JAKARTA - The leader and bass player of the legendary rock band Kiss, Gene Simmons, has heaped praise on Taylor Swift.
Simmons said Swift's current loyal fan base could only be compared to the mass hysteria experienced by The Beatles in the 1960s, or popularly known as Beatlemania.
The 76-year-old musician emphasized how crucial the connection between artists and fans is in determining a musician's dominance in the global industry.
According to him, Swift has gone beyond the limits of being a popular singer. He assessed that there was a very strong and collective emotional bond among his fans, known as Swifties.
"The only analogy I can point to is the Swifties right now. Yeah, the songs are cool, and Taylor is amazing, we all know that, but it's more than that. It's almost like a tribal meeting," Simmons said while being a guest on the LegendsNLeaders podcast.
"The Beatles had it, it was called Beatlemania. It almost felt like a cult worship. You were part of it, and there was a connection there," he added.
Simmons' admiration for the "Anti-Hero" singer has personal roots. He remembers a moment in 2009 when a young Swift surprised him by dressing up as a Kiss member while opening for Keith Urban's tour.
Simmons openly showed his pride in Swift's stage performance at the time, which was recorded in the star's old documentation.
"Try entering the keyword 'Taylor Swift Kiss band makeup' in the search field, and you will see Taylor and the whole band coming out wearing Kiss makeup and doing the action," he said.
Simmons' view is in line with The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr's statement, who said that the enthusiasm of fans surrounding Taylor Swift was the closest thing to Beatlemania he had ever seen in person.
On the other hand, Simmons still maintains his conservative stance regarding the music industry. In the same broadcast, he reiterated his disapproval of the inclusion of the hip-hop genre in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which he said deviated from the historical roots of rock music he knew.
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