Jake Shears

Infobox musical artist
Name = Jake Shears

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Img_capt = Jake Shears performing in 2005
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Jason Sellards
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1978|10|3
Arizona
Died =
Origin =
Instrument = Vocals
Genre = Glam rock, alternative, pop
Occupation = Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1999-present
Label =
Associated_acts = Scissor Sisters
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =

Jake Shears (born Jason Sellards, 3 October 1978, Arizona) is the male lead vocalist for the American music group Scissor Sisters.

Biography

Early life

Shears was born in Arizona but grew up in the suburbs of Seattle. He went to high school in Seattle, Washington at The Northwest School. Shears attended Occidental College in Los Angeles. When Shears was 19, he traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to visit a classmate, who introduced him to Scott Hoffman (Babydaddy). Shears and Hoffman hit it off immediately and, a year later, both moved to New York.

In New York, Shears attended Eugene Lang College, where he studied fiction writing and was classmates with Travis Jeppesen, and wrote pieces for the gay magazine "HX". For a while, Shears, who is openly gay,citation |title=Travelin' like a rock star |periodical=The Advocate |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2005_April_26/ai_n14735900 |date=2005-04-26 |first=Matthew |last=Breen |accessdate=2007-09-08] was a fixture on the New York gay and electroclash scene.

In 2000, Shears also worked as a music reviewer for "Paper" magazine.

cissor Sisters

Shears and Hoffman formed the Scissor Sisters in 2001 as a kind of performance art lark, playing outrageous shows in clubs like Luxx, the heart of the electroclash scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where Shears lived. After a couple years struggling in New York (working with record label A Touch of Class, who produced "Comfortably Numb" and "Filthy/Gorgeous"), the Sisters finally found success in the UK 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. (It is noted that 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 gay-oriented strip clubs. [cite web|url= http://www.sovo.com/2006/10-13/arts/feature/scissor.cfm|title= Scissor Sister's return|accessdate= 2008-05-17|author= Michael A. Knipp|date= 2006-10-13|publisher= Southern Voice Atlanta] ) His musical influences include ABBA, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Roxy Music, The New York Dolls, Queen, Madonna, and Dolly Parton. He, along with his band, has become especially popular in the LGBT community. [cite web|url= http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/04/19/logo-to-simulcast-scissor-sisters-live-at-the-o2-arena-on-mhd/
title= Logo to simulcast Scissor Sisters: Live at the O2 Arena on MHD|accessdate= 2008-05-17|author= Darren Murph|date= 2008-04-19|publisher= EndGadgetHD|quote= With several openly gay band members and a loyal and enthusiastic LGBT following...]

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

Other credits

Shears performs with Erasure's Andy Bell on "Thought It Was You", on Bell's 2005 album "Electric Blue". He has also collaborated with Tiga with Hot in Herre and You Gonna Want Me, and wrote the hit single "I Believe In You" for Kylie Minogue with Babydaddy.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.scissorsisters.com Official Scissor Sisters website]
* [http://www.scissorsistersandfriends.com/ ScissorSistersAndFriends]
*imdb|0783283|Jake Shears
* [http://www.out.com/detail.asp?id=10078 Shear Madness - "Out Magazine" interview with Shears]