Career
He had previously met Jake Shears—then still known as Jason Sellards—through a childhood friend, and Hoffman asked Shears to provide vocals for his tracks. When Hoffman moved to New York to study writing at Columbia, the duo officially joined forces in 2001 and took stage names to become the first two members of "Scissor Sisters", a lesbian euphemism, whose pop-rock music is deeply inspired by drag and LGBTQ+ culture. [2] At the time, the band was just a combination of Babydaddy's music and Shears's vocal and visual performances. The band logo was designed by Babydaddy. Since then, the band has recruited further members and Babydaddy has continued to serve as the keyboardist and bassist. [2] The group has expanded its original musical style to cover the rock, disco and dance music genres. They toured the UK, Europe, and the U.S. in 2004, including a Glastonbury Music Festival performance. [2] The band was nominated for a Grammy in Best Dance Record for their single "Comfortably Numb" in late 2004. [2]
Babydaddy plays a number of instruments including keyboards, guitar, bass and banjo; he and Shears are the main lyricists for the band. The two also wrote the hit single "I Believe in You" for Kylie Minogue, as well as the title track from her documentary White Diamond . Babydaddy has also co-produced with other artists including Tiga and Xavier and has produced remixes (alongside Jake Shears under the Scissor Sisters moniker) for Pet Shop Boys, The Ones and Blondie. In 2010, Babydaddy remixed disco icon Amanda Lear's single "I'm Coming Up".
In 2016, under his own name, Hoffman produced and co-wrote alongside Dev Hynes and Nicola Roberts "Ghetto Boy" for Tinashe's second studio album Nightride .
Scissor Sisters are an American pop rock band formed in 2000. The band's current line-up consists of Jake Shears (vocals), Babydaddy and Del Marquis. Former members include vocalist Ana Matronic and drummers Paddy Boom and Randy Real.
Scissor Sisters is the debut studio album by American glam rock band Scissor Sisters, first released on February 2, 2004. It was released by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and Universal Motown Records in the United States. The album relates to LGBT life in New York City.
Ana Kirby, known by her stage name Ana Matronic, is an American singer, best known as the co-lead singer for the pop rock band Scissor Sisters.
Jason Sellards, known professionally by the stage name Jake Shears, is an American musician. He is best known as the co-lead vocalist of New York City pop-rock band Scissor Sisters, who achieved considerable chart success in the 2000s before their indefinite hiatus in 2012. Since 2017, Shears has pursued a solo career; he released his debut solo studio album, Jake Shears, in August 2018 and his second album Last Man Dancing on June 2, 2023. In addition to his solo career, Shears has collaborated with several artists and made his Broadway debut in Kinky Boots in 2018.
Del Marquis is an American musician and the lead guitarist for the pop/rock group Scissor Sisters. He is also the creator and producer of the band Slow Knights.
"I Believe in You" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her ninth greatest hits compilation, Ultimate Kylie (2004). It was written by Minogue alongside its producers Jake Shears and Babydaddy. It was released as the lead single from Ultimate Kylie on 29 November 2004, by Parlophone. "I Believe in You" is a pop and Euro disco song in which Minogue proclaims there are many things in which she does not believe, but that she does believe in her lover.
Electric Blue is the debut solo album by Erasure frontman Andy Bell, released 3 October 2005 by Sanctuary Records. The album was released in-between the Erasure albums Nightbird and Union Street. Bell toured European and American nightclubs to promote the album.
"Take Your Mama" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters, included as the second track on their self-titled debut album (2004). The song, written by Babydaddy and Jake Shears at Shears' parents' horse farm in West Virginia, was inspired by Shears' coming out to his mother, with whom he was close. The lyrics portray a homosexual man showing his mother the activities of gay nightlife in order to bond with her following his coming out.
"Laura" is a song by American pop rock band Scissor Sisters, included as the lead track on their self-titled debut album (2004). The song was released as the band's first single on October 27, 2003, in the United Kingdom, placing at number 54 on the UK Singles Chart. It was later re-issued in June 2004, charting at number 12 on the same chart. In Australia, the song was ranked number 58 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.
"Filthy/Gorgeous" is a song by American pop-rock band Scissor Sisters. It is the seventh track on their self-titled debut album. Released as the album's fifth and final single in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2005, the song peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's first British top-five single. It also reached number one on the UK Dance Chart and on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. In Australia, it peaked at number 29 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and in Ireland, it reached number 13.
Hurrah! A Year of Ta-Dah is the second DVD by the Scissor Sisters, released on November 12, 2007. It contains a live concert filmed at London's O2 Arena as part of the "Kiss You Off" tour in July 2007, as well as a 40-minute documentary, behind-the-scenes footage from the 2007 tour, a 25-minute acoustic gig at an intimate venue, and all four music videos from Ta-Dah.
All I Want is a 2005 DVD that contains the documentary, A Portrait of Rufus Wainwright, along with live performances, music videos, interviews and more. The documentary features background information about Rufus' childhood, teen years and family, and how each of his first four albums were influenced. Celebrities providing commentary during the film include Elton John, Sting, Keane, and Jake Shears and Babydaddy of the Scissor Sisters; family members interviewed include his mother, Kate McGarrigle, and sister Martha Wainwright.
Night Work is the third studio album by American band Scissor Sisters. It was released on June 28, 2010, and was preceded by the release of the lead single "Fire with Fire" on June 20.
"Shady Love" is a song by American pop band Scissor Sisters which features front-man Jake Shears' pseudonym Krystal Pepsy and uncredited vocals from Harlem rapper Azealia Banks. The song was set for release in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2012 as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album (2012), but the release was cancelled for unconfirmed reasons. The track was written by frontman Jake Shears, Azealia Banks and was produced by Alex Ridha. "Shady Love" received its first play on January 2 by BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac and was met with positive reviews, including NME who described it as "the first big hit of 2012".
Magic Hour is the fourth and final studio album by American band Scissor Sisters, released on May 25, 2012, by Polydor Records. The first single from the album was initially "Shady Love" but was later replaced by "Only the Horses", co-produced by recording artist and DJ Calvin Harris, which entered and peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Baby Come Home" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters. The track is the second single from their fourth studio album Magic Hour. It was released on July 20, 2012 in the United Kingdom. The song was written by John Legend, Jason Sellards, Scott Hoffman, Ana Lynch and produced by Scissor Sisters and Alex Ridha.
"The Other Boys" is a song performed by Australian twin sisters Nervo featuring Kylie Minogue, Jake Shears and Nile Rodgers. It is included on Nervo's debut studio album, Collateral. The remix single was released on 23 October 2015.
"Swerlk" is a song by American electronic singer MNDR and American pop band Scissor Sisters. It was released as a single on June 9, 2017, by WonderSound Records. MNDR and Scissor Sisters conceived the song in honor of the one-year remembrance of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting. "Swerlk" was released in conjunction with GLAAD and proceeds from the sales benefited the Contigo Fund, a non-profit organization for LGBTQ individuals. The website swerlk.com was developed to funnel donations directly to Contigo.
Last Man Dancing is the second studio album by American singer Jake Shears, released on June 2, 2023, through Boys Keep Swinging and Mute Records. It includes collaborations with Kylie Minogue, Le Chev, Amber Martin and Big Freedia, and contributions from Jane Fonda and Iggy Pop. It was preceded by the release of four singles, including "Too Much Music", released alongside the album announcement on February 2.
