Del Marquis.

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Musician // 31 // New York City

WHILE HE WAS GROWING UP, Derek Gruen's love of rock music and playing guitar was primarily an expression of teen angst. Now best known as Del Marquis, the nattily attired lead guitarist of Scissor Sisters, he makes different connections. "I don't know how you could perform onstage without expressing sexuality," he says. "If you're not expressing yourself, you're doing something wrong."

Following two full-length Scissor Sisters album releases and a couple years of near-constant touring, Marquis has begun recording and releasing solo material. Though the critical response to his '80s-inspired music has been positive, he's poised for a fight. The new music is being released through his website (DelMarquis.com) in the form of four digital EPs, the first two of which, Hothouse EP and Character Assassination EP, are already available. "EP and digital are still dirty words," he says. "That has to change." While record companies and some music publications are still scratching their collective heads trying to determine what to make of nonalbum formats, Marquis says audiences have moved on and embraced new forms: "People are way more open to a conceptual digital-only release. I think you'll be seeing more EPs in the future." Marquis is taking full advantage of digital media, including an episodic "horror-sci-fi" video with each EP, centering on Marquis's alter ego Viz, a "sex assassin" programmed to be "a messenger of filth and fear." Choke on that, major labels.