Katy Perry - The One That Got Away

Step back into late 2011, when Katy Perry’s juggernaut album Teenage Dream was rewriting pop music history. Fresh off tying Michael Jackson’s legendary record of five number-one singles from a single studio album, Perry took a daring emotional pivot with her sixth release: the bittersweet, haunting anthem "The One That Got Away."

Directed by the visionary Floria Sigismondi, the cinematic music video transformed Perry via heavy prosthetics into an elderly woman living in a sterile, wealthy present, tormented by memories of her bohemian youth. Opposite Mexican actor Diego Luna, Perry delivered a raw performance depicting a passionate, tragic love affair torn apart by a senseless fight and a fatal car crash. It proved Perry possessed a deep dramatic range far beyond her signature neon-candy aesthetic.

Time Capsule: In late 2011, the world was rapidly transforming. As users posted their very first filtered photos on a newly launched Instagram, snapped temporary messages on Snapchat, and witnessed historic social upheaval from the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street, Perry's ballad dominated radio airwaves. Though it narrowly missed the top chart spot—peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100—it forever sealed Teenage Dream as a legendary, record-shattering pop monument.

• Katy Perry released her seventh studio album, 143, in September 2024, shortly after concluding a seven-season run as a judge on American Idol.
• To support her new era of music, she announced "The Lifetimes Tour," scheduled to begin in Australia in June 2025 with additional dates planned across South America, Europe, and the UK.
• Her net worth is estimated at approximately $350 million to $400 million, significantly boosted by a $225 million deal in late 2023 selling her master recording and publishing rights for five studio albums to Litmus Music.
• Her landmark 2010 album Teenage Dream—which includes "The One That Got Away"—tied Michael Jackson's Bad for the most Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles from a single album (5), with "The One That Got Away" peaking at No. 3.
• In September 2024, she was honored with the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards in recognition of her career achievements and visual art legacy.