The BobbyCast: The Band Perry on Their Return, Eloping in Vegas & Reality of Parenthood

Host: Bobby Bones
Guests: Kimberly Perry & Johnny Costello (The Band Perry)
Date: March 19, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This BobbyCast episode features Bobby Bones in an in-depth, warm, and candid conversation with Kimberly Perry and Johnny Costello—known together as the new iteration of The Band Perry. The episode explores the band’s highly anticipated return after a multi-year hiatus, the evolution from a sibling trio to a spousal duo, their personal journey (including parenting and eloping in Vegas), and the realities of making music—and decisions—as a maturing country act. It's equal parts career retrospective, relationship talk, and creative shop talk, all delivered in the honest, conversational Bobby Bones style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Band Perry’s Transformation & Return

• Band Evolution: Kimberly Perry returns as The Band Perry with her husband, Johnny Costello, rather than her brothers Reid and Neil, who have moved on to other life chapters.
  • "The original Band Perry was made up of Kimberly and her brothers Reid and Neil... Now they're back—sort of in season two... but it’s her and her husband now." (03:08)
• Not Strategic, Just Life: Despite Bobby’s jokes about a “genius-level coup,” Kimberly insists the lineup change was not strategic—just a product of organic family evolution and life changes.
  • "It did not feel authentic to me to play Band Perry songs live under the solo artist banner. And also, I just missed the hell out of playing with family on stage, whoever that family ended up becoming." – Kimberly (04:37)
• Hiatus Reason: They needed a break for spiritual and mental health after non-stop touring since childhood; the transition allowed everyone to “grow up a little bit.”
  • "We need a spiritual health break. We need a mental health break... and then we just made this agreement: if we’re ever going to come back and turn the lights on, it has to be an intentional option." – Kimberly (06:06)

Frequently Asked Questions About the New Band

• Top 3 Questions They Get:
  1. Where are your brothers? (Both live in California with their families)
  2. What’s different about season two vs. season one?
     • “We want throughlines” with original producer Dan Huff, but Kimberly’s interested in contributing to the current bold new era of country.
  3. How is it working with your husband?
     • "We play very different roles. I think I’m what you call OCD...and Kimberly is the creative and always been the voice behind TBP." – Johnny (08:46)

Kimberly & Johnny’s Relationship: Meeting, Falling in Love, Eloping

• How They Met: In a Dallas studio while making new music for The Band Perry; instant connection.
  • "I met Johnny in October of 2020 in Dallas... and I just immediately fell in love with him." – Kimberly (09:41)
• Johnny Didn’t Know The Band Perry (A recurring joke—genuinely didn’t know “If I Die Young” or their fame):
  • "He did not know The Band Perry. He did not know a little song called If I Die Young. Any of it." – Kimberly (02:55, 15:45)
• Their Elopement: Eloped in Vegas, at midnight in a hotel room at The Wynn, on a road trip.
  • "We got married at midnight at the Wynn in our hotel room... I had no dress, got married in a neon skirt, white t-shirt, bare feet..." – Kimberly (16:34, 17:14)
  • On why they eloped: "I need to live this moment in my life where I don't tell anybody else. It's just about me and him. I don't really want to go through the whole season of planning a wedding." – Kimberly (18:04)
• Parenthood:
  • Kimberly relates how motherhood has changed her—made her more confident, efficient, and decisive both in life and creativity.
    • "I don't get flustered in the same ways... there's not as much emotional capacity or time. Everything is much more efficient." – Kimberly (31:58)
  • Johnny’s newfound immediacy as a “papa bear”—life changed forever after their son Wit was born.
    • "You kind of have this, like, 'my whole world changed.' I'm like papa bear now... It just feels so natural." – Johnny (31:04)

Nashville, Country Music, and the Craft

• Transition from Solo to The Band Perry:
  • Kimberly didn’t feel right performing classic Band Perry songs as a solo artist; performing with Johnny revived that "family" feeling.
  • "I just missed the hell out of playing with family on stage, whoever that family ended up becoming." – Kimberly (04:37)
• Genre Crossover: Johnny comes from a rock background, finds new appreciation in country’s musicianship and songcraft.
  • "There's so many scenes in music... but country is the one genre that they want to listen to the craft of the song." – Johnny (14:30)
• Creative Efficiency: Parenting has made them hyper-efficient and decisive in their creative process.
  • "We have two hours after he goes to bed before we're exhausted. Let's get a chorus, let's get a verse, and a chorus..." – Kimberly (33:43)

Music Production, Release Strategy, and Inspirations

• New Music: Working with legendary producer Dan Huff.
  • "We've done our first three sides with Dan Huff... we'll go back in March to grab three more." – Kimberly (34:03)
• Release Strategy: Releasing singles leading up to a full album, due in Fall 2026.
  • "We're gonna do a whole album, but we'll do a song at a time leading to the full album." – Kimberly (34:20)
• Favorite Artists:
  • Kimberly: Freddie Mercury (Queen). Describes covering "Fat Bottom Girls," and Brian May complimenting their live version via voice note.
    • "He had sent [Brian May] our version... and he was like, oh, tell them I think it's so beautiful. And if they're ever in London, I'd love to check out a show." (35:45)
  • Johnny: Patty Griffin.
    • "She's like one person that can make me cry... her songwriting is like, it makes you get internally reflective." (36:44)
• Special Album Drop: They donate a copy of Nirvana’s Bleach to Bobby’s collection; it was the only CD in Johnny’s inherited truck during the beginning of their relationship.
  • "I listened to the CD for seven months. It physically defines the bleach. We're blonde hair, bleach, all black... The song 'About a Girl' is a song we kept going back to." – Johnny (70:03)

Reflection on Legacy, Pressure, and Lessons Learned

• Kimberly’s Hard-Won Lessons:
  • Wishes she'd understood, earlier, that her team’s creative control often came from a place of love and protection, not just "control."
  • "After having so many conversations and now thinking back with hindsight... it was based out of love and them trying to protect the thing that we were building together." (60:33)
  • Prioritizes trusting her artistic instinct, but also now values input from smart collaborators.
  • Learned not to let every decision—especially around “legacy”—feel life-or-death.
• Bobby Reflects on Consistency and Friendships:
  • "Where I was right was just being consistent. Consistency is such currency..." (60:04)
  • Admits he isolated himself early out of mistrust, which he sees now as a mistake.

Fondness and Respect Between Host and Guest

• Bobby on Kimberly:
  • Appreciated her confident, direct approach as a woman in a tough industry.
    • "There was a presentation of you were the boss, you were coming in. Everybody needs to just get out of the fricking way. And I respected that." (66:35)
  • Recognizes that often strong women get unfairly labeled, but with Kimberly, "I like you because I think I respect you because you just asked for what you wanted." (67:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Thank God I married a guitar player who can keep the family band alive with me." – Kimberly (06:06)
• "The nostalgia that brought us to the country music dance in the first place remains in this era... but country music is more exciting than it’s ever been." – Kimberly (08:12)
• "Eight months [of dating before eloping]. So that's a healthy amount of time." – Bobby (14:05)
• "I never had believed in, like, love at first sight. And that was my experience with him." – Kimberly (19:08)
• "Do you see a different strength from being a mom?" “I do... just a whole different level of assurance, confidence, and making decisions.” – Bobby & Kimberly (31:47–33:07)
• "Perspective. You only get it because you've been through crap." – Bobby (57:43)
• "If you’re good and really good consistently and you show up, man, that is all what success is about." – Bobby (60:11)

Timestamped Highlights

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 03:08–04:37 | Overview of Band's hiatus, reunion, and lineup change | | 06:06 | Why the hiatus happened, reflections on childhood + band origins | | 07:46–08:41 | Top questions fans ask about the new Band Perry | | 09:29–17:31 | Kimberly & Johnny’s love story and elopement in Las Vegas | | 18:04–18:42 | Why elope (“needed a moment that was just about me and him... not planning a wedding”)| | 22:03–22:27 | Being a parent and how it impacts official forms, pediatrician’s office, and family dynamics | | 31:04–33:43 | How parenthood affects creative process; efficiency & decisiveness| | 34:03–36:25 | Album plans with Dan Huff; discussion of singles vs. album releases | | 35:45–36:15 | Brian May of Queen praises Band Perry’s cover | | 66:35–67:48 | Bobby’s appreciation for Kimberly’s directness, strength, and consistency| | 68:22–69:43 | Reid Perry's short return to the band, hometown benefit show after Hurricane Helene | | 70:03–72:12 | Donating Nirvana's Bleach, musical nostalgia, and their relationship’s soundtrack | | 72:38–73:48 | Why choose the new single “Psychological” as their comeback track? | | 73:33–74:36 | Playing the hits on tour and feeling at ease with their legacy |

Tone & Style

The conversation is casual, honest, self-aware, and loaded with mutual respect and humor. Bobby teases out both light personal stories and deeper reflections, with Kimberly and Johnny providing unpolished, open, and thoughtful answers. There’s a candid acknowledgment of the music industry’s pressures, life’s unpredictability, and learning to balance family, artistic aspiration, and self-care—all delivered in a tone that is both down-to-earth and occasionally wry.

For Listeners: Essential Takeaways

• The Band Perry is back in a new, authentic way, holding onto the essence of what made them special while adapting to evolving lives and relationships.
• Kimberly Perry’s journey is one of determination, adaptation, personal growth, and now—motherhood and marriage—shaping her both as an artist and as a person.
• Their creative process and ambitions are influenced (and sharpened) by parenting, past industry lessons, and a new sense of balance and efficiency.
• Candid reflections on mistakes, right moves, and the necessity of adaptability make this episode especially relatable for artists and fans navigating change.

End Note

The Band Perry’s new material, tour plans, and current family dynamic reflect not just a musical “comeback,” but the growth and adaptation that come with life offstage—told with the same honesty and spirit that brought them to stardom the first time around.

[End of Summary]