Miley Cyrus Claims Katy Perry Wrote 'I Kissed A Girl' About Her
Cyrus was only 15 when the song was first released.
Getty You have to give extra respect to artists who write their own music and/or lyrics.
Not only has "American Idol" judge Katy Perry, 35, written or co-written every song on all five of her studio albums — including the 2001 gospel album released under real name, Katy Hudson — but she's also written or co-written songs for several major artists, including Britney Spears, Iggy Azalea, Nicki Minaj, Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus.
Cyrus, 27, says the contribution to each other's work, in a sense, goes both ways, as she claims to be the literal girl Perry's first hit, "I Kissed A Girl," is about.
While promoting her then-new single "Malibu" back in 2017, Cyrus dropped by WKTU's Cubby and Carolina Show — shocking everyone when she revealed that she herself was the inspiration behind Perry's controversial song.
"Katy Perry has like, she's just been a friend of mine for a long time," Cyrus said. "We were actually just realizing that next year we'll have been friends for 10 years. I think that's my friend that I've known the longest ... When she came out with 'I Kissed A Girl,' I was doing the Hannah Montana movie. And I heard her on the radio. They said, 'Who'd you write that about? And she said me.
"And I was on a four-wheeler, actually. My dad had this four-wheeler — this is how hillbilly we are — we've got a radio, like, attached to the four-wheeler. And I heard it and I started screaming and freaking out. And then she asked me to go to the VMAs with her. That's when I started doing my whole VMA controversy — 'I'll go with Katy Perry.'
"And she took me, but my mom didn't want me to go by myself. You know, 'stranger danger.' So my mom went with me in the limo with Katy Perry. And my mom didn't really get the joke she just thought it was cool that I got to go with Katy Perry and then, um, yeah. So that's how we met."
OK, so let's break this down a bit.
"I Kissed A Girl" was released on April 28, 2008, and the song had likely been percolating for a while before Perry recorded and released it.
Katy Perry's birthday is October 25, 1985, so she was 22 years old at the time of the single's release.
Miley Cyrus's birthday is November 23, 1992, so she was 15 year old when then song was released, and she may have been even younger when/if the alleged kiss took place.
Let's imagine, for a moment, a similar song was written and performed by a 22-year-old male artist singing joyfully about kissing a 15-year-old girl.
I'd have to imagine that story would also make headlines, but for very different reasons and with a very different take.
And whether or not the two kissed prior to Perry writing the song in question, they smooched publicly as they walked the red carpet at the 2008 Video Music Awards, stirring the "VMA controversy" Cyrus mentioned on WKTU.
That year's VMAs were held on September 7, 2008, so Cyrus was still 15 at the time, and Perry had just turned 23!
"I'm not here to be a role model personality," Perry said at the time. "I'm here to be in the business of f--king rock and roll."
Years later, they shared another another public kiss when Cyrus was onstage for her 2014 "Bangerz" tour.
After the concert, Cyrus cheekily tweeted: "I just kissed a girl, and I really liked it a lot."
But Perry seemed far less pleased with how that kiss went down.
"She has this one part where it's like a kiss cam," Perry told the folks at an Australian morning show, "and I just walked up to her to give her like a friendly girly kiss, you know, as us girls do, and then she like, tried to move her head and go deeper and I pulled away."
To keep matters confusing, Cyrus is not the only person Perry has named as the inspiration behind that particular song.
In an interview with Steppin' Out Magazine in 2008, Perry revealed that quite a different famous woman was the inspiration for her song.
“‘I Kissed a Girl‘ was inspired when I opened up a magazine and I saw a picture of Scarlett Johansson," Perry said. "I was with my boyfriend at the time, and I said to him, ‘I’m not going to lie: If Scarlett Johansson walked into the room and wanted to make out with me, I would make out with her. I hope you’re okay with that?'”
In November of 2008, Scarlett Johansson shared her thoughts on the matter with Allure Magazine.
“That’s flattering, but my lips are kind of taken," the actress said. At the time, Johansson had just recently married now ex-husband Ryan Reynolds.
And just prior to that, in May 2008, Perry said the song's inspiration was a whole lot general than any of us may have known.
Asked if "I Kissed A Girl" is based on a true story, Perry stated, "It's not based on, um ... it's not exactly literal. It's just basically about, you know, a subject that we both know; the magical beauty of a woman, that is very powerful, and can, uh, make a man do pretty much anything.
"When I wrote this song I was looking through a magazine and I was looking at all these girls, like Angelina Jolie and like, Natalie Portman and Giselle Bunchen. and you know, I was basically like, there's no doubt in my mind, if any of those girls walked into a room ... I would pucker up. And my boyfriend would not mind it."
Liza Walter is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture, and relationship topics.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on May 18, 2017 and was updated with the latest information.