| Scissor Sisters | |
| |
| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | Glam rock, Alternative], Electronica, Electroclash (early material) |
| Years active | 2001-present |
| Labels | Polydor, Universal Records, Warnner Bros. Records, Jive Records, Nonesuch, Motown |
| Members | Jake Shears Babydaddy] Ana Matronic Del Marquis Randy Real |
| Musicians | |
The Scissor Sisters are a triple BRIT Award winning American band that formed in 2001. Their style draws from disco, glam rock, pop and the club scene of New York City. The band have supported Duran Duran in concert and vocalist Ana Matronic performed on the All You Need Is Now album.
Biography[]
The group was formed in 2001 by Jake Shears, the lead vocalist. The other members are Ana Matronic (vocals), Del Marquis (guitar), Paddy Boom (drums) and Babydaddy (bass guitar). The lyrics of their songs are largely written by Shears and Babydaddy, and are known for their mixture of wit and tragedy.
Their first single "Laura" had a limited release in 2003 (reaching #54 in the UK singles chart), but received little attention except from British music paper New Musical Express. They came to prominence in 2004 with the release of "Comfortably Numb" (reaching #10 in the UK), a disco-style cover of the Pink Floyd song. This was followed by "Take Your Mama" (#17 in the UK), a re-release of "Laura" (#12 in the UK), the ballad "Mary" (#14 in the UK), and "Filthy/Gorgeous" (#5 in the UK). All the singles came from the self-titled debut album Scissor Sisters, which reached #1 in the UK albums chart, and became the best selling album of 2004 beating their closest rival Keane by just 582 copies. In late 2004, Shears and Babydaddy co-wrote & produced the hit "I Believe In You" for Kylie Minogue.
At the 2005 Brit Awards the group won all the awards they were nominated for; International Group, International Breakthough and International Album; the first time in the Awards history that an act won all three International catergories. They also opened the show with "Take Your Mama".
In 2006 the band released their second album Ta-Dah, which features collaborations with Elton John, Carlos Alomar and Paul Williams.
They are renowned for strong live performances, and count David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Elton John among their fans.
Duran Duran connections[]
In 2004 the Scissor Sisters were an opening act for The Reunion Tour including shows at Wembley Arena in London, performing a style of music which is evidently influenced by various dance, rock and funk acts including Elton John, the Bee Gees, Supertramp and Duran Duran.
Scissors Sisters' second album Ta-Dah featured musician Carlos Alomar, who contributed to Arcadia's So Red the Rose album. He also co-wrote David Bowie's "Fame", and played guitar on Iggy Pop's "Success", both songs Duran Duran would later cover.
Vocalist Ana Matronic performed on Duran Duran's All You Need Is Now album.