The singer for the country trio the Band Perry returns as a solo artist with a wiser outlook and an upcoming EP
Kimberly Perry, who was the singer in the country trio the Band Perry when they were radio stars a decade back, re-interprets her group’s signature 2010 hit with her new release, “If I Die Young Pt. 2.” The song is from an upcoming solo country project that comes after her sibling group’s excursions into pop and beyond.
The original “If I Die Young” was a combination of pretty, youthful poetry and gorgeous melodies. “The sharp knife of a short life/Well, I’ve had just enough time,” Perry sang at the time. Employing those same chords and melodies here, Perry has grown some new awareness about her old song and the beauty of her life as she gets older. She looks more like her mother, has a child of her own on the way, and hopes to be around long enough to see her all grown up.
“I’ve had time to bloom/Plantin’ them roses instead and I’m changing my tune since I said…” Perry sings, then launches into the familiar chorus from “If I Die Young.” She makes one little tweak to the end, admitting that “Now I know there’s no such thing as enough time.”
Perry signed with Nashville-based Records earlier this year. Her trio’s hits in the early 2010’s included “All Your Life,” “Postcard from Paris,” and “Better Dig Two.” Their second and most recent album Pioneer was released in 2013, followed by a series of singles and the 2018 Coordinates EP, which saw a significant shift toward electronic pop. Perry’s five-song EP Bloom will be released June 9.