Olly Murs v Katy Perry Pop Slam!

Two of the biggest pop stars in the universe

are about to go into battle.

The cheeky chappy Olly Murs versus the spectacular Katy Perry.

There can only be one winner, so stay right here.

I'm Amberley Lobo and this is Pop Slam!

Going head to head in this Pop Slam, we've got...

Olly Murs.

# Repeat after me... #

He's one of the most popular solo artists in the UK.

He's had a ton of smash hits and he knows how to wiggle those hips.

But how will he do against the worldwide megastar that is...

# Baby, you're a firework... #

..Katy Perry?

# ..Come on Let your colours burst... #

She's got it all - the voice, the look...

and the music.

It's going to be an outstanding Pop Slam, so whose team are you on?

Team Murs or Team Perry?

I'm going to be delving into the lives of these megastars

to see who has what it takes to win the ultimate prize in pop -

the Ambo!

There's only one way to win the Ambo

and that's by gaining as many of my Ambo points as possible.

I'll be dishing them out over three slamming rounds of pop-ocity

where I meet the people who knew our stars back in the day.

Then I check out how hard they've been working.

And finally, I scrutinise their style.

All before the big moment.

And the winner of the Ambo is...

You might not agree with the outcome and if not,

go on to the CBBC website and have your say.

But, seriously, if you had to pick between these two,

who would you choose?

I don't know either, it's a tough one,

and there's only one way to find out - it's time for Pop Slam!

Bring it in.

Round 1 - pop potential.

This is all about how our stars made it.

# Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad...? #

Olly Murs may be the UK's favourite pop-tastic celebrity

troublemaker nowadays

but before all that, Olly was just a regular football-loving kid

right here in Witham in Essex.

# You make me feel like I'm living

# A teenage dream... #

And right now Katy Perry is living the ultimate teenage dream

as one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

But back when Katy Perry was known as Katheryn Hudson,

she was right here in Santa Barbara, California.

So, how did Olly Murs and Katy Perry become the pop-alicious

megastars they are today?

I'm going to find out. First up, Mr Murs.

# Cos I don't know

# If I can stop now... #

When Olly Murs was a young whippersnapper,

he didn't dream of becoming a big pop star. No, no, no.

He more or less accidentally became the superstar we know

and love today.

This is the story of how a normal Essex boy became

one of the biggest pop stars in the UK.

# That anybody else would

# Die for... #

When you think of Olly Murs, you think singing, dancing,

really cool hats, obviously, but when he was a teenager,

he was obsessed with something totally different - football.

And he played right here - Witham Town FC. Oh, yeah!

Olly loved playing football.

When he was younger, he dreamt of playing professionally,

and that dream came true, sort of, when he played here.

This is the actual pitch Olly played on

when he played for Witham Town FC in 2007

and I'm going to be speaking to the chairman of the club

to get all the juicy gossip from when Olly played.

Yo, Tony, at your head!

CAMERAMAN LAUGHS

I'll get it!

# Just put your hand on my heart

# Put your hand on my heart... #

OK, Tony, I want to know absolutely everything.

What was Olly like when he was playing here?

He was a good footballer, he done well.

I mean, Olly's been a very popular lad around the club

and around the town for years, so we're very proud of Olly.

Did you ever catch him on the field having a sneaky little sing?

No way, he was never allowed, he had to concentrate on his football.

# When life treats you hard you don't think you can take it... #

Olly's obviously unavailable these days

so I understand there's a bit of a vacancy in the team.

-What would I have to do to fill Olly's spot?

-To run fast.

-Is that all?

-Yeah.

SHE SCOFFS

Watch and learn.

# Put your hand on my heart

# And I don't have to say it

# And I don't have to think it... #

-Did I get the job?

-Sorry, no.

SHE SIGHS

So, unlike me, Olly could play football.

It's nothing to do with music

but I reckon it still deserves a sporting Ambo point anyway.

Back of the net!

# Put your hand on my heart. #

# Olly Murs, true lad

# Rizzle Kicks

# Yeah... #

So, Olly was living out his dreams on the pitch

but it was off the pitch that he found his new love - me.

Jokes, jokes, jokes.

It was his singing. He was taking off.

Locally, he became known as a karaoke legend

and he was the lead singer in his own band, the Small Town Blaggers,

where they performed right here in the Witham Town FC clubhouse.

OK, I know it's not quite Wembley but it's a start.

# Play it on repeat... #

The guitarist of Olly's first band was a guy called Jon Goodey

and check this out.

I managed to get him to come

and meet me at the clubhouse to give me the lowdown.

Now, Jon, you're obviously the guitarist in Olly's band.

Can I say for starters, so jealous?

But run me through it, what was it like being in a band with Olly?

It was entertaining.

He was always so full of energy, really.

Everyone loved watching him so it was just great fun to do gig after

gig with him, knowing that people were enjoying themselves.

What was his stage performance like when he was with you?

Run us through a gig.

Um, he used to get nervous a lot

but not that it would stop him from gigging.

He'd get there, he'd be a bit nervous,

and as soon as the first few songs were out the way, and people

were enjoying it, he was dancing, he was singing, he would move around.

He'd walk away from me and he'd be dancing with someone

that was dancing in front of him or he'd be singing to someone.

This new character sort of came to life when he really got into it.

# I know I should but I can't leave it alone

# So when you hold me like this

# That's when my heart Skips, skips a beat... #

Jon, thank you so much.

It's absolutely been amazing talking to you.

Put it here. Nice one, Olly.

For some early singing experience, have three fantastic Ambo points.

# Oh-oh

# Oh-oh

# Oh-oh

# My heart skips, skips a beat. #

So, with his mad skills on the pitch and on the stage,

Olly soon became a local celebrity and his friends were like,

"Yo, Olly, you should audition for the X Factor," and in 2009,

that's exactly what he did.

# Very superstitious... #

CHEERING

# The writing's on the wall... #

The audition was going well

but it really took off when he busted out these moves...

Hey, come on!

CHEERING

..which won over Mr Grumpy himself, Simon Cowell.

Olly, I've got to tell you, I really, really like you.

-Cheers, Simon.

-And you know what? You're very, very, very cool.

Thanks, Simon. I can't believe it. Thanks.

He is a tough man to impress.

Have an Ambo point

for getting on the X Factor.

But Olly didn't win the X Factor. No!

He came second, losing to Joe McElderry.

You remember him.

# The struggles I'm facing

# The chances I'm taking... #

Ooh, yeah, maybe not.

But not winning the X Factor didn't stop our Olly boy.

# Normally, I try to run... #

Clearly a fan, Simon Cowell signed him up

and Olly started working on his first album.

# Till I looked into your eyes

# So, am I in this alone...? #

Even though Joe McElderry won on the year that Olly lost

the X Factor, Olly has emerged to be far more successful than him.

I think that's down to his music choices and, ultimately,

the public really, really like him.

# Please don't let me go

# No, please don't let me go

# Baby, no, no, no... #

So, he might not have won the X Factor

but the Olly show had to go on.

In August 2010, he released his first single

and it went straight to number one.

# But beating double time, yeah... #

Clawing it back after not winning the X Factor deserves two try-hard

Ambo points and, more importantly, Olly Murs was here to stay.

# Baby, don't put out this spark No... #

Right, let's shoot 6,000 miles over to sunny California

and see how Katy Perry's journey to stardom compares.

# I got the eye of the tiger

# A fighter

# Dancing through the fire... #

From the east coast of England to the west coast in the USA,

this is the very street in Santa Barbara, California,

that Katheryn Hudson grew up on.

Back in the day, she was already singing but not in big arenas,

just at her local church.

This is the story of how a regular choir girl

went on to become the global megastar that is Katy Perry.

Katheryn had a very religious upbringing, as both her

parents were preachers and she attended church groups

where she used to listen to a lot of gospel music.

# Now, I'm floatin' like a butterfly... #

When Katheryn was 13, her church group bought her a guitar

and soon she was writing her own music

and performing in churches, like this one, around Santa Barbara.

# But I got up

# Already brushing off the dust... #

I reckon performing at such a young age deserves two Ambo points.

# You held me down but I got up... #

Katheryn was realising that this singing malarkey was something

she wanted to make a bit of a career out of.

She was gigging more and more

and soon was getting a name for herself on the gospel music scene.

# Cos I am a champion

# And you're gonna hear me roar... #

Katheryn's church performances finally paid off and, at just 16,

she went all the way to...

..Nashville to record her first ever album for a Christian music label

called Red Hill Records,

and I'm here to meet someone who was there in those early days.

OK, guys, listen up, this is all a bit exciting.

Behind this door is one of the first ever people to work with

Katy in a studio. His name is Brian and he doesn't know I'm here.

OK, he totally knows I'm here but he doesn't know I'm about to

present him with an Amberley achievement award.

OK, I'm not going to do that, I'm just trying to build the excitement.

Let's get in there.

# This is the part of me

# That you're never gonna ever take away from me... #

What was she like when you first met her?

She was 15 maybe going on 16 when we met,

and I'll never forget the first time she came in and she was this

motivational, inspiring teenager with a guitar and just a desire to sing.

# This is the part of me... #

So, paint a picture for us.

This is a 15-, 16-year-old Katy Perry.

What was she like in and around the studio?

Well, at any given moment, you could stick

your head out the door, and she'd be doing cartwheels down the hall.

She was just like a ball of energy.

But, at the same time, she was very focused, very driven,

she knew what she wanted to say and she knew who her audience was.

# I'm wide awake... #

So, what was Katy Perry's voice like?

What was your impression when you first heard her sing?

# I'm wide awake... #

The first time I heard her sing,

I thought, "This girl's going to be a star."

She had a confidence about her presentation even then.

Like I said, she knew what she wanted to do.

Too many people try to become somebody else

and they forget who they are.

And Katy, even though she had musical influences, she was Katy.

# Ain't always what it seems

# I'm wide awake... #

With the help of Brian, Katy was taking her first

steps as a professional singer-songwriter

and had recorded her first album - The Katy Hudson Album.

You remember it right? It did massively well.

Well, actually, it didn't do too good, it only sold a few

hundred copies, so Katy needed a rethink and a new direction.

So she moved to LA to become a rock star.

She was a big fan of singer Alanis Morissette, you know...

# It's like rain... #

# On your wedding day... #

So, she got in contact with her producer,

they started writing together and the rest is history.

Except it didn't quite work out that way but that's OK.

It wasn't long before she got another record deal with

Avril Lavigne's producer. You know...

# She was a skater boy She said, see you later, boy... #

# He wasn't good enough for her... #

And the rest is history.

Except it isn't. That didn't quite work out either,

but stick with me cos it wasn't long before she signed another

record deal with another producer and - boom! - the rest is history.

No, it actually is, I'm being serious this time. Hot and cold?

Definitely hot.

# Cos you're hot then you're cold

# You're yes then you're no

# You're in then you're out

# You're up then you're down

# You're wrong when it's right

# It's black and it's white... #

After a rollercoaster ride of trying different styles and sounds,

Katy Hudson had become Katy Perry and the pop queen had been born.

You can have five Ambo points for not giving up on your dream.

# You're hot then you're cold

# You're yes then you're no

# You're in then you're out

# You're up then you're down... #

Hot N Cold was the second single to be released from her album,

One Of The Boys.

It was so good, it earned her a Grammy Award nomination

for Best Female Pop Vocal.

Have another Ambo point.

Let's look at the scores.

Ooh, it's a close one

but Katy has the edge

and is in the lead

by one Ambo point.

If you're an Olly fan and don't agree with me

then get on the CBBC website and argue your case.

Now that we know how our stars made it,

let's check out how hard they've been working since then.

It's time for Round 2.

Round 2 - Pop Success.

This is all about what our stars have been up to to make sure

they stay at the top of the charts.

First up, Olly Murs.

Ever since X Factor, Olly's been working non stop.

If he's not making music, he's touring or even presenting on TV.

Rack off, Olly, that's my job.

Mixing singing, presenting and just being an uber-cool pop star,

have two Ambo points for putting in the hours.

# Till I looked into your eyes... #

And, of course, Olly's had some pretty hot chart success.

His first ever single got to number one but hold the phone, guys,

that's not all.

Let's have a look at who Olly beat to the top spot back in 2010.

# You make me

# Feel like I'm living a... #

Only Katy Perry! Say what?!

# I can't sleep... #

That's right.

In a battle for the UK's number one, Katy Perry's Teenage Dream

was beaten to the top spot by Olly's Please Don't Let Me Go.

# Normally, I'd try to run... #

I think it was really significant that Olly Murs beat Katy Perry

to get his first number one single,

that must have been an amazing boost for him.

# So, am I in this alone...? #

In this head-to-head Pop Slam, that is one epic fail, KP.

I'm going to award Olly three Ambo points for that one.

# Baby, please don't let me go... #

But Olly isn't the only one who's been topping the charts.

# I knew you were

# You were gonna come to me

# Here you are

# But you better choose carefully... #

Katy Perry has sold a lot of music. Seriously, a lot of music.

Not only that, she is THE most followed person on Twitter,

as in, there is no-one else in the whole entire world with more

followers than Katy Perry.

And if you don't think that's enough,

she's had over 2.5 billion views on YouTube.

Whoa, that's some serious mega-stats right there. Nice one.

Two points coming at you, Katy Perry,

for working hard at keeping in touch for your fans.

# Boy, you should know what you're falling for... #

In fact, Katy Perry is such big news that she received an actual

tweet from the US President Barack Obama.

Tweet-twoo.

Now, that is some heavy-duty social networking.

Have a presidential Ambo point.

# Cos once you're mine Once you're mine

# There's no goin' back... #

# Oh, baby... #

So far, we've found out that Olly can sing,

play football and top the charts

but there's one thing we can't overlook when it comes to the

Murs meister - he sure knows how to work the dance moves.

# I just want you to dance with me tonight... #

Olly has a great passion for dancing

which comes across in his music videos

and when he's performing which definitely is

one of the reasons why people love him.

Whoa, those dance moves look pretty impossible.

Olly's set the benchmark pretty high but I've been practising.

This next one goes out to you, Olly. Eat your heart out.

Who am I?

I'm Olly Murs.

It could be said that Olly's moves are better than mine.

Have two dance-tastic Ambo points for working the dance floor.

# I knew right then

# That you'd be mine

# And we'd be dancing the whole damn night... #

Yep, Olly can wiggle those hips like a trooper

but he's not the only one who likes to take centre stage.

# I just want you to dance with me tonight. #

# Last Friday night

# Yeah, we danced on tabletops

# Always say we're gonna stop

# Whoa

# This Friday night... #

Katy loves performing and is super creative

but sometimes being unique has a downside and that's exactly

what happened in a photoshoot when a chimpanzee peed on her.

Say what?!

Now, I wasn't there, I wish I was,

but I imagine this is how it went down.

"Hi, everyone, I'm Katy Perry.

"This is my photoshoot studio,

"we're just doing a little photoshoot, no biggie, come in.

"OK, roll those cameras. OK, boom.

"Work the angles, work the levels, you know? Get high, get low."

SHE GASPS

"Everybody stop. I have just had the most amazing idea ever.

"I am thinking right here, right now, we get a chimpanzee up in here.

"Who's with me?

"No, guys, I'm being serious, we're getting a chimpanzee.

"Katy Perry wants a chimpanzee.

"Somebody get me a chimpanzee right now!"

AMBERLEY IMITATES A CHIMPANZEE

"Oh, you're so cute, come here! OK, let's do different levels.

-"You go up..."

-AMBERLEY HISSES

"Ugh! Guys, I think it just peed on me. That is so much fun, right?

"Will somebody get this chimpanzee away from me?

"At least tell me I've got my waterproof mascara on."

Look, I'm not 100% sure that that's how that went down

but suffering for your art - nice work, Katy, kudos.

# Last Friday night... #

It's pretty gross but I reckon anyone who can work through

a photoshoot with pee on them deserves an Ambo point.

So, Olly and KP have been working pretty hard

and have been very successful.

But how has all of this affected their record sales?

Well, Olly Murs has sold around 7.5 million records in the UK.

Pretty good. Have two Ambo points. But...

# Another life... #

..Katy Perry has raised the bar

and sold a colossal 11 million records in the UK.

Wowzers.

You can't argue with the stats.

That's three Ambo points to Katy Perry. That's Round 2 done.

Let's have a look at the scores.

They are both mega successful

but Olly did beat Katy to the top spot in 2010 and that has

just shunted him into the lead.

Sorry, Katy.

Oh, if you guys don't agree with me, you know what to do.

Hit up the CBBC website and have your say.

We've seen our stars' pop potential

and how hard they've worked at it

but now that they've reached the dizzy heights of superstardom,

let's see how glamorously outrageous they've become.

Round 3, whatcha got?

Round 3 - Pop Style.

This is all about our celebrities' lives - clothes, cars,

pets or whatever else they splash their cash on.

# So this is what it feels like... #

First up, O to the M.

Olly Murs always dresses super smart, so he's always in a really

nice skinny, tailored suit trouser, a nice, smart shirt, waistcoats, ties.

Really nice classic, British, staple clothing.

# So this is what it feels like... #

Olly always looks great, he does seem to be someone that

irons his trousers and, for me, I'm in awe of that.

# Only you and I can hear... #

Not only that, it has to be said that no-one else can

pull off a hat like our Olly boy.

He's made the hat really iconic for him

and his look, so he wears little porkpie hats, trilbies.

It's really important for someone like Olly, as a pop star,

to have something that people can latch on to

and it just helps to assist in his cheeky-chappy persona as well.

# Being at the right place The right time... #

Excellent selection of headwear, Olls.

One Ambo point for keeping your bonce covered.

So, Olly's got hats.

Cool, but when it comes to style, let's be honest, Katy hands down

takes it out, so I'm here in LA to find out more about her look.

# I know a place... #

And what a look it is.

Katy Perry rocks some outfits that are absolutely off the hook.

So, to give me the lowdown,

I'm going to chat to designer to the stars, Ashton Hirota.

# We freak

# In my jeep... #

Now, Ashton, you're a top LA designer.

Let's talk Katy Perry's style.

Where should we start?

Should we start from the beginning or from the Candy Land experience

-we all see today?

-Ah, let's start at the beginning.

-OK.

Beginning - everyone's boring at the beginning and everyone is very timid.

However, as the years have progressed,

Johnny Wujek has had his hands on her

and made this amazing transformation for her videos, her concerts,

her everything, and you'll see her notorious cupcake tops, to her

stages that are built elaborately with lollipops and the most crazy...

-Crazy things.

-Crazy things.

# Bikinis on top... #

So, where do you reckon she comes up

with a lot of her ideas and concepts?

I think that, like most artists, your mind's never really stopping,

you're always thinking, "What about this? A, B, C, D?"

There's so many options, it's just a matter of fine-tuning

it down so, for her, personally, I don't know what's inside her head.

But I know that she is an artist and musician

so it could be coming from anywhere.

I think we can safely say that when it comes to this Pop Slam,

Katy Perry deffo has a more distinct style. Soz, Olls.

That's four fashionable Ambo points to Katy.

# Dear darlin'

# Please excuse my writing... #

They know how to style themselves but what about their homes?

Fame and fortune hasn't changed Olly Murs, or has it?

Let me drop this fact on you.

Apparently in his house,

there's a room covered in wallpaper with his face on it.

At first, I was like, "That's a bit weird,"

but then I got on board!

Let's do the whole house!

Only joking! Even by my standards, that is a bit weird.

I'm going to take off one Ambo point for some dodgy decor.

While we're talking weirdness, Katy can go one better.

Apparently, she carries around a lock of Taylor Swift

and Miley Cyrus's hair. Katy, Katy, Katy, whoa!

Everyone knows you don't carry around hair.

Unless it's Harry Styles' hair.

SHE CHUCKLES

Harry.

Jokes, jokes, jokes! Again, it's a bit weird, Katy.

I'm going to take off an Ambo point for some creepy style.

# Yeah We maxed our credit cards... #

And on that slightly odd note, we're at the end of Round 3.

# Last Friday night... #

We've reached the end and it has been one heck of a Pop Slam

but who has won the Ambo? Will it be Katy Perry or Olly Murs?

SHE GASPS

Let's find out what we've learned.

We've been in the company of pop royalty with this Pop Slam.

Olly Murs and Katy Perry have both been topping the charts,

are natural-born performers and have their styles totally nailed.

This Pop Slam could go either way.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the moment we've all been waiting for.

The points have been counted and independently verified by me.

And the winner of the Ambo is...

No way! It's Katy Perry! Oh, Olly, get out of here.

Katy, how are you feeling? You know what?

Don't even worry about it, let's just see you in action.

# Unconditional

# Unconditionally

# I will love you... #

Hi, it's Amberley from CBBC.

I was just wondering if Katy Perry's in,

she's just won a massive award for Pop Slam.

-GARBLED VOICE RESPONDS

-Oh, really?

Yeah, but can you please be quick

because I'm on an international call? It's costing a lot of money.

I can hear Katy Perry coming.

I'm actually going to speak to Katy Perry, I'm so excited.

This is the best day of my life.

GARBLED VOICE

-Hi...

-DIAL TONE

Oh, no, wait, I've ran out of credit! Why?!

# Unconditionally. #