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

‘My Lady of Mercy' by The Last Dinner Party Oct 21, 2025

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 andThe Arctic Monkeys, and topped it off with sold-out solo tours and two Brit Awards.

It seems there’s no stopping this indie-rock, baroque-pop band, their second studio album 'From The Pyre' has just dropped and they’re off on a huge, international tour so we're lucky Abigail and Georgia made time to drop into the Queer The Music studio to talk about their creative process, how they met, what Queer music means to them and the meaning behind their song 'My Lady of Mercy'.

We'd love to hear from you - please get in touch via Instagram @queerthemusicpodcast

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‘Not My Father’s Son’ from Kinky Boots with Billy Porter - Part 2 Oct 13, 2025

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 life

We'd love to hear from you, please get in touch via Instagram @queerthemusicpodcast

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‘Not My Father’s Son’ from Kinky Boots with Billy Porter - Part 1 Oct 06, 2025

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 world

He wowed Broadway with his lead performance as drag queen Lola in Kinky Boots, scooping a Tony Award and a Grammy for Best Musical Theater album. He joins Jake in this episode to talk about finding his voice, how he shaped the role in Kinky Boots, his love of musical theatre and of course that show-stealing ballad from the show, Not My Father's Son.

You can watch the full episode on Mercury Studios' YouTube Channel - here

We'd love to hear from you - please send any questions to us via Instagram @queerthemusicpodcast - here

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'Statue In The Square' by Kae Tempest Sep 30, 2025

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, journey of self-acceptance and we learn how creativity and community has been a powerful catalyst for embracing his self-hood.

You can watch the whole episode at Mercury Studios YouTube channel here

We'd love to hear from you! Please send any comments or questions to us on Instagram @queerthemusicpodcast

If you or someone you love is dealing with mental health issues, help and resources are available here.

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‘Raw Deal’ by Judas Priest with Rob Halford - Part 2 Sep 23, 2025

This is the second part of Jake's revealing conversation 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 his extremely honest autobiography…

Get in touch with any questions or comments via Instagram, we'd also love to hear who you'd like us to feature on Queer The Music @queerthemusicpodcast.com

And you can watch the full video of the episode on YouTube here

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‘Raw Deal’ by Judas Priest with Rob Halford - Part 1 Sep 16, 2025

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 how he created the look for Heavy Metal, the pressure to keep his sexuality secret, his unplanned coming out, the art and dangers of cruising, his secret to a successful relationship and the risk he took writing a song about Fire Island.

You can watch the full episode on Mercury Studio's YouTube Channel here

We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch with any questions and comments @queerthemusicpodcast on Instagram.

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'The Power of Love' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood Dec 19, 2024

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 a scary place for the LGBTQ+ community. Despite this, gay bars, clubs and saunas were thriving in the UK and amongst it all Frankie Goes to Hollywood were skyrocketing to success with their debut album ‘Welcome to the Pleasuredome’.

Tune in to hear about how ‘The Power of Love’ was written and how it unwittingly became synonymous with Christmas.

Thank you for listening to this second series of Queer The Music, we'd love to hear from you - let us know which song you'd like us to feature - leave us a review or message us on Instagram @queerthemusicpodcast - see you for series 3 in 2025!

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’It’s a Sin’ by Pet Shop Boys with Neil Tennant Dec 03, 2024

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 collaborations and creative process.

Thank you to everyone who has listened to this series - we'll be back with Season 3 next year, let us know who you would like us to feature on Queer The Music, but in the meantime keep an eye out for a very special festive bonus.

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'Take Your Mama' by Scissor Sisters Nov 26, 2024

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'

Longtime friend and associate of Scissor Sisters, Ms. Aimee Phillips turns the tables on Jake Shears and his fellow band mates, Babydaddy and Del Marquis and asks them to spill the tea on this iconic song.

Tickets to the Scissor Sisters 2025 UK & Ireland tour are now on sale! Get yours via https://www.scissorsisters.com/ ✂️

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‘Midnight Radio’ from Hedwig and the Angry Inch with John Cameron Mitchell Nov 19, 2024

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 its enduring significance.

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'Free Yourself' by Jessie Ware Nov 12, 2024

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 about, her influences, creative process, working with Stuart Price, channelling Erica Jane and how incredibly important her queer fans are to her.

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'Explode' by Big Freedia Nov 05, 2024

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.

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'Glacier' by John Grant Oct 29, 2024

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.

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'Tutti Frutti' by Little Richard Oct 22, 2024

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.

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'Standing In The Way of Control' by Gossip with Beth Ditto Oct 15, 2024

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.

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'Fast Slow Disco' by St Vincent Apr 09, 2024

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.

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'Going To A Town' by Rufus Wainwright Mar 05, 2024

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.

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'1950' by King Princess Feb 27, 2024

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.

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‘King’ by Years and Years with Olly Alexander Feb 20, 2024

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.

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'Fuck The Pain Away' by Peaches Feb 13, 2024

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

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‘A Little Respect’ by Erasure with Andy Bell Feb 06, 2024

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

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‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) by Sylvester with Jeanie Tracy Jan 30, 2024

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

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'I Do This All The Time' by Self Esteem Jan 30, 2024

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

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Queer The Music: Jake Shears On The Songs That Changed Lives - Coming Soon! Jan 22, 2024

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.

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