Biography
Jake Shears distinguishes himself through his ability to refresh vintage musical styles while weaving queer perspectives into wider cultural conversations. In his role as the magnetic and openly homosexual lead vocalist of Scissor Sisters, he shaped an appealing fusion of glitter rock from the 1970s, house music, and electroclash across their discography, beginning with the self-titled 2004 debut that built loyal support within the LGBTQ community and ascended to the top of the U.K. pop charts. His solo theatrical projects included the 2017 Broadway debut in Kinky Boots plus co-writing the 2022 award-winning musical Tammy Faye. These threads converged in his individual recordings, moving from the sharp emotional reflections and New Orleans tributes on 2018's Jake Shears to the celebrity-filled dancefloor anthems of 2023's Last Man Dancing.
Born Jason Sellards in Mesa, Arizona during 1978, Shears spent his early years in the Phoenix suburbs and also lived on San Juan Island, Washington, a settlement situated north of Seattle. As a youngster, his mother introduced him to the fantasy film Labyrinth, sparking an early fascination with David Bowie. He later encountered Rocky Horror Picture Show and, during his teenage years, studied guitar under longtime Seattle punk rocker Paul Solger, who exposed him to the Ramones and Iggy and the Stooges. He assembled his initial group and, at age 15, disclosed his sexuality to his parents. Following high school, he relocated to New York City to pursue fiction writing at The New School's Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, perform as a go-go dancer in a gay bar, and contribute music journalism to Paper magazine.
Inspired by the rising electroclash movement in 2001, he took the stage name Jake Shears and teamed with longtime friend and keyboardist Scott Hoffman, known as Babydaddy, to launch the arty pop group Scissor Sisters, whose moniker derived from a playful expression for lesbian sex. Appearing in flamboyant outfits, they first performed over pre-recorded synth tracks before expanding into a full ensemble that featured singer Ana Lynch, known as Ana Matronic, guitarist Derek Gruen, known as Del Marquis, and drummer Patrick Seacor, known as Paddy Boom. The self-titled 2004 debut album marked their breakthrough by highlighting their blend of 1970s-style glitter rock, house music, synthy electroclash textures, and singer/songwriter pop. It achieved particular success in the U.K., where it reached number one on the albums chart and ranked as the year's top-selling release. Over the subsequent eight years, Shears performed and recorded with Scissor Sisters, issuing several well-regarded albums that concluded with 2012's Magic Hour. Throughout this period he also worked with dance and pop figures including Erasure's Andy Bell, Tiga, Luomo, Kylie Minogue, and Calvin Harris.
After Scissor Sisters entered a hiatus following the release of Magic Hour, Shears relocated with his then-boyfriend, director Chris Moukarbel, to Los Angeles. He focused on collaborative work for several years, appearing on Amadou & Mariam's Folila and Queens of the Stone Age's … Like Clockwork, duetting with Cher on “Take It Like a Man” from her 2013 album Closer to the Truth, and joining Minogue and Nile Rogers on Nervo's “The Other Boys” from 2015's Collateral. When his relationship with Moukarbel concluded in 2015, Shears embarked on an independent path, dividing his time between New Orleans and Los Angeles. He resumed theatrical activities that had begun in 2011 with co-writing music for a stage adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series, took part in a production of the Martin Sherman play Bent, and achieved his Broadway debut starring in the musical Kinky Boots. October 2017 saw the release of his solo debut single, the strutting glam-pop track “Creep City.” In 2018 he published the memoir Boys Keep Swinging and issued his self-titled debut album that August. Recorded with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sturgill Simpson's horn section, and members of My Morning Jacket, Jake Shears captured the creative renewal Shears encountered while residing in New Orleans. The album climbed to number 20 on the U.K. Albums chart and number four on the U.K. Independent Albums chart.
Shears toured with Minogue in 2019 and released the digital EP B-Sides. Early in 2020 he appeared as “the Unicorn” on ITV's The Masked Singer and subsequently issued the single “Meltdown.” Amid the COVID-19 global pandemic he moved to London, where he remained active by releasing singles such as the 2021 Annie collaboration “Neon Lights” and co-writing Tammy Faye, a biographical musical about evangelist Tammy Faye Messner, alongside Elton John and playwright James Graham. The production premiered in October 2022 and secured 2023 Olivier Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. Shears' second album, Last Man Dancing, arrived in June 2023 on Mute. Celebrating dance music from disco through rave and further styles, it incorporated contributions from Minogue, Amber Martin, Big Freedia, Iggy Pop, and Jane Fonda. Several months later he made his West End debut in the revival of Cabaret, portraying the Emcee until March 2024.
Born Jason Sellards in Mesa, Arizona during 1978, Shears spent his early years in the Phoenix suburbs and also lived on San Juan Island, Washington, a settlement situated north of Seattle. As a youngster, his mother introduced him to the fantasy film Labyrinth, sparking an early fascination with David Bowie. He later encountered Rocky Horror Picture Show and, during his teenage years, studied guitar under longtime Seattle punk rocker Paul Solger, who exposed him to the Ramones and Iggy and the Stooges. He assembled his initial group and, at age 15, disclosed his sexuality to his parents. Following high school, he relocated to New York City to pursue fiction writing at The New School's Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, perform as a go-go dancer in a gay bar, and contribute music journalism to Paper magazine.
Inspired by the rising electroclash movement in 2001, he took the stage name Jake Shears and teamed with longtime friend and keyboardist Scott Hoffman, known as Babydaddy, to launch the arty pop group Scissor Sisters, whose moniker derived from a playful expression for lesbian sex. Appearing in flamboyant outfits, they first performed over pre-recorded synth tracks before expanding into a full ensemble that featured singer Ana Lynch, known as Ana Matronic, guitarist Derek Gruen, known as Del Marquis, and drummer Patrick Seacor, known as Paddy Boom. The self-titled 2004 debut album marked their breakthrough by highlighting their blend of 1970s-style glitter rock, house music, synthy electroclash textures, and singer/songwriter pop. It achieved particular success in the U.K., where it reached number one on the albums chart and ranked as the year's top-selling release. Over the subsequent eight years, Shears performed and recorded with Scissor Sisters, issuing several well-regarded albums that concluded with 2012's Magic Hour. Throughout this period he also worked with dance and pop figures including Erasure's Andy Bell, Tiga, Luomo, Kylie Minogue, and Calvin Harris.
After Scissor Sisters entered a hiatus following the release of Magic Hour, Shears relocated with his then-boyfriend, director Chris Moukarbel, to Los Angeles. He focused on collaborative work for several years, appearing on Amadou & Mariam's Folila and Queens of the Stone Age's … Like Clockwork, duetting with Cher on “Take It Like a Man” from her 2013 album Closer to the Truth, and joining Minogue and Nile Rogers on Nervo's “The Other Boys” from 2015's Collateral. When his relationship with Moukarbel concluded in 2015, Shears embarked on an independent path, dividing his time between New Orleans and Los Angeles. He resumed theatrical activities that had begun in 2011 with co-writing music for a stage adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series, took part in a production of the Martin Sherman play Bent, and achieved his Broadway debut starring in the musical Kinky Boots. October 2017 saw the release of his solo debut single, the strutting glam-pop track “Creep City.” In 2018 he published the memoir Boys Keep Swinging and issued his self-titled debut album that August. Recorded with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sturgill Simpson's horn section, and members of My Morning Jacket, Jake Shears captured the creative renewal Shears encountered while residing in New Orleans. The album climbed to number 20 on the U.K. Albums chart and number four on the U.K. Independent Albums chart.
Shears toured with Minogue in 2019 and released the digital EP B-Sides. Early in 2020 he appeared as “the Unicorn” on ITV's The Masked Singer and subsequently issued the single “Meltdown.” Amid the COVID-19 global pandemic he moved to London, where he remained active by releasing singles such as the 2021 Annie collaboration “Neon Lights” and co-writing Tammy Faye, a biographical musical about evangelist Tammy Faye Messner, alongside Elton John and playwright James Graham. The production premiered in October 2022 and secured 2023 Olivier Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. Shears' second album, Last Man Dancing, arrived in June 2023 on Mute. Celebrating dance music from disco through rave and further styles, it incorporated contributions from Minogue, Amber Martin, Big Freedia, Iggy Pop, and Jane Fonda. Several months later he made his West End debut in the revival of Cabaret, portraying the Emcee until March 2024.
Albums
Last Man Dancing Remixes
2023
Last Man Dancing
2023
Do The Television (TEED Remixes)
2021
Meltdown Remixes
2020
The Other Boys
2017
Singles
