Teenage Dream

Released on August 24, 2010, through Capitol Records, Teenage Dream is Katy Perry's third studio album and the one that turned her into a global superstar. Recorded over six months across eight studios from Hollywood to Atlanta, the album was crafted with a dream team of producers including Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, and Stargate. Perry co-wrote every track, pulling from her own experiences of young love, heartbreak, and wild nights out. The result is a tightly packed set of twelve songs that blend pure pop with disco, electronic, and hip hop flourishes.

The album made history by becoming the first by a female artist to produce five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, matching Michael Jackson's Bad. Those singles "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework," "E.T.," and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" dominated radio for over a year. A sixth single, "The One That Got Away," still reached number three. The 2012 reissue Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection added two more top-ten hits with "Part of Me" and "Wide Awake."

Critics initially gave the album mixed reviews, but over time it has been recognized as a defining pop record. Rolling Stone and Paste both placed it on their lists of the 250 greatest albums of the 21st century. The album earned seven Grammy nominations including Album of the Year, though it didn't win any. Commercially, it was a juggernaut: certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2024 for over 10 million US sales, with worldwide sales of 12 million copies. Four of its singles also achieved Diamond certification. On Spotify, five tracks have entered the Billions Club, with "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" leading at nearly 1.6 billion streams. Fifteen years on, Perry still performs about eight songs from the album on her Lifetimes tour, and it saw its biggest streaming day ever on July 4, 2025. [edit]