From Podcast to Pop Legacy: Jake Shears on Queer the Music Season 3 and the Revival of Scissor Sisters
With the third season of his podcast Queer the Music from Mercury Studios now available on Spotify, Jake Shears is spotlighting the queer artists and stories that shaped music history — while also revisiting his own. In this conversation with Loverboy Magazine’s George Alley, Shears opens up about identity, influence, and the return of the Scissor Sisters.

“Are you a workaholic?” I ask Jake Shears, listing off the Scissor Sisters’ reunion tour, his solo work, acting gigs, and now the third season of Queer the Music.

He laughs. “It feels like it sometimes,” he says. “But honestly, I’m actually very lazy. I’d love nothing more than to lie on the couch all day.” Still, he’s lit up by the creative momentum. “These projects make me feel excited and engaged. I’m doing things I care about, with people I admire.”

A 20th Anniversary and a New Era
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Scissor Sisters’ self-titled debut album — the dazzling, disco-drenched record that combined DIY and queer glamour to become the best-selling UK album of 2004. To celebrate, the band has reunited for their first tour in over a decade and we ask Jake about the prospect of new music.

“There’s nothing more thrilling than writing a song — taking something from a kernel of an idea to a finished track,” he says. “I’m proud of my last two solo records, taking something through a process until it feels perfect and I would want to take that energy into anything we might write as a band in future”.

On Podcasting, Curiosity & Connection
Shears continues his role as host of Queer the Music, for its third season — the podcast he created to spotlight the LGBTQ+ artists who’ve shaped music history. “I have so many interests,” Jake says. “And this is a chance to flex a different muscle.” He admits that interviewing is harder than it looks — ‘as you know,’” he adds — but it’s a challenge that energizes him. “It’s been exciting to learn more about these people who’ve shaped my musical journey — and really, the world.”

He mentions how Queer the Music has become more than a podcast — it’s turned into a living archive of queer musical legacy. “So many of these artists and ideas have shaped pop culture,” I tell him, “but people often don’t know where they really came from. You’re helping preserve that.”

“That’s the hope,” he says. “To honor the people who made space for us — who laid the groundwork but maybe never got the credit.”

Heroes, Semiotics & Lady Gaga
Shears has already hosted icons like Holly Johnson, Neil Tennant, and Andy Bell. “Those artists represented a world outside of my own,” he says. “They made me want to make music.” He sees them not just as artists, but as signposts — cultural symbols for young queer people.

Now, he’s aware of his own role in that lineage, thinking of how Lady Gaga cited the Scissor Sisters as an influence for The Fame. “When I think about the tour and this music, I think about the other Lady Gagas out there who might be influenced” he says with a grin. “People who are hungry for this kind of imagery, this kind of expression. And I want to be part of that for them.”

Memory, Impact & the Joy of the Unexpected
“Queer the Music” originally revolved around a single track per episode, but it’s expanded into deeper conversations. “Now it’s really about the artist’s journey — their process, their experience, their place in history,” Jake explains.

That opens the door to reflecting on memory, and how the meaning of music changes over time. “The way you remember writing a song isn’t always what it actually was,” he says. “There’s the moment you make it… and then there’s what it becomes.”

He knows this firsthand. “‘Let’s Have a Kiki’ wasn’t something we ever imagined would blow up. And ‘’I Can’t Decide’ — from the Ta-Dah album — has now taken a life of its own years after it was released.” “There’s joy that comes from that unpredictability — when a song escapes your plans and becomes something larger than you intended.”

Electroclash & the Sound of Becoming Scissor Sisters
When he brings up Fischerspooner, we start talking about the early-2000s Electroclash scene. I remember seeing the Scissor Sisters perform in New York well before their first album and initially associated them with that world. “We were absolutely part of that at first,” Jake says. “Miss Kittin, Fischerspooner — all of that was huge for us. But we were kind of the second wave.” He explains that once the Scissor Sisters added guitars and analog elements, they became something new. “We started there and evolved into our own thing.”

Rob Halford, Kate Pierson & the Queer Rock Spectrum
Among the many guests from the new season, Jake highlights Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Kate Pierson of the B-52s. “Talking to Rob was wild,” he says. “The metal world is so hyper-masculine — and here he is, this fantastic queen in the middle of that scene. It was powerful.”

Of Pierson, he speaks with both affection and reverence. “There’s such a strong thread between what they did and what we do.” I tell him I’ve always seen parallels — the DIY energy, multiple vocalists, the maximalist camp spirit. He agrees: “Yes! And always having a party.”

Pete Burns & Pop as Identity
I bring up Pete Burns — an icon we both admire who performed with the Scissor Sisters in 2004. “If you could have had him on the show, what would you have asked him?”

Jake pauses. “I’d want to know what gave him that drive — what made him feel like he had to be himself so unapologetically. What gave him that clarity?”  It’s a question that underlines the podcast’s purpose: to uncover what fuels an artist’s identity — and what legacy they leave behind.

And Finally, Mariah
Before we wrap, I mention that Loverboy takes its name from a certain legendary track. “If Mariah Carey came on the podcast, what would your angle be?” I ask.

“Mariah has such a great sense of humor,” Jake says. “That’s what I’d want to bring out — the fun, playful part of her.” He laughs, remembering a moment from her concert at the O2 Arena. “I waved at her, and she gave me this totally silly wave back — it was so Mariah.”

It’s a fitting end to our conversation: glamorous, joyful, and deeply personal. Just like Jake — and just like Queer the Music.

Listen to Queer the Music by Jake Shears on Spotify
 Interview by George Alley