Has The Band Perry Gone Pop, Or Do They Still Play Country?

It was the summer of 2011 and the Gorge Amphitheatre concert season was in full swing. Having been a country music fan most of my life I was excited to see one of the greats, Tim McGraw, do his thing live in front of 20,000 screaming fans. At the time, he also had two hot and fairly new opening acts on the tour, Luke Bryan and the brother/sister group, the Band Perry.

I can vividly remember the giant banner on display that boldly stated "We're the Band Perry, and we play country music."

You can see that Neil has his accordion in hand, which you don't see very often -- if at all -- in live music today. They were rocking hits like "Hip to my Heart" and their smash, "If I Die Young."

The chemistry and harmonization are incredible and it was clear the country trio was on the climb. Their self-titled debut album was certified platinum, followed up by "Pioneer," which was certified gold. Both albums are considered country by definition, but their new album, titled "Heart + Beat" and due out this November, launched with a pop-influenced song "Live Forever."

The co-writer and producer of "Live Forever," RedOne has worked with artists like Pitbull Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga. His pop influence is very clear and I would venture to say that "Live Forever" could be considered a pop song. The album cover is very artsy and unique, but the true tell as to whether the group that boldly proclaimed that they played country music in 2011 has gone pop will be the rest of the album.

A small group of fans are already losing their minds on social media over the video for "Live Forever." They don't seem to be adjusting well to the new look and feel of the country trio. Time will tell if this is just a one off or if they've fully converted to pop, following in the footsteps of Taylor Swift.