Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons — sons of KISS icons Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons — are stepping into the spotlight with their new collaborative project, STANLEY SIMMONS. The duo is set to release their debut single, “Body Down”, on December 5.
In a statement, the pair shared their excitement: “A year ago STANLEY SIMMONS wasn’t even the beginning of a thought in either of our heads. Now it’s pretty much all of them. We’re incredibly proud of the record we’re making and very stoked to share it with you all.”
Over the past 11 months, Evan and Nick have been teasing fans on Instagram with glimpses of their musical sessions together. The idea for STANLEY SIMMONS, according to Evan, began almost by accident. Speaking to Tmrw magazine, he explained: “It was never supposed to be a project. We just wanted to sing together once. Then we heard it back and thought, ‘Wait, this actually sounds special.'”
Nick added: “There’s a kind of connection you can’t fake. When we sing together, it feels like a third voice, something new.”
Growing up in the shadow of their famous fathers hasn’t necessarily made their journey easier. Evan reflected on the challenge: “People get hyped on the last names. But that doesn’t get you anywhere. You can’t network your way into making something that actually moves people.”
Nick also shared how the project initially came to life, telling People magazine in February: “We’ve grown up together. We’re essentially brothers, so we always thought we’d probably play together for fun at some point. But recently Evan picked up a guitar when we were hanging out, and we started humming some harmonies, and it was kind of an unexpected, magic moment. It all just snowballed from there.”
Gene Simmons has been following their progress closely. Speaking to the New York Post in March, he described the duo’s natural chemistry: “Both have been pals because they went to see their dads work since they were little boys. And they never thought about getting together, just strumming and humming and all that.”
Recalling a viral moment when Nick filmed Evan performing “The Sound Of Silence”, Gene added: “They did ‘The Sound Of Silence’ a few times and immediately everybody went, ‘What is that?’ Because you can’t create that. You either have that chemistry — that sound that people react to — or not, right? Something about both Evan‘s voice and Nick‘s voice connected.”
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