Lexington musician part of single for Orlando shooting victims

The tragic Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando reached its one year anniversary today, and as a way of honoring those who lost their lives, pop, rock and dance band Scissor Sisters — including Lexingtonian Scott “Babydaddy” Hoffman — has joined forces with singer, songwriter and producer MNDR to release the collaborative song “SWERLK.”

“The community that brought Scissor Sisters and MNDR to life experienced an incredible loss that we can’t allow to be forgotten,” Hoffman, a Henry Clay High School graduate, said in a news release. “SWERLK is our way to honor the people and culture that allowed us to escape and be ourselves.”

“SWERLK” is a combination of the words twerk, twirl, werk, swerve and swirl.

“‘SWERLK’ is about celebrating life, dancing, individuality, differences, fierceness, and sometimes SWERLK is even a shoulder to cry on,” MNDR said in a news release. “The SWERLK is not only a dance floor anthem, but it is a way of life, a mindset, and a show of solidarity.”

All proceeds from the song will go to the Contigo Fund, which formed after the Pulse shooting. The fund “offers financial support to organizations working to heal, educate and empower ... LGBTQ and Latinx individuals, immigrants, people of color and those looking to end all forms of bigotry in Central Florida,” a news release said.

Scissor Sisters burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut in 2004, which was the top selling album of the year in the UK. The group has seen similar success with their following three records, “Ta-Dah”, “Night Work” and “Magic Hour”, which all have appeared near the top of the charts in the UK and in the United States. The group’s last performance in Kentucky was opening for Lady Gaga at Louisville’s KFC Yum Center in 2011.

Scissor Sisters went on hiatus in 2012. In an email, Hoffman said, “While the band is still on hiatus and working on all of our individual projects, we felt we had to do something to honor the victims and survivors.”

“SWERLK” can be streamed on Spotify and purchased on iTunes. Donations for Contigo Fund are also accepted at Swerlk.com.

This story was originally published June 12, 2017 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Lexington musician part of single for Orlando shooting victims."