Best New Artist nominees ‘really honored to represent country.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias The Band Perry Photo: MTV News The Band Perry is up for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards this February. They are up against some stiff competition in the form of Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver, J. Cole and Skrillex. With artists from such a wide range of musical styles making the final cut, the category sets up one of the year’s most-interesting contests. The group’s leading lady spoke to MTV News on Wednesday night backstage at the Grammy Nominations Concert in Los Angeles, where artists including Lady Gaga took the stage . “Our parents were here with us tonight, so we all hugged, and I cried a little bit, and the second thing that popped into my mind was, ‘What a diverse category!’ ” Kimberly Perry shared. “There’s so many genres represented just in the new artist batch, and we’re just really, really honored to represent country in that.” The band, composed of three siblings, has been getting attention in the mainstream thanks to the success of their self-titled album, released in October 2010, and its breakthrough hit “If I Die Young,” a ballad about the perils of, well, dying young. But, the group was less focused on the morose and more focused on Nicki Minaj when they chatted with us. Think Beyonc
