it my own until I was going through a process when I was 13. It's becoming a more personalised faith to me daily because I actually realised that my parents weren't my salvation and they weren't the ones that were going to be judged and just because they're Christians and pastors doesn't make me shiny and new. Salvation is for everyone but you have to make it a personal choice. I came to a realisation that I'm believing because I'm believing not because it's been thrown in my face all of these years. So basically I just have adopted it as my own faith and grown out of the mode of letting it be a family tradition. I knew that God had been knocking on the door for quite awhile and God was the only one that truly understands me completely because I'm such an outcast and a kooky little, funky person."

The Katy Perry I'm watching on Later With Jools Holland in 2008 is a very different person to the Kate Hudson I met in America. Obviously she's older and it's more than just the change in hair colour! She is self assured and backed by a young, tight band. The Daily Mail carries a report that her parents don't approve of the music she is now making and the content of her worldwide hit single. There are many Christians who would also agree with the sentiment expressed in the news story. Perry's mother was supposed to have called her music "shameful and disgusting." But then, perhaps you can't believe everything you read in the papers! Perry later told MTV her mother was misquoted. Her parents continue to support her pop career and attend live performances.

Back in 2001, we talk about the pressures of being a preacher's kid. She laughs and says, "You mean being polished, shiny and new with a little red ribbon on your head? I'm not really into the whole pastor's kids thing. I think a lot of pastor's kids, my age especially, use that, twist it and make an excuse so they can be brats. I think it's just lame, I think they just need to stand and be who they are. I heard a saying that 'people will influence a person daily, hundreds of times' and that made me think wow! I could influence a person by just doing something, being aware of something or being somewhere. Being a pastor's kid isn't hard, it'll be hard if I get into trouble. I never really went through a rebellious phase like taking a lot of drugs or anything like that. I never went out and got drunk, messed around with guys. Your testimony can just be 'Thank you God that I've never been there.'"

For those who have followed Katy since her debut album, it seems that her rebellion perhaps came later as she fell in with the mainstream rock crowd as she tried to get her music career off the ground. There are Christian artists who cross over into the mainstream like Switchfoot, P.O.D. and Amy Grant who don't compromise their behaviour for the sake of fame or a career. Their creative choices fall in line with their faith. For Perry, it seems that she has been willing to make compromises with her image and song content in order to create CD sales and create a notorious image. As I've watched from a distance the choices she's made, I have sometimes been disappointed.

Like many young artists in the volatile music scene of the 21st century, nothing is ever simple when it comes to pursuing music. Shortly after Katy's CCM launch the independent label Red Hill went out of business leaving her debut album dead in the water. Leaving Christian music behind, Perry moved to Los Angeles and began working on an album for Island Def Jam with producer/writer Glen Ballard who had been responsible for the worldwide success of Alanis Morisette. However, as is the way of such things, the album was never released and Perry was dropped. Columbia Records teamed her up with the production team The Matrix and she recorded an album's worth of songs with them, acting as their lead singer. Once again the album was shelved although it was later released after Perry had broken through with her solo success. The partnership did mean that she began to get more attention and led to her current deal with Capitol Music.

Hearing interviews with Perry, she has always had the ability to surprise and shock. She is entertaining, makes you laugh and tells stories. But there is always the feeling that her publicists are hovering close by, hoping that Perry doesn't "go off on one." In 2001 when talking about getting into music when she was younger, she says, "Nobody in my family can hold a pitch really it's so funny, they really try but they really can't. I don't really know where it came from, I think it was just because I was bored and wanted to get into something. Plus because I'm an only child I needed to get attention, but I just love where it's grown to, the whole music side of everything where it's going and developing."

Perry isn't an only child and has a brother and a sister though it's probably easy to observe when considering the antics surrounding her pop career that she is definitely still trying to get attention and a lot of the songs and performances that have followed come from that.

She sums herself up by saying, "I'm basically an honest, normal, person going through life, going through my relationship with Christ. I'm just trying to be honest and blatant with who I am and letting God take control. People will see that through me. I think a lot of people my age, we're looking for something real. I think everyone's tired of everyone slapping a bow on Christianity and saying, 'Hey I've got a new cool band,' and then they say, 'This is actually just about Jesus,' and they whisper it. They don't want any of that anymore, they want somebody to step in their face and say, 'Hey what's up, don't be stupid, Jesus Christ is the only way.' My whole deal is I don't know much, I can't quote Scripture off the wall. I don't know references but I've grown up knowing that God gives this great gift called salvation which we all need because we can't breathe on our own, we need hope in our lives and God is basically it. Everyone says, 'That's kind of cheese-bally' and it is, but you know what? I don't care."

Ironically, when you think of what is to come in the years that follow our conversation, she concludes by saying, "I am who I am and I'm not really going to let anybody change me."

But in the end she did and a triple platinum album might have followed but is Katy Perry gaining the world and losing her soul? Only time will tell.