Jake Shears is a boundary breaker. As frontman for Scissor Sisters he and his band pushed queerness into the mainstream, way before it became the norm. Their flamboyant performance paired with killer pop songs, and with his falsetto voice Jake Shears became bigger than even he himself could imagine. The Scissors called it a day in 2012, and Jake went through plenty of other life changes. He split from his long term boyfriend, moved to New Orleans, and a second life began. One filled with Broadway, books, and a solo record. Off the back of all of that, he joined me to Take 5 and share the boundary pusher’s who had fuelled his musical identity. Casting each of them under their own subcategories - sexuality / image / taste / pop / production – Jake showed not only how these artists helped make him the musician he is today, but the man.

D’Angelo - ‘Ain’t That Easy’

Gorillaz - ‘Tranz’

Grimes - ‘We Appreciate Power’

Exile - ‘Kiss You All Over’

David Bowie - ‘Boys Keep Swinging’