SUSANNA HOFFS REVEALS THE SECRET SHE’S KEPT FOR 30 YEARS — “I WAS AFRAID THE TRUTH WOULD RUIN EVERYTHING…..read more……

SUSANNA HOFFS REVEALS THE SECRET SHE’S KEPT FOR 30 YEARS — “I WAS AFRAID THE TRUTH WOULD RUIN EVERYTHING…..read more……

For decades, Susanna Hoffs has been the poster icon of 80s pop brilliance — the unmistakable voice behind Eternal Flame, the captivating gaze from Walk Like an Egyptian, and the heartbeat of The Bangles. But now, at 66, Hoffs has revealed a long-held secret that has shocked fans and music insiders alike, shaking the foundations of what they thought they knew about her—and the band that made her a star.

In a revealing new interview with Rolling Stone, Hoffs opens up like never before. With an almost whisper-like confession, she admits: “I’ve been carrying this secret since the peak of our fame. I thought if anyone found out, it could ruin everything we had built.”

What was this secret?

At the height of The Bangles’ success in the late ’80s, Susanna was facing a personal and professional crisis. Despite being marketed as the clear frontwoman — with her face plastered on magazines and her vocals pushed to the front — Hoffs says she never wanted that spotlight to be hers alone. In fact, it caused deep tension within the band.

“There were moments I felt like I was betraying my sisters in the band,” she says. “People thought I was trying to outshine them, but the truth is—I begged the label to treat us as equals.”

According to Hoffs, the group’s record label insisted on pushing her forward, even when the band had agreed to share vocal duties equally. The image of Hoffs as the “lead” wasn’t just organic — it was orchestrated. And it created a rift behind the scenes that, for years, was glossed over by carefully crafted press interviews and rehearsed smiles.

“I felt like I was living two lives,” she confesses. “One where I was the girl everyone thought I wanted to be — the star. And another where I was quietly watching the people I loved most in the band grow distant.”

The emotional toll became so heavy that, by the early 1990s, it contributed to The Bangles’ initial breakup. While the public was told it was a mutual decision, Hoffs reveals she considered walking away from the industry entirely.

“I was burned out, but more than that — I was heartbroken,” she says. “We built something special, and I let fear and pressure from the outside break it.”

Incredibly, Hoffs kept this truth buried for over 30 years, fearing that fans would turn on her or that it might tarnish the legacy of The Bangles.

But why now?

“It’s time,” she says simply. “If I don’t tell the truth now, then when?”

The revelation has stirred massive reactions online. Fans have flooded her social media with support, thanking her for her honesty and expressing admiration for her vulnerability.

One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Susanna Hoffs didn’t owe us this honesty, but she gave it anyway. That’s strength. That’s rock and roll.”

Music historians have also weighed in, saying the story underscores a pattern in the music industry during the 1980s and ’90s, where labels often manipulated band dynamics to create a marketable “face” for the group — often at the expense of authenticity.

Despite the decades of silence, Hoffs says she has no regrets about finally coming forward. In fact, she believes it may bring healing.

“I’ve reconnected with the other members,” she says. “There have been conversations we should’ve had years ago. But they’re happening now. That’s what matters.”

Susanna Hoffs is far from done. With a new solo album on the way and a growing reputation as a novelist and cultural icon, she’s proving that truth and reinvention can go hand in hand — even decades later.

When asked if she thinks fans will see The Bangles perform together again, she smiles carefully.

“Never say never,” she says. “But if we do, it’ll be on our terms. As equals. Like it always should’ve been.”