“One day, my mom went to Costco and was like, ‘They’ve got these guitars on sale. Let’s get it for your dad’”: Kiki Wong on how a cheap Yamaha and a Metallica classic changed her musical trajectory

Kiki Wong of The Smashing Pumpkins performs onstage during a concert at Gunnersbury Park on August 10, 2025 in London, England.

Long before she became the Smashing Pumpkins’ latest guitarist and started trading riffs with Billy Corgan, Kiki Wong began her musical journey as a pianist – until a guitar from Costco piqued her interest and completely changed her musical trajectory.

“I started playing piano. I was about six years old,” she says in a new masterclass with Guitar Center, hosted by Guitar World's Paul Riario.