80s pop star, 65, seems unrecognizable – are you able to guess who?
She’s best known as one of the singers a popular pop rock band that hit its stride in the 1980s.
Their 1986 sophomore album proved to be a career high, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
She sang lead on its two biggest hits, including on one song written — pseudonymously — by Prince, making her the most identifiable member of the group, even though all its members sang lead at times.
Following the band’s 1989 dissolution, she went on to have a successful solo career, wrote a well-reviewed novel and married a high-powered Hollywood director best known for helming the Austin Powers films.
Can you name this hit-making singer?
She was a singer and guitarist in a popular ’80s band that produced several monster hits. Do you know who she is?
She’s Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles. Hoffs sang some of the group’s biggest hits, including Manic Monday and Walk Like An Egyptian; pictured in 1986
She’s 65-year-old Susanna Hoffs, best known for being the most prominent member of the band The Bangles.
Hoffs was pictured earlier this week when she dropped by an upscale Bristol Farms store for some groceries.
The songstress — who is rarely pictured in public — looked unrecognizable thanks to her minimally made-up face and casual ensemble.
She stayed cozy on a chilly, overcast day in Los Angeles by rocking a pink ribbed cardigan atop a simple gray T-shirt.
Hoffs focused on comfort with a set of black sweatpants, and she completed her outfit with gray slip-on shoes.
She accessorized with a large white handbag with a wide strap, and she wore her brunette locks down over her shoulders.
Hoffs’ fame-making band The Bangles was formed in 1981 when she met the sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson.
Hoffs handled rhythm guitar, while Vicki played lead guitar and Debbi played drums.
Hoffs was pictured earlier this week when she dropped by an upscale Bristol Farms store for some groceries
The songstress — who is rarely pictured in public — looked unrecognizable thanks to her minimally made-up face and casual ensemble
She stayed cozy on a chilly, overcast day in Los Angeles by rocking a pink ribbed cardigan atop a simple gray T-shirt
Hoffs focused on comfort with a set of black sweatpants, and she completed her outfit with gray slip-on shoes
She accessorized with a large white handbag with a wide strap, and she wore her brunette locks down over her shoulders
Originally known as the Colours, the group initially had a rock sound that was heavily indebted to classic ’60s bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys.
Their interest in that decade led the members to change their name to the Supersonic Bangs after being inspired by an article about ’60s-era hairdos.
They subsequently shortened it to a double-entendre, The Bangs, but legal action from another band with that name led the group to finally settle on The Bangles in 1982.
The group’s 1984 debut LP, All Over The Place, received strong reviews but wasn’t embraced by fans.
That all changed with the 1986 follow-up album, Different Light, which spawned the number two hit Manic Monday and the number one hit Walk Like An Egyptian.
Hoffs sang lead on both songs, and Manic Monday benefited from Prince’s instantly identifiable sound, though he originally published the song under the pseudonym ‘Christopher.’
The 1988 LP Everything also performed well, though without its predecessor’s monster hits.
Because Hoffs sang lead on many of The Bangles’ biggest singles, fans came to assume she was the frontwoman and leader of the band, even though all of the members took turns singing lead.
Hoffs’ (L) fame-making band The Bangles was formed in 1981 when she met the sisters Vicki (L) and Debbi Peterson (2nd to right); pictured with bassistMichael Steele (2nd to left)
After an underperforming debut, 1986’s Different Light made The Bangles a household name and spawned the Prince-penned number two hit Manic Monday and the number one hit Walk Like An Egyptian; pictured in 1984
Conflicts over her role in the group led The Bangles to split in 1989, though they reunited a decade later and began releasing music again.
Hoffs went solo after the split, and though she never achieved the commercial success of The Bangles she still managed to produce some modest hits across several albums.
The LA-born singer, who is the daughter of the independent filmmaker Tamar Ruth and the psychoanalyst Allen Hoffs, dabbled in acting early in her career, though she kept music as her primary focus.
More recently, she branched out into writing with the publication in 2023 of her debut novel This Bird Has Flown.
The romantic comedy, which tells the story of a floundering musician, earned a string of positive reviews, and Universal Pictures purchased the rights to it for a possible film adaptation.
Hoffs’ romantic life included a reported romance in 1986 with Michael J. Fox, though both later said they didn’t remember dating, according to the Los Angeles Times.
She subsequently was in a relationship from 1988 to 1991 with the actor Donovan Leitch, but her greatest romance was with the film director Jay Roach, whom she married in 1993.
The band broke up in 1989, before reuniting in 1999. Hoffs went solo in the meantime, releasing several popular albums, though never replicating The Bangles’ success; pictured in 2017 in LA
Hoffs reportedly dated Michael J. Fox in 1986, but neither can recall dating
In 1993, she married the director Jay Roach, best known for directing the Austin Powers films and Meet The Parents; pictured together in 2019 in LA
Roach would direct all three Austin Powers films — which included some of Hoffs’ music — and he later direct the comedy hits Meet The Parents and its sequel, Meet The Fockers.
He also helmed the 2008 political dramedy Recount and the Oscar-winning Bombshell (2019).
Roach is currently at work on a remake of The War Of The Roses, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman.
Hoffs’ most recent album was 2023’s The Deep End, which featured her covering classic and contemporary songs.
