Miss Emily could get Gene Simmons kiss

(02/24/11 - intelligencer.ca) Emily Fennell has a demon chasing her.

Not just any demon — The Demon.

Fennell, a Prince Edward County native, is currently in negotiations with Simmons Records, the record label operated by legendary KISS bassist Gene Simmons who, when wearing the KISS makeup, is known as The Demon.

Singing professionally for the past eight years, Fennell hit a milestone accomplishment earlier this year when she was invited to perform for Simmons in Toronto as he searches for new talent to sign to his label.

"I'm loving 2011 and we're only a couple of months in," Fennell, who now calls Kingston home, told The Intelligencer. "Things are going very well. I have not signed anything (with Simmons Records) yet but there are offers on the table. The first offer we turned down and they've returned to the table with another offer."

Just exactly how Simmons came to know about Fennell remains a mystery as the 30-year-old singer said she has no idea how her music made its way into his hands.

"He called me on Jan. 3, that's when this all began. We're not sure how he found out about me, but he heard my stuff somehow and then contacted Universal Canada — Simmons Records' Canadian affiliate — and asked if they knew about me. They said they did because I did a showcase for them back in December and we'd been in talks with them," she said. "Anyway, they e-mailed me and said he wanted to meet me, see me play and hear a set."

During the last week of January, Fennell travelled to Toronto and met with Simmons and then, a day later, performed some of her original material for him. Despite Simmons' legacy in the history of rock and roll, she said, she was not intimidated to perform for him.

"Everybody's human. Everybody farts and has weird tastes ... Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the fact that Gene Simmons is Gene Simmons and he's a world-wide household name and that's cool and the fact he likes me is great, but I wasn't nervous or anything," she said.

Simmons loved Fennell's material and a few days later commented on the Simmons Record website that she "has the best pipes we have ever heard in an unsigned artist. We are moving ahead and want to sign Miss Emily to our label. Hopefully, the lawyers and well-wishers will get out of the way and let her have her career."

Fennell said negotiations are continuing and she's hoping things will result in a positive outcome. She said the record label executives have indicated they want to put her on an "express elevator" and, should she sign a deal, make things happen quickly.