In the mid-’80s, Simmons became romantically linked with Canadian-born model, actress, and former Playboy playmate Shannon Tweed. The couple had two children together, Nick and Sophie Tweed-Simmons, and later wed in 2011. The family went on to star on seven seasons of the A&E reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels, which ended in 2012. Today, the younger of Simmons’ children, 29-year-old Sophie, is following in both her parents’ footsteps with a dual career in modeling and music. Read on to see her now. RELATED: See Olivia Newton-John’s Daughter, Who Owns a Marijuana Farm. Growing up with a hairband hitmaker for a dad, it’s perhaps no surprise that Sophie has launched her own career in music. In 2015, Sophie debuted her first single, a cover of Sixpence None the Richer’s song “Kiss Me.” Since then, she’s released at least 15 more tracks including other covers, collaborations, and original solo singles. Among her most popular songs is “Black Mirror,” which spent 10 weeks on the Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, peaking at number 20. She has seen additional success with songs like “Burn Me Down,” “Mine,” “If I Could,” “Paper Cut,” and several collaborations with DJ duo Yellow Claw. RELATED: See Harry Hamlin’s Son With Bond Girl Ursula Andress. Sophie has shared that while she grew up around music, she spent years trying to find other professional possibilities. “I avoided the [music and modeling world] for a long time because I didn’t want the comparisons between my parents and myself, but then it was something I was naturally good at—probably the only thing I was naturally good at,” she shared with AOL. When she finally began recording her songs and releasing them, she felt “stupid” for not pursuing music sooner, she told the outlet. Then when she did embrace music as a career, she initially tried to bury her A-list lineage. “I used to say my name was Alexandra Wall which is my middle name and my mom’s maiden name, and it didn’t make a difference, because people always knew,” she explained. “You can’t hide who you are or where you came from, and I’m grateful that my parents introduced me to music at such a young age because now I’m proficient enough to write my own music,” she said. In addition to her budding music career, Sophie works as a model and is signed with One.1 Models in New York. “I had met with other plus-size agencies and because I’m not exactly a straight size, people didn’t want to book me,” she explained while speaking with The Cut. “My agency said, ‘We’re going to pitch you separately and find specific projects that work for you. Models have to take it upon themselves to seek that out. Just because someone tells you to lose weight doesn’t mean you have to. Look for other agencies and see where they will take you as you are,” she said. A passionate advocate for body positivity, she now hopes to use her platform to inspire more body inclusivity. “Nowadays, it’s so great to see real women and no Photoshop,” she remarked. Though modeling and music are two different worlds, the emerging star says they can have similar pitfalls. Chief among them is the impulse to hide your own imperfections—in music with filters like “autotune and reverb and echoes,” and in modeling with Photoshop or conforming to others’ beauty standards.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “The first time I heard myself recorded when I was like 12, I quit singing for years,” the singer recalled while speaking with AOL. “It was kind of interesting to see that mirror up to my voice… hearing myself, and not liking it and having to deal with that,” she added. She noted that her journey to modeling required that same process of self acceptance. “I can’t make myself thinner or prettier, but I can walk into a room with more confidence and personality,” she said. Sophie says she ultimately stopped second guessing herself after her mom threatened to ground her for not pursuing her dreams. “You have to live your life just for you,” she told The Cut. “It’s not our job to impress people, why are we trying to?” RELATED: See Chuck Norris’ Son, Who’s a NASCAR Champion.
