Kimberly Perry says updating 'If I Die Young' with a second part was the 'responsible' thing to do

The singer admits she didn't want to 'rob anybody from the original experience of the O.G.'
Kimberly Perry
Kimberly Perry Photo credit Donald Kravitz/Getty Images
By , Audacy

Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry is set to have a huge year, kicking off her solo career by giving fans a second part to her former group’s smash hit "If I Die Young."

LISTEN NOW: Kimberly Perry discusses "If I Die Young Part 2"

For many, The Band Perry's song has helped in dealing with the grief over losing someone young, with KFRG morning host Kelli Green wondering if Kimberly had ever wavered in her decision to update the beloved single.

"There were definitely some inhibitions in going from the initial idea of doing a part two, like updating the story from the perspective of the girl who wrote the song over 10 years later, who didn't die young," Kimberly admits. "One of the things that was really important to me is that we just didn't rob anybody from the original experience of the O.G." The song, she says, "validated so many people's experiences and their feelings. It held hands with people during times of loss. I did not want to step on that or try to rob that from anybody. But it also felt like the right thing to do and the responsible thing to do, honestly."

While Perry gets set to drop her solo BLOOM EP on June 9, she’s also preparing to become a first-time mom. Discussing what scares her most about motherhood, Kimberly says, “I think maybe repeating some things that I would have criminalized my own parents for. You know, we can set our intentions to do things in a certain way, but I really have started to even wrap my head around the overprotection of, ‘Hey, I'm going to have to make sure that there are moments when I actively let go, you know, of controlling the future of this little person's life.”

“I think one thing that we're really trying to focus on these days are being family and putting that first and foremost, which is a way different Thanksgiving table than when you're kind of talking about, ‘Well, where are we on the chart?’ And, ‘Do we have shows next week?’

Hear more from Kimberly’s conversation with Kelli Green of KFRG's The Wake Up Call above.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Donald Kravitz/Getty Images