Jason Sellards (born October 3, 1978), known professionally by the stage name Jake Shears, is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. 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.

Early life

Shears was born in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

,. His father was an entrepreneur, his mother Frieda (nee Sellards) was a practicing

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

. He grew up on San Juan Island, Washington, where he attended school at Friday Harbor High School and was bullied. His "first real concert was

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...

". At the age of 18, he moved into a dorm at the Northwest School in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, to finish high school. Shears later attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. At the age of 19, he travelled to

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

, to visit a classmate, who introduced him to Scott Hoffman. Shears and Hoffman hit it off immediately and moved to New York a year later.

Career

Early work

Shears attended New York's

Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, commonly referred to as Lang, is the seminar-style, undergraduate, liberal arts college of The New School. It is located on-campus in Greenwich Village in New York City on West 11th Street off Sixth Avenue ( ...

, where he studied fiction writing and was a classmate of Travis Jeppesen. He also wrote pieces for the gay magazine ''HX''. In 2000, he worked as a music reviewer for ''Paper'' magazine.

Scissor Sisters

Shears and Hoffman formed Scissor Sisters in 2001 as a performance art stunt, playing outrageous shows in clubs like Luxx, the heart of the electroclash scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where Shears lived. After a couple of years struggling in New York (working with the record label A Touch of Class, who produced "Comfortably Numb" and " Filthy/Gorgeous"), Scissor Sisters finally found success in the United Kingdom and Ireland, ending 2004 with the biggest-selling album of the year in the UK. In concert, Shears is known for provocative dancing, flamboyant outfits, and near nudity. (During his early years while he was struggling to make it in New York, he would often earn extra money as a go-go dancer and male erotic dancer at male

strip clubs A strip club (also known as a strip joint, striptease bar, peeler bar, gentlemen's club, among others) is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease and other erotic dances including lap dances. St ...

.) Shears' musical influences include

The Bee Gees ''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...

Leo Sayer Leo Sayer (born Gerard Hugh Sayer, 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter who has been active since the early 1970s. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingd ...

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

, Blondie,

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...

, The New York Dolls,

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, and

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

. The Scissor Sisters video for '' Filthy/Gorgeous'' was directed by John Cameron Mitchell after Shears met him at a gathering of the

Radical Faeries Radical Faeries are a loosely affiliated worldwide network and Counterculture, countercultural movement blending queer consciousness and secular spirituality. Sharing various aspects with neopaganism, the movement also adopts elements from anarchi ...

. Shears attended Sir Elton John's "stag" party before John's civil partnership ceremony with David Furnish in 2005. John and Shears discussed each other in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' in 2006.

Other work

Shears performed with Erasure's Andy Bell on "Thought It Was You", on Bell's 2005 album '' Electric Blue''. He has also collaborated with Tiga on " Hot in Herre", "You Gonna Want Me", and "What You Need" from Tiga's album '' Ciao!''. He also worked on Finnish house musician Luomo's "If I Can't". Together with Babydaddy, he co-wrote with

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

on her hit single " I Believe in You" for her greatest hits compilation '' Ultimate Kylie''. Shears and Minogue also co-wrote "Too Much" with

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris (and sometimes under the stage name Love Regenerator), is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'' (2007 ...

for Minogue's number one album ''

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

''. In 2011, Shears collaborated with John Garden to write the music for a musical version of the book '' Tales of the City''. The show is directed by Jason Moore. Shears was featured on the track "Metemya" of Amadou and Mariam's 2012 album '' Folila''. Shears also wrote the foreword to the award-winning '80s 7-inch vinyl cover art book '' Put the Needle on the Record''. In 2013, he appeared on the Queens of the Stone Age album '' ...Like Clockwork'', providing backing vocals on the song "Keep Your Eyes Peeled". He duetted with

on the track " Take it Like a Man" for her 2013 album '' Closer to the Truth''. In October 2017, Shears released his first song as a solo artist, "Creep City". In January 2018, Shears made his Broadway debut starring as Charlie in '' Kinky Boots.'' He reprised the role at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2022. In February 2018, Shears published his autobiography, ''Boys Keep Swinging''. Shears released his debut solo studio album, '' Jake Shears'', on August 10, 2018, and received positive reviews. It peaked at N° 20 in the UK Charts. In March 2019, Shears toured with

as part of her Golden Tour. In October 2019, Shears appeared as a collaborator on The Desert Sessions Vols. 11 & 12, most prominently as lead singer on Something You Can't See and backing vocals for Crucifire. In January 2020, he appeared as the "Unicorn" on ITV's '' The Masked Singer'', finishing in 6th place. Shears released the single "Meltdown" in February 2020. On February 1, 2023, Shears released the single "Too Much Music". On June 2, 2023, Shears released his second studio album, '' Last Man Dancing'', which contains collaborations with Kylie Minogue, Amber Martin and cameos from

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

and

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' rated the album 4/5 stars. In September 2023, he starred as the Emcee in his West End debut in the revival of ''Cabaret''. His final performance was on March 9, 2024. In March 2025, it was announced that Shears is featured on ''In the Garden'', a concept album and musical by the artist Boyfriend set for release on May 9, 2025. The album reimagines the story of Adam and Eve but through Eve's lens. The project features Boyfriend as Eve alongside Billy Porter (narrator), Shears (Adam),

Big Freedia Freddie Ross Jr. (born January 28, 1978), better known by her stage name Big Freedia ( ), is an American rapper, singer and performer known for her work in the New Orleans genre of hip hop called bounce music. Freedia has been credited with helpi ...

(God), and Peaches (Serpent).

Personal life

Shears came out as gay to his parents at the age of 15 at the urging of

Dan Savage Daniel Keenan Savage (born October 7, 1964) is an American author, media pundit, journalist, and LGBTQ community activist. He writes Savage Love, an internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column. In 2010, Savage and his husband, ...

, who later called his advice "the worst I've ever given" due to the negative reaction of Shears' parents. In 2010, Shears participated in Savage's

It Gets Better Project It Gets Better is an Internet-based 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe. It was founded in the United States by gay activist, author, m ...

. In 2012, Shears was interviewed about his experience. He spoke about his good friend Anderson Cooper and said he felt gay celebrities "at least have the responsibility to come out". Shears was in a relationship with Chris Moukarbel from 2004 to 2015. At Brighton Pride 2022, Shears announced live that he had received a five-year visa to live in the United Kingdom.

Awards and nominations

{, class="wikitable" , + Awards and nominations for Jake Shears ! Year !! Awards !! Work !! Category !! Result !! Ref. , - , 2007 ,

Virgin Media Virgin Media Limited is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 ...

Music Awards , Himself , Most Fanciable Male , , , - , 2018 , Best Art Vinyl , '' Jake Shears'' , Best Art Vinyl , , , - , 2019 , Classic Pop Readers' Awards , ''Boys Keep Swinging'' , Book of the Year , , , - , 2022 , Berlin Music Video Awards , "All I Want" , Best Director , ,

Discography

With Scissor Sisters

Albums

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" , + List of albums, with selected details and chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;", Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;", Details ! scope="col" colspan="2", Peak chart positions , - ! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:90%", UK
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:90%", UK
Ind.
, - ! scope="row", '' Jake Shears'' , * Released: August 10, 2018 * Label: Freida Jean * Formats: CD, digital download,

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

, 20 , , 4 , - ! scope="row", '' Last Man Dancing'' , * Released: June 2, 2023 * Label: Mute * Formats: CD, digital download, streaming , 18 , , 4

Extended plays

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" , + List of extended plays, with selected details ! scope="col" style="width:10em;", Title ! scope="col" style="width:16em;", Details , - ! scope="row", ''B-Sides'' , * Released: October 18, 2019 * Label: Freida Jean Records * Formats: digital download, streaming

Singles

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" , + List of singles, showing year released and album name ! scope="col" style="width:30em;", Title ! scope="col" style="width:1em;", Year ! scope="col", Album , - ! scope="row", "Creep City" , rowspan="3" , 2018 , rowspan="3" , ''Jake Shears'' , - ! scope="row", "Sad Song Backwards" , - ! scope="row", "Big Bushy Mustache" , - ! scope="row", "Meltdown" , 2020 , , - ! scope="row", "Do the Television" , 2021 , ''Last Man Dancing'' , - ! scope="row", "Amazing"
(

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

only) , 2022 , , - ! scope="row", "Too Much Music" , rowspan="4" , 2023 , rowspan="4" , ''Last Man Dancing'' , - ! scope="row", "Devil Came Down the Dance Floor"
(with Amber Martin) , - ! scope="row", "I Used to Be In Love" , - ! scope="row", "Last Man Dancing" , -

As featured artist

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" , + List of singles as a featured artist, showing year released and album name ! scope="col" style="width:30em;", Title ! scope="col" style="width:1em;", Year ! scope="col", Album , - ! scope="row", "Disappearer"
(AVEC featuring Jake Shears) , 2013 , , - ! scope="row", " The Other Boys"
( NERVO featuring

, Jake Shears & Nile Rogers) , 2015 , '' Collateral'' , - ! scope="row", "Sensation"
( Bright Light Bright Light featuring Jake Shears) , 2020 , ''Fun City'' , - ! scope="row", "All I Want"
( Boys Noize featuring Jake Shears) , rowspan="2", 2021 , , - ! scope="row", "Neon Lights"
( Annie featuring Jake Shears) , '' Neon Lights'' , - ! scope="row", "Free Your Mind"
( Arielle Free featuring Jake Shears) , 2023 ,

Guest appearances

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" , + List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name ! scope="col" style="width:22em;", Title ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Other artist(s) ! scope="col" , Album , - ! scope="row" , "Dirty Pleasures" , 2024 , Purple Disco Machine, Lorenz Rhode , ''Paradise'' , -

Tours

Supporting act *

– Golden Tour (2019) *

– Future Present Tour (2023) * Jamiroquai – Lytham Festival 2023 (June 2023)

References

External links

Official Scissor Sisters website
*
Shear Madness – ''Out Magazine'' interview with Shears
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shears, Jake 1978 births 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers American countertenors American gay musicians American gay writers American LGBTQ singers American LGBTQ songwriters American rock singers American tenors Gay singers Gay songwriters Ivor Novello Award winners LGBTQ people from Arizona Living people Occidental College alumni Radical Faeries members Scissor Sisters members Singers from Arizona