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Lady Gaga hand-picked the glam-dance group Scissor Sisters to open her show at EnergySolutions Arena this Saturday.
Jake Shears, the quintet's falsetto-singing frontman, believes they've had a small part in influencing Lady Gaga's meteoric rise to become the biggest pop star on the planet right now.
"The reason we do this is so kids can see us and go on to do great things," Shears said in an interview. "[Lady Gaga] is one of those kids."
Shears is being modest, as Lady Gaga — aka the Fame Monster — has consistently named the Scissor Sisters as an inspiration, labeling them "one of her favorite bands."
It's not hard to see the connection. The Scissor Sisters rose from the oft-seedy underbelly of the New York club scene in 2001, just as Lady Gaga did several years later.
The Scissor Sisters focused almost as much energy on their image as their music — much as Lady Gaga now does. The Scissor Sisters turned their shows into hedonistic spectacles, just as Lady Gaga has done.
And like the Scissor Sisters, Lady Gaga has pushed for gay rights.
Remember last year, when Gaga attended the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards accompanied by four members of the United States armed forces, who, under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, had been prohibited from serving openly because of their sexuality? She grabbed the pop-culture spotlight with that appearance, wearing a dress of raw meat and stating: "If we don't stand up for what we believe in and if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones."
"She is very inspired by the same things we're inspired by," said Ana Matronic, the female lead singer of Scissor Sisters. "We're fighting on the same team."
Despite being around for a decade, the Scissor Sisters — Shears, Matronic, Babydaddy, Del Marquis and Randy Real — have found more success in Europe than their homeland. Perhaps that's in part because the band's name comes from a sexual position usually associated with lesbians.
Group members are open about their sexuality, and their dance anthems have led them to play in front of more than 100,000 people at festivals in England, while at home they're usually booked in much smaller venues.
"We've been having a blast," Shears said about going on the road with Lady Gaga. "We have no problems playing arenas. It's crazy how lucky we are with Gaga. We've never played big shows like this in the states before."
"We get a half-hour," Matronic said of opening. "You do have to come up with a little bit of a script, so we could hit on the [important] points for the Little Monsters," she said, referring to a term used to describe Lady Gaga fans.
The Scissor Sisters are promoting their latest album, 2010's "Nightworks," which follows 2006's "Ta-Dah." Why the delay? The band scrapped the first version of its third release and decided to start again.
"For a long time, we were not sure of where we wanted to go," Matronic said. "We were a little bit rudderless on our ship."
Added Shears: "I really wanted a record that was thematic and had a simple concept. [When] I got the big picture — when the light bulb went on — we were ready."
The result, he said, is that "Nightwork" is "really fun and sexy."
"It's really cohesive," Matronic said. "Our first two albums were patchwork quilts. This is a mature record, even though it's all about sex. Jake tapped into his sexuality, and it's a really great, freeing thing. He's an incredibly sexual being. You can't hold back the floodwaters. Creativity and sexuality come from the same place."
The group is eager to perform a repeat gig in Salt Lake City and is hoping to conjure up the same energy. "The freaks in New York City get everything," Matronic said. "In Salt Lake City, there are freaks, and they need you. They are so demonstrative in their love."
Roma-roma-ma-ah
Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour hits Utah. Scissor Sisters open.
When • Saturday, March 19, at 8 p.m.
Where • EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $49.50-$175 at SmithsTix