Prior to recording '' Teenage Dream '' , Perry told '' Rolling Stone '' she would " definitely keep it pop " , in order to not " alienate " her fanbase . Perry began recording the album on October 13 , 2009 , stating that she had " lots of layers to get through , thankfully Greg Wells is there to do the peeling " . Work on the album involved collaborating with numerous artists and producers including Wells . Guy Sigsworth , Dr. Luke , Max Martin , Ryan Tedder , Rivers Cuomo , Kuk Harrell , Greg Kurstin , Benny Blanco , Darkchild , Cathy Dennis , Ester Dean , and Tricky Stewart , who told '' Rap-Up '' magazine in December 2009 that the sound of the album would be pop and rock , like '' One of the Boys '' , though calling it a " different gear " for himself . As for the visual component , Perry likens it to " going from Shirley Temple , Betty Boop to more of a Betty Paige sic , pop art-sarcastic-fun-Lichtenstein picture : still bright , but the colors are more saturated , and it 's more metallic fuchsia or purple than bubblegum pink . " On March 27 , 2010 , at 2010 Kids ' Choice Awards , Perry told Jose Ordonez that she considered the album " a summer record " . She added that her previous teases about the album still fit , saying " it 's what I said I wanted earlier " . She has also stated that the album is inspired by ABBA and The Cardigans . According to Perry , she gave her producer Dr. Luke a mixtape of songs by the two groups in order to demonstrate how she wanted her next record to sound . Perry described the album as " more groove-driven " . She added , " When I went on tour , as much as I love all the in-between songs , I felt I was missing some of the stuff that made people bounce up and down . " During a '' Rolling Stone '' photo shoot in April 2010 , Perry revealed details about what would be the album 's lead single , " California Gurls " . Allegedly a response to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys 's " Empire State of Mind " , she stated " everyone has the New York song , but what the fuck ? What about LA ? What about California ? " , adding that the song also took its inspiration from Prince . The song features California rapper Snoop Dogg . '' USA Today '' gave the song a positive review , calling it " an effervescent toast to summer fun " . Perry also claimed that working with producers Max Martin and Dr. Luke was " a wonderful collaborative effort "
2010 Kids ' Choice Awards
2010 Kids' Choice Awards
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry album)