Metro Station 'not ashamed to be pop band'

Metro Station frontman Trace Cyrus has claimed that the group are "not ashamed" to be considered a pop band.

The 20-year-old singer, who is currently performing at the Isle Of MTV Festival, told the Daily Star that Michael Jackson's death had highlighted the influence of pop music.

"There are people who say, 'It's just pop', that it's temporary and doesn't matter," he explained. "But it's so important in people's lives. We're not ashamed to be a pop band."

Cyrus also namechecked Depeche Mode as a "major influence" on his group and insisted that they had as many male fans as females, joking: "[It's] because they know there are chicks at our shows!"

Metro Station release new single 'Seventeen Again' on July 13.