One would have thought Lady Gaga would walk home with it. Or Beyonce. Or Taylor Swift. Or Nicki Minaj. Or Adele. But no, while some of these did find a mention in MTV’s artiste of the year top 10 list, it was Katy Perry who walked away with the title. MTV’s website listed her as the pick of the lot and named her as its Artiste of 2011. The panel making the decision included: James Montgomery and Rob Markman (MTV News), Yomi Desalu and Malika Quemerais (MTV Music and Talent) and Tamar Anitai and Nicole James (MTV.com). They pored over music charts, Facebook friends, twitter followers etc before taking the decision, which may come as a surprise for some but is a sure shot, according to the panel. “Perry is one of the new millennium's biggest pop stars, and she matched some of pop's greatest icons on the charts this year. She tied Billboard records previously held by Michael Jackson and later one held by Janet Jackson and George Michael by having so many hit singles off one album,” says MTV.com. It adds: “She set the bar even higher by hitting the road on the California Dreams Tour, where night after night, decked out in candy-colored clothes, she belted out her greatest hits and empowered her fans with tracks like "Firework." That anthem, originally released late last year, became so ubiquitous this year that it finds itself at #10 on MTV's Best Songs of 2011 list.” “She made us giggle with an LOL-worthy hosting stint on "SNL" and made her big-screen debut voicing the iconic Smurfette in "The Smurfs." Offscreen, she's proved to be the kind of girl that can laugh off rumors that she's pregnant and getting divorced. She's loud, cool and a real girl's girl. It's no easy task to sum up Katy Perry's year. And all those accomplishments make it clear that she's our girl. What would 2011 have been without Katy? It's a 2011 we want nothing to do with.” Others who figure in MTV.com's Top 10 list include: Justin Bieber, Drake, Lil Wayne, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Throne, Adele, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry in that order.