Family trio behind ‘If I Die Young’ to headline at The Pageant
When Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry take the stage, they do so with a declaration: “We’re The Band Perry, and we play country music.”
In a music culture dominated by Justin Bieber and Kanye West, the words “country music” can be divisive – but The Band Perry ain’t your daddy’s country music.
The Band Perry, who will headline The Pageant on Friday, Sept. 30, has no qualms about being country musicians.
“Country music is what we love to do and what we love to play,” Reid said. “It’s like what Bruce Springsteen said about Johnny [Cash] – He had the rebellion of rock of roll, the social of folk and story-telling of country music. That’s what we grew up listening to, and that’s what encompasses us the most.”
It is those flavors of both Southern charm and back-porch jamming that have propelled the Perry siblings to success.
Kimberly, five years older than Reid, began singing publicly in 2005 with her brothers as roadies. A few years later, the man behind Garth Brooks’ success, Bob Doyle, discovered the siblings and brought them to the attention of Scott Borchetta, head of Big Machine Records and manager of a then-relatively unknown singer Taylor Swift.
The Perrys were signed as a band in 2009, and now, just two years later, they are nominated for the Country Music Association’s New Artist of the Year Award.
“At our shows, all of sudden, there are more faces out in the audience, more voices singing along, more people recognizing us,” Kimberly said of their rise to popularity. “We are a live band first and foremost, so we judge our personal growth by that standard. It’s been amazing.”
They say that there is a moment when an artist knows he has made it. That moment came late last year when the trio’s second single “If I Die Young” skyrocketed to the stratosphere of the country charts.
Written by Kimberly, the song has since crossed over to the pop charts, selling more than three million copies and garnering numerous accolades, including a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song and nominations for both Single and Song of the Year at the Academy of Country Music. The song’s success also propelled The Band Perry to their first major award – ACM Top New Artist of 2010.
“Each song you write, they are like your kids,” Kimberly said. “[If I Die Young] was our giant ‘hello’ to music. It meant a lot of folks. To bring that to folks has been so special. It’s humbling to be the bearer of that song. It’s a real emotion and amazing thing to be a part of music that means something to people, especially during a time of life. I feel like our family has expanded by thousands.”
“If I Die Young,” as well as its follow-up track, “You Lie,” exposed the band to the most important group of consumers in the music world today – college students. So far, the response has been resounding; The Band Perry’s self-titled debut album has sold more than 750,000 copies since its Oct. 12, 2010 release, hitting No. 2 on the Billboard Country Music Album Charts.
Neil, 21 and the youngest of the trio, said being a younger act allows The Band Perry to connect with their audience.
“I just want to play the songs I like, the ones with high energy,” he said. “[College kids] like cool beats and energizing beats, and that’s what I like as well.”
His brother Reid, 23, said, “We are able to communicate better more with them speaking the same language, because we talk the same way.”
Up next, The Band Perry will record their sophomore album and will open shows for superstar Reba McEntire, who will play at Chaifetz Arena on Oct. 28.
“We plan to learn a heck of a lot from her,” Kimberly said. “We’re really excited about the year we’ve had, and what’s next for The Band Perry.”
