She is best known as one of the singers in a popular pop rock band that reached its peak in the 1980s.
Their 1986 second album proved to be a career-high, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
She sang lead on their two biggest hits, including a song written (under a pseudonym) by Prince, making her the most identifiable member of the group, even though all members sang lead at times.
After the band broke up 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 successful singer?
He was a singer and guitarist in a popular ’80s band that produced several monster hits. Do you know who she is?
This is Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles. Hoffs sang some of the group’s biggest hits, including Manic Monday and Walk Like An Egypt; photographed in 1986
This is Susanna Hoffs, 65, best known for being the most prominent member of the band The Bangles.
Hoffs was photographed earlier this week when she stopped by a Bristol Farms upscale store to do some shopping.
The singer, who rarely appears in public, looked unrecognizable thanks to her minimally made-up face and casual ensemble.
She stayed comfortable on a cold, cloudy day in Los Angeles wearing a pink ribbed cardigan over a simple gray T-shirt.
Hoffs focused on comfort with a pair of black sweatpants and completed her look with gray slip-on shoes.
She accessorized with a large white bag with a wide strap and wore her brunette locks over her shoulders.
Hoffs’ famous band, The Bangles, formed in 1981 when he 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 when she stopped by a Bristol Farms upscale store to do some shopping.
The singer, who rarely appears in public, looked unrecognizable thanks to her minimally made-up face and casual ensemble.
She stayed comfortable on a cold, cloudy day in Los Angeles wearing a pink ribbed cardigan over a simple gray T-shirt.
Hoffs focused on comfort with a pair of black sweatpants and completed her look with gray slip-on shoes.
She accessorized with a large white bag with a wide strap and wore her brunette 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 1960s-era hairstyles.
They later shortened it to a double entender, The Bangs, but legal action by 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 well received by fans.
That all changed with 1986’s follow-up album, Different Light, which spawned the number two hit Manic Monday and the number one hit Walk Like An Egypt.
Hoffs sang on both songs and Manic Monday benefited from Prince’s instantly identifiable sound, although he originally released the song under the pseudonym ‘Christopher’.
1988’s Everything LP also performed well, although without the monster hits of its predecessor.
Because Hoffs sang on many of The Bangles’ biggest singles, fans came to assume that she was the band’s leader and leader, even though all members took turns singing.
Hoffs’ (left) famous band, The Bangles, formed in 1981 when he met sisters Vicki (left) and Debbi Peterson (second from right); Pictured with bassist Michael Steele (second left).
After a poorly performing 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 Egypt; photographed in 1984
Conflicts over his role in the group led The Bangles to break up in 1989, although they reunited a decade later and began releasing music again.
Hoffs went solo after the split and, although he never achieved the commercial success of The Bangles, he managed to produce some modest hits on several albums.
The Los Angeles-born singer, daughter of independent filmmaker Tamar Ruth and psychoanalyst Allen Hoffs, dabbled in acting early in her career, although she kept music as her primary focus.
More recently, he turned to writing with the 2023 publication of his first novel This Bird Has Flyn.
The romantic comedy, which tells the story of a struggling musician, earned a number of positive reviews and Universal Pictures bought the rights for a possible film adaptation.
Hoffs’ romantic life included a 1986 romance with Michael J. Fox, although both later said they did not remember dating, according to the Los Angeles Times.
She later had a relationship from 1988 to 1991 with actor Donovan Leitch, 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. Meanwhile, Hoffs went solo and released several popular albums, although he never replicated the success of The Bangles; photographed in 2017 in Los Angeles
Hoffs reportedly dated Michael J. Fox in 1986, but neither remembers dating
In 1993 she married director Jay Roach, best known for directing the Austin Powers films and Meet The Parents; photographed together in 2019 in Los Angeles
Roach would direct all three Austin Powers films, which featured some of Hoffs’ music, and later directed the comedy Meet The Parents and its sequel, Meet The Fockers.
He also directed the 2008 political comedy-drama Recount and the Oscar-winning Bombshell (2019).
Roach is currently working on a remake of The Wars of the Roses, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman.
Hoffs’ most recent album was 2023’s The Deep End, on which he performed classic and contemporary songs.
