EVAN STANLEY And NICK SIMMONS Reject 'Nepotism' Label For Their STANLEY SIMMONS Project: 'This Is What We Would Do If Nobody Was Watching'

In a new interview with the Preston & Steve show which is broadcast on Philadelphia's active rock radio station 93.3 WMMR, Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons — sons of Paul and Gene Simmons, respectively, from KISS — addressed accusations which have been leveled at them for supposedly leveraging their famous parents to gain a head start in the music industry with their STANLEY SIMMONS collaboration. Evan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I think a lot of times, and look, I'm guilty of it myself. You hear someone's son or daughter of so-and-so, and you kind of write 'em off because I think often when you're raised a certain way, you get used to a lifestyle and you like that lifestyle more than you like the craft that provided it. And for us, we fell in love with music really early, and this is our everything. This is what we would do if nobody was watching. So for us, everything is secondary and the music comes first."

Nick chimed in: "And we were doing it when nobody was watching."

Evan continued: "That's the funniest thing. We'll see these comments online saying, 'Go pay your dues. You need to play shows to no one.' It's, like, 'Hey, man, what do you think I've been doing the last 14 years [with my other music projects]? You didn't know about it 'cause you weren't there.' Nobody was there."

Regarding why they decided to call the band STANLEY SIMMONS, Evan said: "When this came about, it was supposed to be... Well, it wasn't supposed to be anything, and then it was, 'Maybe we'll do a song or two.' The whole thing was kind of, 'Let's just keep it natural. Let's be real.' And we figured, whether it was SIMON & GARFUNKEL, CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, HALL & OATES, a lot of our heroes just used their names. We weren't really trying to put anything forward except ourselves, so we thought STANLEY SIMMONS is great."

Nick said: "The other projects had, we were trying to brand it and kind of be very... This one we were, like, 'All right, let's just play and relax,' and ironically, we named it STANLEY SIMMONS, and they go, 'Oh, look at them leaning into the last name.' I go, 'Well, that's my last name. I was thinking about CSNY.' And maybe I'm naïve. Maybe that's a silly thing not to realize."

Evan continued: "We're learning you can never win on the Internet. No matter what you do, you cannot win. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't."

Nick added: "Also, 99% of the time it's been very positive. So we're very lucky."

Evan and Nick also talked about the advice and suggestions they received from their famous parents' regarding their musical output. Nick said: "They love a backhanded compliment, both of them. They love it. They have real... 'tact' is the word I would use to describe the man [Gene Simmons] most of the time. He was, like, 'You know, I liked what you were doing before. This blows that out of the water.' And I go, 'Oh, thanks. I worked really hard on that other thing. But thank you.'"

Evan said: "I take this as a really good thing 'cause you gotta have people around you who are real. If they say what you do is great all the time, then you never know what's actually true, whether it's my mom, my dad or close friends, or Nick. I mean, I've brought plenty of stuff in where [Nick] goes, 'Yeah, mmm.'

"I remember playing my dad a song once. This was years ago, and he goes, 'You're great. This is not,'" Stanley recalled. "And I was, like, 'All right. Fair.' But you need that. Because that means so much more. [My father] came out — we just did two sold-out shows in New York last night or the night before. And he came out and was really, like, 'No, seriously, this is really great.' So then you go, like, I believe that because you don't say everything is great, so when he says it, he really means it. And that means so much more. And my mom's the same way. My mom can be — she's very sweet, but under the sweetness she's pretty brutal on stuff."

Nick added: "Compliments are a waste of time. It doesn't do anything. It's very nice, but it's not helpful."

STANLEY SIMMONS's debut album, "Dancing While The World Is Ending", arrived on August 28.

STANLEY SIMMONS's first-ever U.S. tour kicked off on September 14 in Dallas, Texas and will conclude on November 3 in West Hollywood, California.

STANLEY SIMMONS made its live debut on May 4 at the House Of Blues Voodoo Room in San Diego, California.

Though Evan and Nick have been close since childhood — raised on the road by their fathers — the idea of collaborating musically never crossed their minds. That changed in December 2024, when an impromptu Instagram reel brought them together in front of microphones for the first time.

What began as a casual moment quickly evolved. By February 2025, Evan and Nick tried writing together — again, just for fun — and lightning struck twice. STANLEY SIMMONS was born. The pair soon realized they had stumbled into the project each had always hoped to make: a return to something expressive and organic, driven by musicianship, storytelling and emotion.

Early bedroom demos caught the attention of legendary producer Rob Cavallo (GREEN DAY, FLEETWOOD MAC, PARAMORE, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, Dave Matthews),who immediately signed on to produce the duo's debut full-length record and stepped into the role of manager.