The new Smashing Pumpkins guitarist, Kiki Wong, spoke about her position in the band during a recent interview with Reality Check TV.
Asked to confirm if Billy Corgan took the lead guitars while she handled the rhythm guitar, Wong said, “We all switch off leads, but it’s mainly them. Yeah, I do a lot of rhythms. So…”
Then, to clarify whether she was a permanent member or a touring musician, she continued, “I’d love to call myself a permanent member. [Laughs] No, no, no. No, I don’t. Basically, I would love to play with the band forever if I could. Right now, I’m a touring musician.”
“Well, we got stuff booked for Europe at the end of July,” the guitarist added about her next run with the Pumpkins.
Longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder left the Smashing Pumpking back in October 2023. After that, the band started looking for a new member and accepting applications through email. On April 26, Wong joined the lineup as the touring guitarist.
Wong told Revv Amps in December that joining the Smashing Pumpkins gave her career a big boost and helped her improve her skills.
She then shared, “Coming into this world and being exposed to so much more depth, it’s a gift. I feel like I’ve just been pigeonholed, it’s just [been] me trying to figure out things by myself, and now I’ve got five people who are all in the music and have different backgrounds and interests.”
The band will next play with Wong at the Hills of Rock 2025 festival in Bulgaria on July 27 before heading to Italy and Norway.
