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There's a line Chasen Hampton's father used to say: 'You are who you hang with.' It's a piece of advice that's always been important and that's played a significant role in shaping his career.

As the lead vocalist of Close Enemies, Hampton stands alongside some of the most storied musicians in rock history: Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith, drummer Tony Brock of The Babys, and guitarists Peter Stroud and Trace Foster, veterans of stages with Sheryl Crow, Don Henley, AC/DC, and the Rolling Stones.

The band's self-titled debut album dropped in March, and it sounds exactly like what it is: a band of lifers who have nothing left to prove and are enjoying every moment of this revolution.

Close Enemies 

Close Enemies are a rock supergroup featuring Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton, The Babys' Tony Brock, guitarists Peter Stroud and Trace Foster, and vocalist Chasen Hampton.

Their self-titled debut album, featuring singles 'Sound of a Train,' 'Rain,' and 'Sweet Baby Jesus,' is out now on all major streaming platforms and available to buy below.

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For Hampton, the road to this moment has been impressive. A child star turned actor turned solo artist turned mentor, he spent years knocking on doors that wouldn't open.

'Sometimes you can be the full package and just be at the wrong location on the wrong date,' he said. 'This came into my life like a lightning bolt — it felt like a prayer being answered.'

Chasen Hampton, Close Enemies frontman

Indeed, Close Enemies feels like an answer from above for dyed-in-the-wool music fans. With singles like 'Sound of a Train' and 'Inside Out,' the full album exudes the big, soulful rock sound that's felt largely absent in recent years.

'It definitely happened organically,' he says. 'The collective amount of years we've all been in music, the influences collected and the experiences earned… we just bring who we are to the table, and out comes a Close Enemies song.'

The process is joyful, according to Hampton. 'It's so fun to watch these grown men plug in and become kids again — a perfect storm of talent and respect where we challenge each other and make each other better.'

The band's commitment to authenticity is total: there are no click tracks, no backing tracks, and certainly no autotune. 'We are an all-tube, in-the-moment rock 'n' roll band.'

Hampton's path to Close Enemies reads like a story about the long game. After an early career that took him from the Mickey Mouse Club to Hollywood Records to the Sunset Strip, he found himself hitting walls.

'I knocked on many doors but wasn't having the luck I had had prior,' he shares. The pivot occurred when he began teaching and became a music director at a performing arts school in Los Angeles. 'I found a real purpose helping young performers.'  

The irony wasn't lost in him, he notes, sharing that many of his students were the children of artists who inspired him — 'Nikki Sixx, Slash, members of Tool, Elton John's band, among a few. I couldn't get doors to open for me personally, but once it wasn't about me anymore, I found myself in those rooms anyway.'

It was through a casual studio referral — a vocal session he helped out on in Boston — that the Close Enemies connection was eventually made. They sent him 'Sound of a Train' to demo.

'I was blown away with the song,' he recalls. 'I did everything I could to put my stamp on it — even wrote an extra ad lib section in the bridge to show them I meant business.' The band's response: 'We love it — do even more.' What he sent back is what ended up on the record.

Hampton grew up in The Party, the pop group that emerged from the 90s Mickey Mouse Club revival, at a time when Disney and Hollywood Records weren't taken seriously at radio.

Close Enemies: Peter Stroud, Tony Brock, Tom Hamilton, Chasen Hampton, Trace Foster

'There was a lot of gatekeeping,' he says. 'Our first Party singles even came out on a black label because of that.' He watched as his MMC peers — Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling — went on to define a generation of pop culture. 'It's wild to see that full circle.'

Even then, his instincts pulled him toward rock. His first single for The Party was recorded at guitarist Steve Vai's house, where a teenage Hampton watched Matt and Gunnar Nelson walk out of the vocal booth, and Robin Zander of Cheap Trick stop by.

'I was awestruck,' he says. 'Moments like that stick with you.' He recently got to reconnect with Zander at a Close Enemies show — a moment he describes simply as surreal. 'All of those experiences prepared me for this very moment.'

It's also helped him see the future through a clear lens. With the debut album freshly out and a run of 2026 tour dates already under their belt, Close Enemies is only just getting started.

'It's not about looking back — it's about lighting it back up. People are craving real music again. Rock 'n' roll is meant to be felt… and we've got fuel for the fire.'