Out singer-songwriter Jake Shears
covers the September issue of Gay Times.
The 39-year-old Shears is best known as
the lead male singer for Scissor Sisters. His self-titled solo album
arrived last week.
“As out-and-proud and
independently-minded as I like to think I am, I have felt pressure to
conform in all kinds of ways,” Shears
said. “I’ve had major body image issues for the last 10
years. Like, what the fuck? Why do I struggle with that? I think
about it all the time, and I feel like I’m in a better place with
it now, but it’s definitely something I’ve struggled with. I’m
super excited to go into my 40s, but I do feel like I have to
reassess what it all means and I’ve been thinking a lot about
that.”
Shears added that he's “always going
to struggle with depression.”
“It's something I know I'm going to
have for the rest of my life. But I have really learned how to
manage it. I can look inside now and say, 'What is not making me
happy? What is giving me anxiety?' And then face it and change it.
That's how this whole record was made.”
“I wanted to get back to this place
where I'm putting out music I love and getting to perform on stage.
Getting to be creative makes me really happy,” he added.