Linda Perry Wrote 'Get the Party Started' as a 'Joke,' Reveals the A-List Singer Who Rejected It Before Giving It to Pink
Linda Perry Wrote 'Get the Party Started' as a 'Joke,' Reveals the A-List Singer Who Rejected It Before Giving It to Pink
Tereza ShkurtajSat, May 30, 2026 at 2:58 PM UTC
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Linda Perry; Pink.
Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
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Linda Perry recently revealed that “Get the Party Started” was originally written as a joke while she experimented in the studio
Before the song became a smash hit for Pink, Perry said it was first rejected by another major artist
The track ultimately became one of Pink's biggest hits and helped launch her into superstardom
Few songwriters and producers have shaped modern pop music quite like Linda Perry.
As a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Perry spent the last several decades crafting era-defining hits for artists including Christina Aguilera, Pink and Gwen Stefani. But one of her biggest songs, Pink's explosive 2001 anthem “Get the Party Started,” almost never made it to the singer who turned it into a career-defining smash.
During an appearance on Go with Elmo Lovano, Perry revealed the track began as nothing more than a “joke” — and was even rejected by another superstar before landing in Pink's hands.
Pink in the music video for 'Get the Party Started.'
Credit: vevo
At the time, Perry said she was experimenting with unfamiliar pop production tools after years of working as a so-called “analog girl.”
Curious about the glossy sounds dominating radio, she bought new equipment and started piecing together beats and samples in her studio, but what followed surprised even her.
“Just think of every cliche you can think of,” Perry said, recalling the random writing process of “Get the Party Started.” As the track came together, she realized she may have accidentally stumbled onto something massive.
“I'm like laughing, going, holy s---. I just wrote a dance hit,” she told host Elmo Lovano. “I'm, like, blown away by how brilliant I am in my stupidity.” Even then, Perry still viewed the song as an experiment rather than something she could see someone using.
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Pink and Linda Perry in 2019.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
Before Pink ever heard the song, however, Perry first tried pitching it to Madonna after spotting the pop icon at a club. She remembered boldly walking up to the “Material Girl” singer and asking, “Do you believe in seizing the opportunity?” to which the Queen of Pop responded, “Of course.”
Perry remembered feeling thrilled by the interaction, but the excitement was short-lived after she sent the song over to Madonna's manager Guy Oseary, who she said responded with a blunt message: “This is not for Madonna.”
Not long after the Madonna rejection, Perry met a young Pink, who cold-called the respected songwriter-producer after getting her number from a mutual acquaintance. Pink, who identified herself by only her first name on the call, was in the process of preparing her next album and was eager to work with Perry.
While Perry initially dismissed the interaction, she later called Pink back after seeing her on MTV.
When they met, Perry decided to play her the unconventional track, which ultimately became “Get the Party Started” — the breakout hit that helped launch Pink into a new level of stardom and transformed the trajectory of her career.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
