CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2023 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Don’t miss our latest news! Sign up today for our free newsletter.
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
For the disco-influenced New York band the Scissor Sisters, that has enjoyed major success in the United Kingdom, the U.S. market remains a challenge.
"American music fans are just as musically open-minded as their British counterparts," front man Jake Shears told trade publication Billboard. "But the powers that be in the U.S. may not be as open-minded. Which, to a degree, will hold us back in the U.S.... Tons of Americans would love our music, but they don't know we exist."
The band's self-titled debut album was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2004, moving 500,000 units, according to the Official U.K. Charts Co. To date, that album has sold 2.5 million copies in the United Kingdom.
But on the eve of the September 26 release of the Scissor Sisters' sophomore album, Ta-Dah (Universal Motown), Shears and his bandmates--Babydaddy, Ana Matronic, Del Marquis, and Paddy Boom--are still trying to crack the U.S. market.
It won't necessarily be easy. While dance-rock contemporaries like the Killers and Franz Ferdinand have successfully entered the American mainstream, Scissor Sisters has not yet extended its reach beyond its core constituency: the gay community.
For mainstream America, the band may simply be too quirky, too left-of-center, too flamboyant. Or not.
"People have lots of preconceived notions about us," Shears said. "But they get over them by hearing us or seeing us live."
U.S. audiences will have a few opportunities to do so during the week of September 25, when Scissor Sisters will appear on ABC's Dancing With the Stars and NBC's Late Night With Conan O'Brien, among other TV shows.
A chart-topper in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Scissor Sisters went top five on the European Top 100 Albums chart. But in the United States, the album sold only 283,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, compared with 3 million for the Killers' Hot Fuss and 1 million for Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut disc.
The new album's lead single, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'," is already off to a strong start overseas, topping the Official U.K. Singles Chart after entering at number 4.
Stateside, the label has delivered the single to adult top 40 radio. If it gains traction there, it will be promoted to mainstream top 40 radio.
Adult top 40 KIOI San Francisco program director James Baker believes the group eventually will break in the United States, but he doesn't think it will be with "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'." The song, he said, is "too out of the norm, too reminiscent of the '70s for soccer moms to relate to."
Shears disagrees. "People just need to be exposed to this song--and our music in general," he said. "They'll get it. People may look at us and think, 'What a bunch of weirdos.' But give them time, and they'll see that we're pretty special." (Reuters)
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Lauren Boebert Caught Fondling Date’s Genitals During Family-Friendly Musical: Video
September 15 2023 11:20 PM
Don’t miss our latest news! Sign up today for our free newsletter.
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
They Live in the US, but These LGBTQ+ Couples Can’t Get Married. Here's Why
September 23 2023 8:30 PM
Virginia Beach Parents Sue to Force Schools to Adopt Glenn Youngkin's Anti-Trans Policies
September 22 2023 5:43 PM
Donald Trump Asked Joint Chiefs Chair Mark Milley, 'Are You Soft on Transgenders?'
September 22 2023 4:00 PM
Transgender Youth Face Hurdles Getting Gender-Affirming Care Even When It's Legal
September 22 2023 2:30 PM
Victory for Students: LGBTQ+ Resource Center Reopens at Missouri University
September 22 2023 12:00 PM
Country Star Adam Mac Bows Out of Kentucky Festival After Homophobic Treatment
September 22 2023 10:38 AM
Pro-Equality Lawmakers Demand Removal of Anti-LGBTQ+ Sections From Defense Bill
September 21 2023 6:20 PM