Susanna Hoffs

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In the music video for "Walk Like an Egyptian", during a close-up of Hoffs' face, she moves her eyes from side to side. Hoffs recounted that she had been looking at selected members of the crowd to counter stage fright, and had not realized it would be a focal point in the video. Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote of the scene: "But it's so . It makes her look like she's up to some mischief." The television director Marty Callner later said: "I saw situations where one shot would make a star, like with Susanna Hoffs and 'Walk Like an Egyptian.' That thing she did with her eyes." In 2011, she said: "I guess it's become an iconic moment in that video, and I didn't even realize it was happening."

A 1986 London performance by the Bangles was reviewed by David Sinclair of The Times, who felt that the band "proved unconvincing in performance", although Hoffs "was by and large the best at creating a mood of emotional involvement. Her clear, fragile voice and coquettish enunciation were reminiscent of Stevie Nicks." In the same paper a few months later, Richard Williams also compared Hoffs to Nicks, writing that Hoffs' "dark eyes, dangerous pout and fancifully sexy costumes that match her sultry voice" were reminiscent of the Fleetwood Mac singer. He concluded that Hoffs was "an equally obvious candidate for a successful solo career".

The Bangles had another US number two single with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "A Hazy Shade of Winter" released in late 1987 and reaching its peak position in February 1988. Following a successful tour, the group issued their third and final Columbia album Everything in 1988. The first single, "In Your Room", co-written by Hoffs with Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, became a US top ten hit. The same album included their second US number one, and second American gold record single, "Eternal Flame", which was also co-written by Hoffs, Steinberg and Kelly. The single also topped the chart in eight other countries. Hoffs sang the studio recording of "Eternal Flame" naked due to producer Davitt Sigerson pranking her by telling her Olivia Newton-John had done the same thing. He later told Hoffs he had just been pulling her leg. As the studio was dark, and Hoffs was standing behind a sound baffle, she could not be seen.

Hoffs was lead vocalist on five of the seven Columbia singles by the Bangles, leading to a public perception that she was the primary singer and face of the group, even though all four members shared lead vocals, and Steele and Peterson did most of the talking between songs in concert. As she was shorter in height than the other band members, photographs tended to feature her at front. She was the lead actress in The Allnighter (1987) and gained Prince's attention. Orlean wrote that the cumulative effect was to "vault Susanna into beyond-Bangles celebrity status".

Hoffs contacted the other members of the Bangles in the late 1990s with the hope of reuniting. In 2008, she told Andrew Murfett of The Age: "I wanted to do new Bangles music. I was driving the other girls crazy calling them. I didn't want to be a 'greatest hits' band. I wanted to write and sing new songs. That was really important to Vicki and Debbie, too. We didn't want to go on a 'Ladies of the 1980s' tour." The reunited Bangles played at a Beatles tribute concert conducted by George Martin, and recorded the single "Get the Girl" for the second film in 1999. In 2000 they announced their decision to reunite full-time. Hoffs recounted that following the experiences that led to the group disbanding in 1989, the band members agreed that each would have a veto on the group's proposed activities. Their fourth album, Doll Revolution, was released in 2003; it received positive reviews, and sold moderately well. The group embarked on a tour following its release. Their fifth album, Sweetheart of the Sun, was released in 2011; it received an average score of 69 on review aggregator site Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Evans and Lechner felt that the band "achieved gigantically the dubious triumph of sound over significance", and of the "inevitable reunion" that "even nostalgia has its limits". Robert Christgau rated all of the albums from their first incarnation B− or above and gave Doll Revolution three stars.

In 1987, Hoffs starred in the comedy film The Allnighter, directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, and co-starring Joan Cusack and Pam Grier. Glenn Kenny wrote in Video Review that Hoffs' character was "full of spunk" like her Bangles persona, but less "savvy", concluding that the film was "unextraordinary and inoffensive". While he felt that Hoffs' acting abilities were on a par with her more seasoned castmates, Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times argued that "It's her character we have trouble with", and panned the film. The New York Times critic Janet Maslin disparaged the work as "outstandingly dim".Richard Harrington of The Washington Post also dismissed the film, and wrote that Hoffs appeared "stiff and self-conscious". It was commercially unsuccessful. Hoffs said she expected it to fare better on home video, as the production was more suitable for home than cinema viewing. She later told journalist Chris Hunt: "It was such a low budget quickie thing, a cutesy little teeny-bopper movie. It wasn't a great movie but the whole experience of it was great."

Hoffs' debut solo studio album, When You're a Boy, was released by Columbia Records in January 1991, 10 years to the month from the earliest days of the Bangles. The leadoff track and first single, "My Side of the Bed", reached the US Billboard Top 40 and also charted in the UK at number 44. The album also includes "Unconditional Love" (co-written by Cyndi Lauper) and ends with a Cover song of "Boys Keep Swinging", a 1979 song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno. The album's critical reception was mixed and it was not a commercial success compared with the Bangles ; it reached number 83 on the US album charts and number 56 in the UK. In The Times, critic David Sinclair felt that with the exception of the Bowie cover, the album was an "airbrushed exercise in boredom". It was also rated a "dud" by Robert Christgau in the Village Voice. In The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Colin Larkin gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, arguing that it "failed to maintain the interest of the mainstream fans who had discovered the Bangles in the wake of the smash single 'Eternal Flame', while simultaneously alienating the Paisley Underground loyalists with its AOR [Soft rock] clichés". The Trouser Press Record Guide entry on Hoffs by Ira Robbins panned the album as a "no-holds-barred commercial bore". Not all critics were as harsh. In his upbeat assessment for The Globe and Mail, Alan Neister found the album as good as the Bangles' best work: "Both as a songwriter and a song consumer, Hoffs has an ear fine-tuned to a great hook, and there isn't a song on this album that isn't hummable on the very first listen." Jimmy Nicol of Q Magazine gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that Hoffs was extending into "undreamed of territories", adding: "She reveals herself to be a highly inventive composer, lyricist – and even humourist."

After a followup recorded in 1994 for Columbia was shelved, Hoffs signed with London Records for her second solo album, Susanna Hoffs, issued in 1996. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised it as an "infectious and engaging set of melodic pop that also happens to be Hoffs' most introspective and personal record to date". Wook Kim of Entertainment Weekly remarked that Hoffs "performs a small act of bravery", yet Larkin wrote that only one song, "King Of Tragedy", "had the edgy pop fizz of the Bangles' best work." Billboard reviewed the single, "Only Love", writing: "Energetic and harmonious ditty recalls heyday of '60s-era girl groups. Lots of fun."

Hoffs also contributed songs to film soundtracks and other projects. In 1992, she covered the Oingo Boingo song "We Close Our Eyes" for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer soundtrack, and her cover of the We Five hit "You Were On My Mind" was on the soundtrack of the crime drama Fathers & Sons. She also provided the title song for the 1995 film Now and Then, and recorded versions of Burt Bacharach songs for the soundtracks of two Austin Powers films – "The Look of Love" for the in 1997, and "Alfie" for the third, Austin Powers in Goldmember. Hoffs also appears as a member of the fictional band Ming Tea in the Powers films, directed by her husband, Jay Roach. Hoffs also contributed versions of "The Water Is Wide" and Donovan's "Catch the Wind" for the soundtrack of Tamar Simon Hoffs' 2003 film Red Roses and Petrol.

Hoffs self-released her third solo album of new material (and her first full album since 1996), Someday, on her Baroque Folk label on July 17, 2012. It was distributed by Vanguard Records. American Songwriter gave Someday a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and described it as "easily and undeniably Hoffs' most definitive musical statement to date". James Reed from the Boston Globe wrote: " Someday reminds you that Hoffs is perfectly suited to sunny, winsome material... her performance on Someday isn't that removed from how she sounded on say, 'Eternal Flame'." The tracks include a newly recorded version of "November Sun", which Hoffs had initially recorded for another unrealized album project in 2000. Produced by Mitchell Froom, the album is influenced by the music of the 1960s and features Davey Faragher and Pete Thomas from Elvis Costello's band, the Imposters, and keyboards and orchestration by Froom. Larkin wrote: "The Bangles folded in 1989 partly because Susanna Hoffs was being touted as the 'star' in a previously egalitarian band. It is ironic, therefore, that her solo career failed to come close to the success enjoyed by her old band." Hoffs contributed vocals to "One Voice", the end credits song for the film A Dog Named Gucci (2016), a track also featuring Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Lydia Loveless, Neko Case, Brian May and Kathryn Calder. "One Voice" was released on Record Store Day, April 16, 2016, with profits from the sale of the single going to benefit animal charities. Bright Lights, Hoffs' fourth studio album, was released on Baroque Folk Records in 2021. The record was produced by Paul Bryan and features versions of songs by Nick Drake, Michael Nesmith, Richard Thompson, Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger, and other songwriters. The album includes "Name of the Game", featuring Mann. Jonathan Keefe of In Review Online wrote, "Hoffs is in fantastic voice throughout the album" and praised the versatility of her renditions.

Her fifth solo album, 2023's The Deep End, was produced by Peter Asher. The album includes interpretations of songs by the Rolling Stones, Squeeze, and Lesley Gore and received favorable reviews; Lily Moayeri of Spin Magazine wrote, "Hoffs' voice is immediately recognizable, clear and sweet, hitting all the notes she did some 40 years ago. But her singular interpretations are so unique, they sometimes render the songs unrecognizable—in a good way." Gary Graff of Ultimate Classic Rock wrote that the album was a "delight, a demonstration of good taste and guts with Hoffs sounding as beguiling as she did lighting 'Eternal Flame' or having a 'Manic Monday' more than 30 years ago".

Hoffs has co-written songs for the Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle, and Bette Midler, among other artists; and has sung on albums by Rufus Wainwright and Travis. She is included on the compilation album (with Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, Emmylou Harris, and others). In 1992, she won Best Female Rock Vocalist at the Pro L.A. Music Awards.

Hoffs' debut as an author, This Bird Has Flown, a romantic comic novel about a struggling musician in her 30s, was published by Little Brown in 2023. The book received a favorable review in the New York Times from Beatriz Williams, who called it "the smart, ferocious, rock-chick redemption romance you didn't know you needed". Positive critical commentary also came from Mark Weingarten in the Los Angeles Times, Michael Schaub of NPR, and from Kirkus Reviews. Universal Pictures purchased the rights to the novel for a screen adaptation.

In 2024, Hoffs released The Lost Record, an album of songs she had recorded in her garage in 1999. Produced by Hoffs and Dan Schwartz, the album includes "Life on the Inside" (co-written with Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's). In 2025, she was a featured performer at "People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith" at Carnegie Hall, which included performances by Bruce Springsteen, Chrissie Hynde, and Michael Stipe. Rolling Stone wrote, "Hoffs delivered an excellent rendition of 'Kimberly,'" and Variety said "Hoffs' pop-influenced interpretation of 'Kimberly' was joyful."