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TBT: Katy Perry and John Mayer Used to Make Out to Drake

TBT: Katy Perry & John Mayer
TBT: Katy Perry & John Mayer

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Who: Seven-time Grammy-winning musician John Mayer, 44, and pop star Katy Perry, 37.

How They Met: Surprisingly, Mayer and Perry met three years before they even began dating. In 2009, the pair reportedly exchanged flirty tweets and texts before officially meeting at a Jay-Z concert at Madison Square Garden a few weeks later. They decided to go to GoldBar in New York afterward, and they just "clicked," according to a source. "They were so flirty and all over each other that night at the bar. They really liked each other," the insider said at the time. "Their personalities just clicked, and they were flirting and dancing, and it was on."

However, the MTV Video Music Awards were the next day, and Katy's now ex-husband Russell Brand was the show's host. In the end, the comedian swooped in and got the girl, and Katy and John wouldn't reconnect until after her divorce from Brand was finalized in 2012.

TBT: Katy Perry & John Mayer
TBT: Katy Perry & John Mayer

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They were rumored to be dating in August 2012, but by the end of the month, Katy and John had reportedly called it quits already. A week later, the two were back on and seen getting cozy in the VIP section at the FYF concert in Los Angeles.

RELATED: TBT: Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen Named Their Daughter After a Disney Princess

When asked about his relationship with Perry by Rolling Stone, Mayer told the magazine not once but three times that he was happy. "I'm quite happy," he said, adding: "I'm happy in all aspects of my life. I'm very happy in all aspects of my life." The happiness seemingly didn't last. Three months later, they broke up for a second time before reconnecting again. Mayer and Perry would infamously repeat this pattern a few more times.

Why We Loved Them: As two mega-famous musicians, music was clearly a shared passion between Perry and Mayer. And Perry said as much on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in December 2013. "We have music as an understanding and love between each other. He understands what I do because he does the same thing, and so after a long day, if it's been tough, I don't really have to go into it," she said of Mayer. "He just gets it, you know?"

Perry also gets it. Earlier that year, Mayer damaged his vocal cords and had to go on vocal rest following throat surgery, with Perry acting as his interpreter for 10 months. He publicly thanked his girlfriend for her understanding at one of his concerts, telling the audience, "She would order for me...and she would tell people, 'it's nice to meet you, he says'...When I was in Montana...with bad service... she was so patient as to continue to get to know me and love me." Mayer then went on to dedicate his song "A Face to Call Home" to Perry.

TBT: Katy Perry & John Mayer
TBT: Katy Perry & John Mayer

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Music connected them romantically, as well. In September 2013, Katy revealed that she and John like to make out to Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home."

"He [Drake] really hit home on this next one called 'Hold On.' I think it's beautiful. It sounds a little bit like kind of old vibey Lionel Richie [or] The Weeknd. It's sexy as hell," the singer said during her stint as a radio host for iTunes. "And I listen to it with my boyfriend, so I would suggest listening to it with whoever you wanna make out with."

When They Peaked: Mayer and Perry's mutual love of music eventually culminated in a duet titled "Who You Love," which was featured on Mayer's album Paradise Valley.

The Breakup: The on-again, off-again couple were officially off in July 2015 after almost three years of dating. At the time, neither Perry nor Mayer gave a statement about the split, and sources didn't offer many details. In the past, however, Katy's busy work schedule and their seven-year age gap were strains on the relationship.

​​An insider later told People that the exes "will always care about each other" and "want each other to be happy."

Where They Are Now: Mayer is single and hasn't had a serious relationship since his split with Katy. He slid into Halsey's DMs in 2018, but she was adamant that they were just friends. He was also rumored to be dating Kourtney Kardashian back in 2019. However, John set the record straight and denied reports that he "came after" the reality star at the GQ Men of the Year party while speaking with Andy Cohen on SiriusXM's Radio Andy.

John released his latest album Sob Rock in 2021, five years after 2017's The Search For Everything, which had a song dedicated to Katy on it. He admitted to the New York Times that the track "Still Feel Like Your Man" was about his ex. "Who else would I be thinking about?" he said about Perry. "And by the way, it's a testament to the fact that I have not dated a lot of people in the last five, six years. That was my only relationship. So it's like, give me this, people."

TBT: Katy Perry & John Mayer
TBT: Katy Perry & John Mayer

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RELATED: TBT: Katy Perry and Russell Brand Had a Cat Named After Both of Them

Perry began dating Orlando Bloom shortly after Mayer, and with the exception of a brief break in 2017, they've been together ever since. The two got engaged on Valentine's Day 2019, and they welcomed a daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, the following year.

Aside from her music career (she released her sixth studio album Smile in 2020 and was featured on Alesso's hit single "When I'm Gone" in 2021), Katy is also a judge on American Idol and has been since Season 16.

#TBT: Check in every Thursday as we throw it back to some of our favorite celebrity couples of all time.