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

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Watch the full episode here Come and have a kiki with us! We're doing our first live episode recording on the 5th of November at the Phoenix Arts Club followed by a party to celebrate season 2 - tickets and more info here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices