"California Gurls" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It served as the lead single for her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). The song features verses from rapper Snoop Dogg.
The artists co-wrote the song with Bonnie McKee and its co-producers Dr. Luke and Max Martin, with additional production from Benny Blanco. According to Perry, "California Gurls" is an answer song to "Empire State of Mind" (2009), by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Its midtempo production incorporates disco-pop and funk-pop with influences of new wave and electropop.
Its lyrics are an ode to the state of California, in which both Perry and Snoop Dogg were born and raised.
"California Gurls" garnered positive reviews from music critics, with the majority of them labeling it a "summer anthem", as well as complimenting its production and chorus. Originally, the song was intended to be sent to mainstream and rhythmic airplay on May 25, 2010, the song debuted on May 7, 2010, after clips from the Teenage Dream album were leaked online. It was subsequently released to iTunes on May 11, 2010, as the album's lead single.
The song was a worldwide success, peaking at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks, giving Perry her second number-one single in the US and Snoop Dogg his third. The song also reached number-one in seven other countries, was the best-selling song of 2010 in Canada, and is certified Platinum or higher in nine countries, including 4× Platinum in Canada, 6× Platinum in Australia, and 8× Platinum in the US.
A music video for the song was released on June 15, 2010, featuring Perry and her dancers as pieces of a board game, set in the fictional "Candyfornia". Perry has said that the inspiration behind the video was artist Will Cotton, who was also the artistic director of the video. It has also been noted that the video was influenced by several other works, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the board game Candyland.
On December 2, 2010, the song received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. In 2012, Billboard ranked the song number one on a special The 30 Summer Songs of All Time listing.