Known for her ferocious presence and cutting onstage banter as a singer in the Scissor Sisters Ana Matronics singular style helped propel the group from a little-known East Village nightclub act to the highest-selling rock act in the UK in 2004. Scissor Sisters success continued in 2005 with three Brit awards (UK Grammy) for Best International Group, Album, and Breakthrough Artist, as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Single, and an appearance at the London Live 8 concert. Ana's success in Scissor Sisters lead to collaboration with seminal dance pioneers New Order, whos single 'Jetstream went into the British Top 20.
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Ana moved to San Francisco in 1996, where she gained notoriety as one of the only female performers at legendary drag club Trannyshack, subject of the new documentary recently included in the San Francisco and the London Gay & Lesbian Film Festivals. A combination of performance art, absurdist cabaret, burlesque, pantomime and low-rent lip-sync, Trannyshack broke all boundaries in the grand tradition of The Cockettes, Jackie 60, and Club 57. Ana also produced and staged two solo performances: Vestal Rosies Lament and Junos First Date at Space Gallery, and Self Portrait at Light Leak Gallery, and was part of several group shows in galleries around the city.
Ana moved to New York City in 1999, where, inspired by the East Village of the late 70s and early 80s, she set up the Knock-Off Collective with four local artists and performers (including the one and only Christy Love). Knock-Off became a regular night at the Lower East Side club The Slipper Room, and was the site of the first performance of Scissor Sisters, who would later recruit Ana into their ranks.
Also working on a project with boyfriend Seth Kirby, I Love You, gained some notoriety for their "See You Next Tuesday remix" of Scissor Sisters' "Filthy/Gorgeous," and the inclusion of their remix of Klaus Nomi's "Mon Coeur" on the Nomi Song DVD extras, the recent documentary release about the life of the legendary performer. They continue to bang the FX and work on their next release.
