Paul Stanley’s son Evan Stanley recently addressed criticism regarding his band’s name choice. He defended the decision to use “Stanley & Simmons” for his collaboration with Gene Simmons’ son Nick in an interview on the Caught On The Mike podcast.
Evan Stanley explained the reasoning behind using their family names. He responded to online criticism about leveraging their famous parents’ legacy.
“It’s funny when you say the obvious marketing angle, it’s a really funny one for us, or to anyone who is familiar, our parents are in a band together, and it’s a pretty big band and that’s great and it’s really cool,” he said. “I think it’s one of those things where online it’s a very funny thing. You read these comments, and it’s, like, ‘You’re trying to do your own thing, but then you use their names. Riding their coattails.’ I’m, like, dude, it’s literally our names. This is my birth name. It’s our legal name.”
Stanley acknowledged the challenges of breaking through in today’s crowded music landscape. He addressed the criticism directly.
“The thing is, you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t,” he continued. “Because at the end of the day, there are so many talented musicians out there, and there’s so much great music coming out. There’s also just an ungodly amount of platforms to try and keep up with, and there’s so much noise to cut through.”
He emphasized that while their family connections might help gain initial attention, lasting success depends on the quality of their music.
“So anything that we can do to help cut through the noise and get people to listen to our music, I’m willing to do,” Stanley explained. “I have no problem with that, because at the end of the day, someone will listen once out of curiosity, but they won’t listen a tenth time because they’re curious. They’re gonna either love it and connect with it and be part of it or they won’t be. And that’s not something you can buy.”
Stanley also described how the collaboration developed organically between the two musicians.
“To us, the reason we went with Stanley Simmons is this was such an unexpected collaboration,” he said. “We’ve been friends for a long time, but we’d never really done anything together. And when we tried writing, we were, like, ‘Wow, this is something. Let’s run with this.’ And from the get-go it has been — I think the word ‘organic’ and ‘authentic’, both of those words get tossed around so much, but this was never trying to be a thing.”
The collaboration evolved from a casual songwriting session into something more substantial. This led to their decision to formalize the partnership under the Stanley & Simmons name.
The musical partnership between the two KISS offspring represents a significant departure from their fathers’ hard rock legacy. AXS TV reported that the duo has recorded 10 songs together, aiming for a rootsy Americana sound that diverges from the famous heavy makeup and hard rock of their parents’ band.
Both musicians bring their own established musical backgrounds to the collaboration. Ultimate Classic Rock noted that Evan fronts the band Amber Wild, which notably opened for KISS on their End of the Road farewell tour. This gave him direct experience performing alongside his father’s legendary group.
The Stanley & Simmons project officially launched with their debut single “Body Down,” which was released on December 5, 2025. Ultimate Classic Rock revealed that the track features an acoustic, psychedelic vibe that showcases their commitment to creating music distinct from their fathers’ metal sound.
Gene Simmons has publicly supported his son’s musical endeavors and the collaboration with Evan Stanley. In March 2025, Blabbermouth documented that Gene told the New York Post about Nick and Evan’s musical partnership: “Both have been pals because they went to see their dads work together.”
The friendship between Evan and Nick extends beyond their shared musical heritage. It has developed over years of watching their fathers perform together on stage. Consequence of Sound highlighted that their collaboration represents a natural evolution of their long-standing friendship into a creative partnership that honors their family legacy while establishing their own artistic identity.
