Musician Ana Matronic has explained why she won’t be taking part in the Scissor Sisters reunion next year.
This week, the British pop group announced they would embark on a huge arena tour to mark the 20th anniversary of their debut self-titled album.
Three of the band’s four original members are taking part: Jake Shears (Arizona-born singer Jason Sellards), Babydaddy (Scott Hoffman) and Del Marquis (Derek Gruen).
However, fans expressed their sadness to learn that Ana Matronic, real name Ana Kirby, would not be joining her former bandmates.
“People familiar with my story and career arc will know that in the heart of this Showgirl lies a giant Nerd,” the “Filthy/Gorgeous” singer wrote on Instagram.
“In the past decade my Nerd self has taken the wheel and is now driving my career. I am currently finishing production on the first season of my history podcast Good Time Sallies, which has grown into several long-term research and writing projects.
“With contracts signed and schedules agreed on these commitments, the timing of a Scissor reunion does not allow me to join my former bandmates for this tour.”
Ana Matronic said she wished the band and their fans “all the best… I will be there in spirit to kiki with you!”
In an exclusive interview with The Independent, her bandmates reflected on their rise to fame with hits including “Take Your Mama” and how they were received in the UK compared to elsewhere around the world.
“The UK has always been a place where you don’t really have to fit into something that already exists,” Marquis said.
“They appreciate idiosyncrasy, and appreciate a character, a personality. If anything can be said about our band, it’s that it’s not really like any other band. We didn’t make sense anywhere else, and it’s just like we clicked here.”
Addressing Ana Matronic’s absence from the reunion tour, Babydaddy said it was “more her story to tell than ours” but added she was “such a part of the spirit of the band”.
“It’s a little funny [to be reuniting without her],” he said. “But also... there’s the people that want to hear this music again to.”
He said his bandmate would be “in the back of our minds” during the arena shows: “But in the meantime, for the 20th anniversary, it just felt like we wanted to see what these songs do out there.”
Tickets for the Scissor Sisters 2025 tour will go on pre-sale on Wednesday 6 November at 9am, with the general sale at 9am on Friday 8 November.