Grammy-winning artist Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry chatted about her new solo music, which includes her “Bloom” EP.
Song selection process for her new EP
On the song selection approach for her “Bloom” EP, she said, “I approached it slowly but surely. The very first song I wrote for ‘Bloom’ was a song called ‘Ghosts’ and it came from a session I had last February.”
Perry continued, “It was my first session with Nicolle Galyon and Jimmy Robbins, who ended up producing the project. That was my very first solo contribution, there was something about it that felt like I was telling my story without the consideration of other brains and other voices, and the masculine perspective that I always created inside of The Band Perry.”
“It felt like I was telling the most vulnerable side of my real-life story and everything I was going through in real time last year and this first quarter as I was writing it,” she said.
Favorite song on the EP
While all of the songs on her “Bloom” EP are special to her for different reasons, at the time being, she listed “Burn the House Down” as her personal favorite. “It’s definitely the song with the most teeth on this project,” she said.
“I love it because it almost is the starting point of figuring out how to bloom. I love that song because it speaks to the original thing that we have to do, which is grow and start from square one,” she added.
‘If I Die Young Pt. 2’
On her new song “If I Die Young Pt. 2,” she said, “The genesis came from a conversation that I had over breakfast with a good friend of mine last summer. That friend was my business partner on the original version, and we were co-babysitters of that song. We were celebrating our new partnership last summer and talking about the origin of the original idea and what I was daydreaming about.”
Perry continued, “In the middle of the conversation, she asked me if I ever thought about doing a sequel to the original about me over a decade later, and as somebody that didn’t actually die young. She told me that she would love to hear what that girl’s perspective is now. When she said that, it really did hit me in the heart.”
“I knew it was a great idea, but I procrastinated for four months because it felt like an intimidating write,” she said. “Once, Nicole and Jimmy and I got together, we hopped in that room, and we finished it in a couple of hours.”
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, Perry said, “We are figuring out TikTok in real-time. It’s such a different universe to put out a project these days than the last time I received a full EP. Spotify, Amazon, and the streaming platforms were all a whisper back then.”
“I really haven’t gone to release a body of work in this new era,” she admitted. “I love it because I’m an immediately gratification girl, so I enjoy seeing the numbers, and seeing fan comments and feedback. It really inspires what I am working on now.”
Advice for young and aspiring artists
For young and aspiring artists, she offered the following advice: “This journey has highs and lows. It’s a bit of a roller coaster and it’s about embracing the highs and the lows.”
“The lows are just as important and they have taught me the wisdom of things such as remaining true to creative core and compromising in the ways that feel appropriate,” she acknowledged.
“Music is a team sport, there are voices that are important to let in to impact where everything goes. It’s about embracing both sides, and pacing yourself for the long run, it’s not a sprint it’s a marathon,” she added.
Sunny Sweeney
Perry had great words about country songstress and friend Sunny Sweeney. “I love Sunny, we have kept in touch over the years, and it is so cool to see her do her thing and killing it in country music as well. Sunny is such a spirited person, she is the best,” Perry said.
Favorite songs in her catalog
From her catalog, she listed “Pioneer,” “Back to Me Without You,” and “Mother Like Mine” as her personal favorites. “‘Pioneer’ was such a taste of truth that we got to write,” she said. “Those three songs from that album are still very near and dear to my heart.”
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Perry revealed “Bloom.” “It’s the ‘Bloom’ era for sure,” she admitted.
Superpower of choice
If she were to have any superpower, she shared that it would be “the ability to be in a room and be invisible.”
Success
Regarding her definition of the word success, Perry said, “Success for me is not only creative success but life success. It has been such an empowering season to not have to make choices between the dreams that I have in building a family and building my life.”
“Success for sure is getting to have a baby, grow a family, and being in Nashville while embarking on my first year of a solo career. That already feels like a success,” she added.
Fans
Perry expressed her appreciation for her fans. “I am so grateful to them,” she expressed. “I am excited to be back home in country music. I appreciate them being on this journey with me for the past 12 years, which has been a roller coaster for all us.”
“Each season really lends itself to the next, it’s an entire process to get where I am today, and their support means a lot to me and I am really excited to be back at home in country,” she said.
Her “Bloom” EP is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Grammy winner Kimberly Perry, follow her on Instagram, and on TikTok.
