KISS bassist Gene Simmons is widely known for his amazing skills as a musician and songwriter and is often praised for his impressive ideas as an entrepreneur. However, he also often makes the headlines with his controversial statements about various matters, from music to politics.
One of his most discussed arguments is without a doubt ‘rock is dead‘ which he first brought forth in 2014. However, prior to that, he’d already started comparing rock to pop and how the genres differ especially on basis of stage performances. The biggest bombshell that he dropped was when he called Rihanna a ‘fake’ musician.
Why Did Gene Simmons Call Rihanna Fake?
As mentioned above, the KISS icon had criticized pop musicians for their ‘fake’ live performances, and this criticism might have been questionable if it were someone else, but he’s one of the few musicians who have the right to say so. As you know, KISS’s live performances feature smoking guitars, levitating drum kits, fire breathing, pyrotechnics, and more.
All these happen in the background while the band is performing live which is definitely very hard to achieve. Thus, seeing pop stars dance with a group of dancers while doing ‘karaoke’ on stage instead of performing properly, had rightfully angered the KISS icon who called these performances ‘fake bullsh*t.’
Here’s what Gene Simmons said during a press conference in 2012 about Rihanna:
“We’re sick and tired of girls getting up there with dancers and karaoke tapes in back of them. No fake bullsh*t.
Leave that to the Rihanna, Shmianna, and anyone who ends their name with an A.”
While many rockstars supported Gene Simmons on his stance against karaoke performances, which are often favored by pop musicians, others noted that this isn’t something that only Rihanna or ‘anyone who ends their name with an A’ does, but that it has become a common practice in the contemporary music industry.
