She is best known as one of the singers of a popular pop rock band that rose to prominence in the 1980s.
Their 1986 second album proved to be a career highlight, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
She sang lead on the two biggest hits, including one song written – pseudonymously – by Prince, making her the most recognizable member of the group, even though all the members sometimes sang lead.
After the band’s dissolution in 1989, she had a successful solo career, wrote a well-reviewed novel and married a powerful Hollywood director best known for directing 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 is Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles. Hoffs sang some of the group’s biggest hits, including Manic Monday and Walk Like An Egyptian; pictured in 1986
She is 65-year-old Susanna Hoffs, best known as the most prominent member of the band The Bangles.
Hoffs was photographed earlier this week as she stopped by a luxury store in Bristol Farms for some groceries.
The singer – who is rarely pictured in public – looked unrecognizable thanks to her minimally made-up face and casual ensemble.
On a chilly, cloudy day in Los Angeles, she stayed cozy by wearing a pink ribbed cardigan over a simple gray T-shirt.
Hoffs focused on comfort with a set of black sweatpants and she completed her outfit with gray loafers.
She carried a large white handbag with a wide strap and wore her dark brown locks over her shoulders.
Hoffs’ famous band The Bangles was formed in 1981 when she met sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson.
Hoffs played rhythm guitar, while Vicki played lead guitar and Debbi played drums.
Hoffs was photographed earlier this week as she stopped by a luxury store in Bristol Farms for some groceries
The singer – who is rarely pictured in public – looked unrecognizable thanks to her minimally made-up face and casual ensemble
On a cold, cloudy day in Los Angeles, she stayed cozy by wearing a pink ribbed cardigan over a simple gray T-shirt
Hoffs focused on comfort with a set of black sweatpants and she completed her outfit with gray loafers
She carried a large white handbag with a wide strap and wore her dark brown locks over her shoulders
Originally known as the Colors, the group initially had a rock sound 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 Supersonic Bangs, after being inspired by an article about ’60s hairstyles.
They subsequently shortened it to a double entender, 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 good reviews but was not 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 took advantage of Prince’s instantly recognizable sound, although he originally published the song under the pseudonym ‘Christopher’.
The 1988 LP Everything also did well, albeit without the monster hits of its predecessor.
Because Hoffs sang lead on many of The Bangles’ biggest singles, fans assumed she was the band’s frontwoman and leader, even though all members took turns singing lead.
Hoffs’ (L) famous band The Bangles was formed in 1981 when she met sisters Vicki (L) and Debbi Peterson (2nd from right); pictured with bassist Michael Steele (2nd from left)
After an underperforming debut, 1986’s Different Light made The Bangles a household name, spawning 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 to The Bangles breaking up in 1989, although they reunited ten years later and began releasing music again.
Hoffs went solo after the split, and although she never achieved the commercial success of The Bangles, she still managed to produce some modest hits on several albums.
The LA-born singer, the daughter of independent filmmaker Tamar Ruth and psychoanalyst Allen Hoffs, dabbled in acting early in her career, although she kept music as her main focus.
More recently, she began writing with the 2023 publication of her debut novel This Bird Has Flown.
The romantic comedy, which tells the story of a struggling musician, received a string of positive reviews and Universal Pictures bought the rights to it for a possible film adaptation.
Hoffs’ romantic life included a reported 1986 romance with Michael J. Fox, although both later said they had no memory of dating, according to the Los Angeles Times.
She subsequently dated actor Donovan Leitch from 1988 to 1991, but her greatest romance was with 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 and released several popular albums, but never replicated the success of The Bangles; pictured in 2017 in LA
Hoffs reportedly dated Michael J. Fox in 1986, but neither can remember dating
In 1993, she married 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 featured some of Hoffs’ music – and later directed the comedy hits Meet The Parents and its sequel, Meet The Fockers.
He also directed the 2008 political drama series Recount and the Oscar-winning Bombshell (2019).
Roach is currently working 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, on which she covered classic and contemporary songs.
