Queer The Music: Jake Shears On The Songs That Changed Lives
Jake Shears, frontman of Scissor Sisters, 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. This podcast shines a spotlight on those who trailblazed paths towards self-expression, unearthing these important stories song by song.
Episodes
Horse Meat Disco’s Luke Howard on Queer Nightlife, Disco & Finding Your People | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Season 4 of Queer the Music continues with Horse Meat Disco co-founder Luke Howard. Joining Jake Shears, he reflects on the beginnings of the legendary London club night, its journey from a Sunday party at The Eagle in Vauxhall to a global queer institution, and more than two decades spent bringing people together on the dance floor. The pair also discuss Luke’s early experiences of queer nightlif
How Queer Artists Transformed Pop Music in 1984 | Ian Wade | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Jake Shears is joined by journalist and author Ian Wade to discuss his book 1984: The Year Pop Went Queer and explore how one remarkable year became a turning point for queer visibility in pop. From the shock and sexuality of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the radical visibility of Bronski Beat, to Madonna, Divine and the gay club culture breaking into the charts, they unpack a moment when queer mu
Why Tom Rasmussen Believes Being Different Is an Enviable Position | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Jake Shears is joined by artist, songwriter and performer Tom Rasmussen for a wide-ranging conversation on music, identity and finding freedom through creativity. Together, they look back on Tom’s journey from growing up in Lancashire to finding queer community through drag, as well as the artists who shaped them along the way, from Madonna and Celine Dion to Goldfrapp and Bronski Beat.The episode
Ben Platt on Love, Queer Life and the Magic of Theatre | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Season 4 of Queer The Music continues with Tony, Grammy and Emmy-winning actor and musician Ben Platt. In conversation with Jake Shears, Platt discusses the freedom of playing a queer character on stage in Midnight at the Never Get, his lifelong relationship with musical theatre and why performing live remains the place he feels most at home. He also reflects on bringing his sexuality openly
The Queer History of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
In This episode of Queer The Music, Jake Shears is joined by author and cultural critic Barry Walters to explore the queer history of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. Together, they discuss Andy Warhol’s radical New York underground, the influence of David Bowie, and theidentities and subcultures that helped reshape rock ’n’ roll. From ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ to ‘Perfect Day’, Walters and Shea
Jehnny Beth: “I’m In It For The Long Run” | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Season 4 of Queer The Music continues with Jehnny Beth. She and Jake Shears discuss her journey from discovering Bowie and Patti Smith to forming Savages, finding her voice as an artist and embracing her bisexuality. The episode explores sobriety, identity, depression and the challenges that followed Savages, alongside her solo career, collaborations and move into acting, including her role in Ana
Why Josh Homme Challenges the Rules of Rock | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Season 4 of Queer The Music continues with Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme. In this special extended edition, he and Shears discuss everything from their shared love of The Cramps to vulnerability, masculinity and outlier status in rock music. Homme also reflects on growing up alongside his gay brother and how this shaped his rejection of homophobia and bigotry. The episode notably exp
Meek on Music, Survival, and Finding Her Voice | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Season 4 of Queer The Music continues with acclaimed pop sensation Meek for a frank and riotous conversation with Jake Shears about finding your voice, trusting your instincts and refusing to write by anyone else’s rules. Meek opens up about the brutal realities of years spent songwriting for other artists, from international writing camps and major cuts to the frustration of seeing deeply persona
What Happens When Queer Spaces Disappear? | Jeremy Atherton Lin | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Season 4 of Queer The Music continues with acclaimed writer Jeremy Atherton Lin. Joining Jake Shears, the author of Gay Bar: Why We Went Out and Deep House explores the history and evolution of LGBTQ+ nightlife, reflecting on the cultural importance of queer spaces, the changing nature of community, and how music has soundtracked identity, activism, desire, and belonging. Together, they discuss ev
How ‘Yes’ Became a Queer Anthem | David McAlmont | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Season 4 of Queer The Music continues with singer-songwriter David McAlmont. Joining Jake Shears, he reflects on breaking through with McAlmont & Butler’s iconic hit Yes, navigating Britpop as an openly queer Black artist, and the industry pressures to hide his identity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Baby Queen on Ego Death, Therapy & Starting Over | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
On this episode of Queer the Music we have indie rock darling Baby Queen. Joining Jake Shears, she reflects on the creative and personal journey behind her deeply honest new album, I Hope You Don’t Remember Me. They get deep on topics such as ego, rejection, therapy, queer identity and the pressure of life in the music industry. She also talks about how stepping away from expectations helped her r
How Jodie Harsh Built London’s Biggest Queer Party | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
On this episode of Queer the Music we’re featuring DJ, promoter and nightlife icon Jodie Harsh. Joining Jake, she traces her journey from sneaking into London’s legendary gay clubs as a teenager to building one of the capital’s biggest queer parties. Together they discuss drag, addiction, sobriety, the evolution of queer club culture, and why creating spaces for joy has never been more important.
Tove Lo on Body Confidence, Bisexuality & Pop Music | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Season 4 of Queer the Music continues with Swedish pop trailblazer Tove Lo. Joining Jake Shears, she reflects on the song that changed everything, Habits (Stay High), the freedom of becoming an independent artist, and her journey from Stockholm songwriter to one of pop’s most fearless voices. The pair also discuss bisexuality, body confidence, queer club culture and the power of radical honesty in
How Brian Molko (Placebo) Redefined Rock | Queer the Music with Jake Shears
Season 4 of Queer The Music launches today in discussion with Placebo’s iconic frontman Brian Molko. In this special, extended edition, he and Shears discuss everything from their mutual love of David Bowie to outlier-status in alternative music and media. The episode also notably marks the 30th anniversary of Placebo’s radical breakout hit, ‘Nancy Boy’. Originally written in reclaim of a slur, ‘N
Queer the Music returns for season 4!
Jake Shears’ hit Queer The Music podcast returns for its fourth season. Kicking off with an episode featuring Placebo’s Brian Molko, this follows a double win for the number 1-charting podcast at the prestigious Webby Awards (including ‘Best Music Podcast’), with guests for Season 4 already set to include Swedish pop queen Tove Lo plus DJ, alt-pop artist Baby Queen and drag royalty, Jodie Harsh. E
The Greatest Bits From The Past 3 Seasons
Christmas has come early as Jake selects some of his favourite bits from the last 3 seasons. Really just a reminder to go back and listen to the episodes you've missed - there have been some brilliant conversations - wishing everyone a Happy New Year and thank you for listening to Queer The Music in 2025!We'd love to hear from you - get in touch via instagram @queerthemusicpodcastSee Privacy Polic
A Queer Year In Music with Self Esteem
For this special episode of Queer The Music Jake is joined by the brilliant Rebecca Lucy Taylor aka Self Esteem. With a critically acclaimed new album, a concert tour and book under her belt this year, the pair have plenty to catch up on.Listen as Jake and Rebecca discuss their highlights of the year in queer music, answer questions from listeners, reveal what 2026 has in store for them and tell u
"Epic" by Faith No More with Roddy Bottum
It's our season finale and we're delighted to be joined by Roddy Bottum, best known as the keyboardist of Faith No More. Back in 1990 Roddy found himself in the spotlight in the rock world as its first openly gay star. In this special episode Jake and Roddy celebrate Faith No More's breakthrough hit 'Epic' and they discuss what it was like to be the only out queer in rock, on tour with Guns N
'Grace Kelly' by Mika
This week on Queer The Music we celebrate Grace Kelly - the debut single from Multi-platinum, BRIT Award-winning, and Grammy nominated global pop visionary Mika. Listen to Jake and Mika's fascinating conversation about Mika's childhood, the struggles he faced, how he found sanctuary through music, his creative process and how he created the hit single Grace Kelly which shot to the t
'Queen' by Perfume Genius
This week's episode celebrates the anthemic song 'Queen' by Perfume Genius. Singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas aka Perfume Genius first emerged around 2010, his music has been described as ‘dreamy and melancholic’, ‘grandiose yet intimate’ and over the course of seven studio albums he continues to shapeshift while still sounding completely himself. He joins Jake to talk about the making
The B-52s (with Kate Pierson)
This week is a big one - we are celebrating the iconic The B52's. A band that paved the way for queer artists through their unapologetic on-stage identity and camp aesthetic. Their non-conformist attitude and unique sound has had a huge and lasting impact on rock and pop music - you can witness their influence on artists from Boy George to Chappell Roan. Jake credits them with the very existe
‘My Lady of Mercy' by The Last Dinner Party
Joining Jake Shears for this episode are Abigail and Georgia from one of the most talked-about bands of the moment…The Last Dinner Party. 2024 was a huge year for them; they landed a deal with Island Records, released their critically acclaimed debut album, 'Prelude to Ecstasy', supported The Rolling Stones, Lana Del Ray, Florence and the Machine and The Arctic Monkeys, and topped i
‘Not My Father’s Son’ from Kinky Boots with Billy Porter Part 2
Welcome to the second part of the legendary Billy Porter on Queer The Music with Jake’s Shears where we hear the Tony, Grammy and Emmy award winner talk about his queer musical influences, politics, Pose and how playing Pray Tell, the flamboyant Master of Ceremonies in the New York City ballroom scene, changed Billy’s lifeYou can watch the whole episode on Mercury Studios YouTube ch
‘Not My Father’s Son’ from Kinky Boots with Billy Porter Part 1
Queer The Music this week celebrates the multi-award winning actor, singer and activist Billy Porter. Billy is the first gay Black man to win an Emmy Award in any lead acting category and in 2020 Time magazine included him in their list of 100 most influential people in the worldHe wowed Broadway with his lead performance as drag queen Lola in Kinky Boots, scooping a Tony Award and a Gra
'Statue In The Square' by Kae Tempest
Kae Tempest joins Jake Shears to talk about his song 'Statue In The Square'. With two Mercury nominations and the Ted Hughes Poetry Prize under his belt, Kae Tempest is a celebrated and prolific artist. His new album, Self Titled is his most personal work yet telling his story of finding love, community and comfort. In this episode he opens up to Jake about his identity struggles, journe
‘Raw Deal’ by Judas Priest with Rob Halford Part 2
This episode is the second part of Jake's interview with The Metal God himself, Rob Halford - frontman of legendary rock band Judas Priest ….Last time we learnt about the pressures on Rob to keep his sexuality secret, the risk he took writing a song about Fire Island and how Tom of Finland influenced Judas Priest’s look. And now we’re about to get down and dirty… starting with asking Rob about his
‘Raw Deal’ by Judas Priest with Rob Halford Part 1
Welcome to Series 3 of Queer The Music! We're kicking off with an absolute icon from the world of rock - Rob Halford. Rob has spent half a century fronting one of heavy metal's biggest and most influential bands, Judas Priest.The first openly gay metal singer, it’s hard to underestimate the impact Rob Halford’s coming out must have had for other queer rock fans.In this episode Rob talks about
'The Power of Love' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood - with Holly Johnson
In this festive edition of Queer the Music Jake sits down with the iconic Holly Johnson, the front man of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, to discuss the 1984 UK number one single and enduring Christmas song, ‘The Power of Love’.The Power of Love came out during a time of social and political turmoil in the UK. Between Thatcherism, the miner strike and an encroaching AIDS epidemic the world was becoming
’It’s a Sin’ by Pet Shop Boys with Neil Tennant
It's the Season Finale of Queer The Music and we have a big one for you! It's none other than Neil Tennant to talk about Pet Shop Boys' 1987 smash hit 'It's A Sin'. Neil joined Jake on his sofa to talk about making the song, the meaning behind the lyrics & his brilliant music career. We cover a lot of ground in this episode and learn so much about many of Pet Shop Boys songs, their collab
'Take Your Mama' by Scissor Sisters
Have you heard the news?? Scissors Sisters are reforming and going on tour next May so for this special edition of Queer The Music, recorded in front of an audience at The Phoenix Arts club in London, we celebrate one of the songs that started it all, a song that is instantly recognizable from the first chord and one that the LGBTQ+ community have taken to their hearts, it's 2004's 'Take Your Mama
‘Midnight Radio’ from Hedwig and the Angry Inch with John Cameron Mitchell
This episode celebrates the song 'Midnight Radio', by Stephen Trask, the epic finale song from the ground-breaking film and stage musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.Jake is joined at his home in New Orleans by the creator, director and star of this cult classic, John Cameron Mitchell, to talk about where the ideas for the musical came from, it's reception, the making of the film and
'Free Yourself' by Jessie Ware
Queer The Music not only shines a light on songs by queer artists but also those that have been adopted by the LGBTQ+ community and in this episode we’re celebrating an absolute banger and one that has well and truly been claimed by the queer community - it’s the unbelievably uplifting call to arms ‘Free Yourself’ by Jessie Ware. Tune in to hear Jake and Jessie chat about how the song came ab
'Explode' by Big Freedia
In this episode of Queer The Music we’re shining a light on an incredible artist as we celebrate ‘Explode’ by the rapper and ‘Queen of Bounce’ Big Freedia.Big Freedia, “The Queen Diva,” not only brought bounce music to the mainstream but has become a cultural icon, an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and an ambassador for New Orleans.Big Freedia joined Jake at his house in New Orleans to talk abo
'Glacier' by John Grant
This week on Queer The Music we welcome the great singer songwriter John Grant to talk about his epic song Glacier. Glacier is the standout track from John's 2013 album 'Pale Green Ghosts' and is about the pain of growing up gay in a hostile environment, which for John was his conservative Methodist upbringing. It’s an emotional tour de force with hauntingly beautiful orchestration and powerf
'Tutti Frutti' by Little Richard
This week on Queer The Music we celebrate the phenomenal artist Little Richard and his groundbreaking song 'Tutti Frutti'. We can’t underplay the impact that this one song had on popular music at the time, Little Richard is an artist that sent shockwaves through popular music in the 1950s and his influence is still apparent to this day. To find out more about this extraordinary artist Jake is
'Standing In The Way of Control' by Gossip - with Beth Ditto
We're back with Season 2 of 'Queer The Music' and what better way to kick off this series with the brilliant Beth Ditto to talk about the anthem that is Gossip’s ‘Standing In The Way of Control’. The powerful and absolute banger of a track is known for being a response to George W Bush’s 2004 Federal Marriage Amendment which attempted to outlaw same sex marriage in the US. In this episod
'Fast Slow Disco' by St Vincent
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 th
'Going To A Town' by Rufus Wainwright
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 r
'1950' by King Princess
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 an
‘King’ by Years and Years with Olly Alexander
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 celeb
'Fuck The Pain Away' by Peaches
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
‘A Little Respect’ by Erasure with Andy Bell
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 An
'I Do This All The Time' by Self Esteem
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.&nb
‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real’ by Sylvester with Jeanie Tracy
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
Queer The Music: Jake Shears On The Songs That Changed Lives - Coming Soon!
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
