Photo by: katyperry.com

If you couldn’t get Katy Perry’s hit “California Gurls” out of your head this summer, you are sure to hear more of the pop sensation’s catchy tunes on the radio from her newest album, Teenage Dream. Perry’s latest contribution to the music scene is as vivacious and catchy as ever.

After its debut in May, the album’s first single, “California Gurls,” a bubbly concoction featuring Snoop Dogg, remained at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. “California Gurls” seemed to be the anthem of the summer and even sparked parodies such as the YouTube sensation “Colorado Girls.”

Teenage Dream also took its place as the number one album on the Billboard 200. Perry’s previous works include self-titled, “Katy Hudson,” a gospel-rock album released in 2001 under her given birth name. “One of the Boys,” Perry’s first mainstream album delivered hits such as the controversial “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot ‘N Cold.”

Perry’s imaginative fashion sense and originality may distinguish her image from other pop artists in 2010, but it is her sense of humor and memorable lyrics that have influenced thousands of fans who love her fresh style.

No better is this showcased than in the title track of Perry’s new album. The song “Teenage Dream” takes all of the punch of her previous hits and combines it with the thrill of being young and in love.

Perry switches to a darker, edgier tone on “Circle the Drain,” as she sings of being in love with someone addicted to drugs and alcohol – a dig aimed at her ex-boyfriend, singer Travie McCoy. Perry must be given credit for being so involved in the process of writing her own music, yet she seems to rely a little too heavily on auto-tune in tracks such as “E.T.,” where she compares her new “supernatural” lover, fiance Russell Brand, to an alien.

Perry’s album is just what you would expect from this bright-eyed pop princess, and this teenage dream is here to stay.

Perry recently appeared at the 2010 Video Music Awards, and she will appear on the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” on Sept. 25.