After holding an open audition process, The Smashing Pumpkins announced in April that they'd brought in a new guitarist, Kiki Wong. Speaking with ABC Audio, frontman Billy Corgan shares how Wong is fitting in since joining the band.
"We're very excited about Kiki," Corgan says. "She's really a great person."
"I think one of the most cool things is that she's a young mother," he adds. "She's got a 1-year-old child."
As the Pumpkins rock into their fourth decade as a band, family has become one of the biggest priorities among the members.
"I have two children that are quite young, and [drummer] Jimmy Chamberlin has two children and [guitarist] James Iha has two children," Corgan says. "So I like that the band is very much a family type of thing."
"I'm excited for Kiki because I know what that must feel like for her to finally sort of have some musical dreams come true and, at the same time, be able to provide for her family," he continues. "I know how important that is for me."
The Smashing Pumpkins will play their first shows with Wong in June while touring Europe. They'll then be joining Green Day's U.S. tour in July.
In the meantime, you can watch Corgan on his new reality show, Billy Corgan's Adventures in Carnyland, streaming now via The CW app and CWTV.com.