Queer The Music: Jake Shears On The Songs That Changed Lives

Jake Shears celebrates the anthems that have dominated dancefloors and shaped queer lives. Throughout the history of popular music, queer artists have made huge contributions - often at great expense and risk to themselves personally and professionally. This podcast shines a spotlight on those who trailblazed paths towards self expression. Join Scissor Sisters’ frontman Jake Shears and his guests as he unearths these important stories song by song. Executive Producer: Alice Williams, Producer: Debbie Kilbride, Research: Mark Wood and Luke Wheatley

Episodes

8 - 'Fast Slow Disco' by St Vincent

April 9, 2024 • 51 mins

We have a bonus episode for you! Join us as we are celebrating the brilliant ‘Fast Slow Disco’ the up-tempo reworking of ‘Slow Disco’ by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark, who goes by the stage name St Vincent. Annie began her music career as a member of the Polyphonic Spree, and has since released 7 critically acclaimed albums, picked up 3 Grammy awards, collaborated with the likes of Taylor Swift and David ...

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7 - 'Going To A Town' by Rufus Wainwright

March 5, 2024 • 43 mins

For our last episode of this current series we celebrate the brilliant 'Going To A Town' by singer, songwriter Rufus Wainwright. The song, which was the first single from Rufus’s 2007 album 'Release the Stars', has garnered huge critical acclaim and has been covered by artists from George Michael to Lily Allen however its critique of the United States and the war in Iraq provoked strong negative reactions in audiences and when he p...

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6 - '1950' by King Princess

February 27, 2024 • 45 mins

The hit '1950' is the focus of this week's episode - Jake speaks to American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mikaela Straus, better known by her stage name King Princess, about the making of the song, queer representation, her influences and how her gender identity impacts her music. 1950 was King Princess' platinum certified debut single, it has had over 21 million views on YouTube and has been streamed over 550 milli...

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5 - ‘King’ by Years and Years (Olly Alexander)

February 20, 2024 • 37 mins

This episode celebrates a hit from 2015 that went straight to the top of the UK Charts and was named song of the year by Time magazine. It’s the compulsively danceable ‘King’ by electro-pop then-trio Years and Years. Jake is joined by Musician and Actor Olly Alexander, the then frontman of Years & Years. Olly is a huge champion of LGBTQ+ issues, proudly celebrating his queerness by writing inclusive songs, displaying queer love in ...

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4 - 'Fuck The Pain Away' by Peaches

February 13, 2024 • 36 mins

Cult feminist musician and artist, Peaches exploded onto the music scene in 2000 with her punky, electroclash album The Teaches of Peaches and it’s standout hit 'Fuck the Pain Away'. She’s been pushing the boundaries ever since, making genderqueer work that is sex and body positive and has led the way for successive generations of artists to diddle their skittles (hi Beyonce). In this episode Jake speaks to Peaches about the making...

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3 - 'A Little Respect' by Erasure

February 6, 2024 • 31 mins

Andy Bell was out and proud from the get go, fronting synth pop duo Erasure who sold over 20 million albums and had an incredible 17 Top 10 singles. This episode celebrates the most enduring of all their records, the 1988 hit ‘A Little Respect’. Considered by many as the ultimate Pride Anthem, to this day it still gets dance floors heaving and crowds singing their hearts out. Jake and Andy discuss the making of the song, the gay sc...

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1 - 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)' by Sylvester

January 30, 2024 • 52 mins

This episode celebrates trailblazing diva Sylvester James and his iconic disco anthem ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’. Black, gay and gender fluid (before that was even a term), Sylvester’s uncompromising attitude paved the way for generations of queer artists. Longtime collaborator and close friend Jeanie Tracy shares intimate memories of working with Sylvester and biographer Josh Gamson paints a picture of San Francisco in the 1...

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2 - 'I Do This All The Time' by Self Esteem

January 30, 2024 • 38 mins

Since leaving her Indie band ‘Slow Club’ and going solo Rebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Esteem) has been releasing patriarchy-smashing anthems and shining a spotlight on the under-represented experiences of queer women. In this episode Jake talks to his West End Cabaret co-star Self Esteem about her brilliant single “I Do This All The Time” which is about how complicated it is to just be a human. You can watch the full episode on M...

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Queer The Music: Jake Shears On The Songs That Changed Lives - Coming Soon!

January 22, 2024 • 1 min

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