Christina Perri
Biography
Christina Judith Perri, born on August 19, 1986, in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, is an American singer and songwriter. Of Italian and Polish descent, she grew up in a "very Italian" family with her older brother, Nick Perri, who is also a musician. She taught herself to play guitar at 16 by watching a video of Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon. After graduating from Archbishop Ryan High School in 2004, she attended the University of the Arts for a year before dropping out to pursue her music career.
Career Breakthrough
Perri's career took off in 2010 when her debut single, "Jar of Hearts," was featured on the television show "So You Think You Can Dance". The song's exposure led to a record deal with Atlantic Records. Before this break, she had moved to Los Angeles on her 21st birthday, worked producing music videos, and later as a waitress, all while recording music at night. She wrote "Jar of Hearts" after returning to Philadelphia in late 2009. Following the song's television debut, it sold over 100,000 copies in its first month and eventually peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Studio Albums and Notable Songs
Her debut album, "Lovestrong.", was released in May 2011 and debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album was certified platinum and included the singles "Arms" and "Distance". Perri's most successful single to date is "A Thousand Years," which was written for the film "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1" (2011). The song was certified Diamond in the United States, having sold over 10 million copies. A re-recorded version, "A Thousand Years, Pt. 2," featuring Steve Kazee, was included on the soundtrack for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2" (2012). Her second studio album, "Head or Heart," was released in 2014, followed by several lullaby albums and her third main studio album, "A Lighter Shade of Blue," in 2022.
Discography
Studio Albums
- Lovestrong. (2011)
- Head or Heart (2014)
- Songs for Carmella: Lullabies & Sing-A-Longs (2019)
- Songs for Rosie (2021)
- A Lighter Shade of Blue (2022)
Extended Plays
- The Ocean Way Sessions (2010)
- A Very Merry Perri Christmas (2012)
Personal Life
Christina Perri married entertainment reporter Paul Costabile in December 2017. They have two daughters, Carmella, born in January 2018, and Pixie, born in October 2022. Perri has been open about her experiences with pregnancy loss, sharing that she had a miscarriage in January 2020 and that her daughter Rosie was stillborn in November 2020. These experiences influenced her lullaby albums.