Katy Perry teared up in a recent episode of American Idol as she told one young contestant how the church bought her a guitar when her family didn't have any money. 

The "Roar" singer shared her experience of growing up eating out of food banks after a contestant by the name of "Kai the Singer" revealed it was her church that had encouraged her to audition for the show. 

Kai told judges that her family had spent years in and out of homeless shelters, and even lived at one time in their car. 

"But I thank God for the car," Kai said. 

When asked how she had even made it to the show, she said her church had sent her. 

A visibly emotional Perry said that although she didn't want to compare situations, she could relate to Kai's background because of the poverty she had experienced as a child due to her parents being travelling ministers. 

"I was raised in the church too," Perry told the contestant.

"I didn't grow up with any money, and money was always the problem—it was the cause of everything not great in my life. We had food stamps. We ate at the food bank, all that stuff, because my parents were traveling ministers.

"And so, when I was 13, the church bought me a guitar. And so I related to what you're saying. I think it's so beautiful."

Kai then shared that the church had also bought her the guitar that she used for the audition. 

Perry was a Christian artist performing as Katy Hudson before achieving success in the mainstream pop industry. 

She recently sang a duet of the gospel classic "Oh Happy Day" with another American Idol contestant, Drake McCain. 

Although she no longer identifies as a Christian, she has spoken about her continued faith in God and credited Him with saving her from suicidal thoughts following her divorce from English comedian Russell Brand.

She said it was that experience that inspired her to write "By the grace of God", from her 2013 album Prism.

"I wrote that song 'By the Grace of God' because I do believe in something much bigger than me and I call that God for me," she said. 

"I get to live this wonderful life and I've been given this gift, I know that God has His hand on me, and I know sometimes I go through things and they're just too intense and I can't handle them and then He swoops in and He shows me that it's His grace that brings me through it."