Jake Shears has launched his new podcast Queer The Music with Self Esteem, Olly Alexander, Peaches and more.
Queer The Music is in association with Mercury Studios and will explore the LGBTQ+ anthems that have dominated dancefloors and helped shift politics, perception, and popular culture. Throughout the first series, the Scissor Sisters frontman speaks to trailblazing queer artists and allies about the stories behind one game-changing record each week.
The first two episodes are available to stream and watch on YouTube. Episode one features the late Sylvester’s longtime collaborator Jeanie Tracy – and his biographer Josh Gamson – with the episode focused on his iconic 70s track ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’.
Episode two features Shears and Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club castmate Self Esteem in discussion on anti-patriarchy modern-classic ‘I Do This All The Time’, also shining a spotlight on the still under-represented experiences of queer women in the mainstream.
Other upcoming guests include Olly Alexander, Peaches, King Princess, Rufus Wainwright and Skin, with more names to be revealed soon.
“I am thrilled to be hosting Queer The Music which celebrates important LGBTQ+ artists and the anthems that have soundtracked queer lives,” said Shears in a press release.
“I have always tried my best to be unashamedly myself and am grateful that myself and Scissor Sisters have often been credited as queer trailblazers. Well, there were a lot of people that did that before me and there will be a lot of people to do it after me,” he added. “I am eager to shine a light on those artists who have fought countless prejudices, to hear their stories and to learn the finer details about how the songs were made.”
He continued: “I’ll be exploring the idea of queer music. Is it a label meant to box us in? Is it something you can willingly create? Does it even exist in the first place? What I do know is that people in the LGBTQ+ community have been making incredible popular music for decades. I’m excited to find out about how the process and reaction to it has changed: I think it’s important to begin to talk about what this lineage and legacy is, and start to figure out how, as LGBTQ+ artists, we fit into it together.”
CEO of Mercury Studios, Alice Webb, added: “Who better to tell these important stories than the talented and pioneering Jake Shears. We are delighted to be collaborating with him on this genre-hopping podcast series that unearths the incredible songs and artists who pushed the boundaries of music and acceptance.”
In other news, last year Shears joined Rufus Wainwright during his performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall for a duet.