She was once part of one of the hottest girl groups of the 1980s – a band that urged fans everywhere to ‘Walk Like an Egyptian.’
Decades later, she’s still beloved, not only for her hits, but for her graceful aging and refreshingly makeup-free videos she shares on Instagram.
Now 65, the singer recently reflected on the song that became her signature ballad, confessing she was ‘mortified’ it almost never saw the light of day.
Written by the artist herself, the track was initially rejected by her bandmates before finally being recorded.
That song, Eternal Flame, went on to become a global smash and win the ASCAP Pop Award for Most Performed Song in 1990.
In a candid 2012 interview, she even admitted she recorded the hit while naked, after producer Davitt Sigerson allegedly convinced her that Olivia Newton-John had used the same trick to achieve her famously emotional performances.
In the 1980s this singer was a member of one of the biggest female rock groups of the decade. Today, she best known sharing makeup free videos and snaps on social media
Have you guessed it yet? The artist is Susanna Hoffs, the lead vocalist and guitarist of The Bangles.
And, this year, she revisited her most iconic ballad, re-recording and releasing it once again.
Read More
Don't wait to do the thing you love: Bangles star Susanna Hoffs reveals the one lesson she's learned from life
At a Patti Smith tribute in March, she performed the song and later shared how emotional the moment was for her: ‘As I stood before the microphone, I fought back tears of gratitude… We’ve grown up together!’
‘As I stood before the microphone, I fought back tears of gratitude — for the opportunity to sing a song I have loved and cherished my entire adult life. We’ve grown up together!’ the musician said in a statement.
Hoffs explained why the song still resonates with her: “I’ve been touched time and again by stories from friends and strangers alike who’ve expressed how much Eternal Flame has meant to them, whether it played at their wedding or brought consolation in difficult times. I’m still that same girl with that same emotion — older, and hopefully wiser.”
While she occasionally still performs, Hoffs has embraced a different spotlight: Instagram, where fans adore her bare-faced beauty and warm, unfiltered updates. In one of her most recent videos, she revealed she’s trying to break out of her “uniform” of black pants, a sweater, and a button-down shirt to refresh her wardrobe.
Away from the stage, Hoffs has been married to acclaimed director Jay Roach, 68, since 1993. Together they share two sons, Sam, 26, and Jackson, 30, both of whom followed their father into the film business.
Her career has remained diverse over the decades — from penning Get the Girl with her Bangles bandmates for the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (directed by Roach), to releasing solo albums including When You’re a Boy (1991) and Susanna Hoffs (1996).
In addition to her own tunes, Hoffs has co-wrote for the Belinda Carlisle song I Need a Disguise, the 2001 The Go-Go’s hit Taking Myself Down, and The Gift of Love for Bette Midler.
Susanna Hoffs, now 65, was a member of The Bangles. The group was know for songs such as Walk Like an Egyptian and Manic Monday; Pictured in London in 1989 with Michael Steele, Debbi Peterson and Vicki Peterson
Hoffs often delights her fans by sharing her natural beauty inside and out with her makeup free videos on social media and recently posted that she wanted to change her ‘uniform’ of a black jacket and pants with a shirt
While she’s no longer dominating the charts, Hoffs continues to win new fans online with her authenticity
Fans have praised her for gracefully aging and sharing her refreshingly makeup-free videos on Instagram
Hoffs married director Jay Roach, 68, in 1993 and they are the parents of two children, Sam, 26, and Jackson, 30; Pictured in New York City in December 2019
In 2012, she self-released her third album, Someday which received a lot of critical praise.
She waited nearly a decade to put out her fourth, Bright Lights in 2021, which was followed by The Deep End in 2023.
The same year, she published her novel, This Bird Has Flown, which The New York Times called ‘the smart, ferocious rock-chick redemption romance you didn’t know you needed.’
And while she’s no longer dominating the charts, Hoffs continues to win new fans online with her authenticity.