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

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 about how the song was conceived, her influences, her faith, the impact of Hurricane Katrina & her love of New Orleans. Explode isn't just a song - it's a powerful declaration of self-expression and resilience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 powerful lyrics. We hear about how this song came to exist, his songwriting process and how music helped John find confidence and acceptance.  Watch the full episode here Come and have a kiki with us! We're doing our first live episode recording on the 5th of November at the Phoenix Arts Club followed by a party to celebrate season 2 - tickets and more info here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 joined by Charles Glenn, bass player with Little Richard for over 30 years and scholar Jason King, Dean of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California] You can watch the full episode on Mercury Studios YouTube channel here Come and have a kiki with us! The first live episode of Queer The Music is happening on the 5th of November at The Phoenix Arts Club - Nick Grimshaw and Jake Shears will be cohosting and joined by some special surprise guests - more info and tickets here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 episode Beth goes into detail about where the idea and emotion came from when writing and recording the song.  When Beth joined Jake at his apartment to record this episode they also had a brilliant time reminiscing about the grungy gay clubs from way back when that gave them their first tastes of queer freedom. Come and have a kiki with us! The first live episode of Queer The Music is happening on the 5th of November at The Phoenix Arts Club - Nick Grimshaw and Jake Shears will be cohosting and joined by some special surprise guests - more info and tickets here You can watch the full episode on Mercury Studios YouTube channel here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Byrne and is frequently listed among the best guitarists of the 21st century. As well as finding out about how the creation of the song and why she released this different version, we discuss the filming of that video, her musical influences, her performance fantasies, her love of David Bowie, what it's like collaborating with David Byrne and of course her wonderful new album 'All Born Screaming' which is out at the end of April. Thank you to our sponsors... Factor’s delicious, ready-to-eat meals make eating better every day easy. Head to factormeals.com/queerthemusic50 and use code queerthemusic50 to get 50% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 performed it he says “I would sing it often and get booed”. Listen to Jake and Rufus' insightful conversation where they cover the meaning and making of the song, it's reception, what it means to be a gay artist, his influences and his encounter with George Michael. Rufus' first musical of John Cassavetes’ 'Opening Night' opens on the 26th of March at the Gielgud Theatre in London - it is directed by Ivo van Hove and stars Sheridan Smith. Thank you to our sponsors... Factor’s delicious, ready-to-eat meals make eating better every day easy. Head to factormeals.com/queerthemusic50 and use code queerthemusic50 to get 50% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 million times on Spotify! Thank you to our sponsors... Factor’s delicious, ready-to-eat meals make eating better every day easy. Head to factormeals.com/queerthemusic50 and use code queerthemusic50 to get 50% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 his music videos and portraying lead character Ritchie in the hit TV show ‘It’s A Sin’. They discuss the making of 'King', Olly’s career, his influences and the struggles he’s faced as a Queer artist.  Good luck representing the United Kingdom at Eurovision Olly! (This interview was recorded last summer, so before the news was announced).  Thank you to our sponsors... Factor’s delicious, ready-to-eat meals make eating better every day easy. Head to factormeals.com/queerthemusic50 and use code queerthemusic50 to get 50% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 of 'Fuck The Pain Away', her creative process, it's initial reception and what being a queer artist means to her. You can watch the full episode on Mercury Studios' YouTube channel here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 scene in London during the early days of Andy's career, growing in confidence and progressing as a queer performer. You can watch the full episode on Mercury Studios' YouTube channel here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Mercury Studios' YouTube channel here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 1970s and ‘80s - from glitterball heyday to the terror of AIDS. You can watch the full episode on Mercury Studios' YouTube channel here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices