Grace Jones

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Grace Jones (Grace Beverly Jones) is a Jamaican singer, model, and actress born on May 19, 1948, in Spanish Town, Jamaica. She moved to the United States as a teen and began a modeling career in New York, signing with Wilhelmina Models. She later worked in Paris for fashion houses like Yves Saint Laurent and Kenzo, appearing on covers of Elle and Vogue. Jones became known for her bold, androgynous look and helped change ideas about gender in fashion.

She started a music career in 1977 with Island Records and became a big figure in the disco scene around New York’s Studio 54. The media called her the “Disco Queen.” In the early 1980s she shifted toward a new wave sound that mixed reggae, funk, and pop, often collaborating with designer Jean-Paul Goude. Her unforgettable stage presence and visuals made her a lasting icon.

Some of her best-known songs are Private Life, Pull Up to the Bumper, Love Is the Drug, and Slave to the Rhythm. Her albums Warm Leatherette (1980) and Nightclubbing (1981) are highly regarded, with Nightclubbing frequently cited as one of the best albums of the 1980s. She also released Living My Life (1982) and Slave to the Rhythm (1985).

Jones has acted in several films. Her first mainstream role was Zula in Conan the Destroyer (1984). She played May Day in A View to a Kill (1985) and a vampire in Vamp (1986). She later appeared in Boomerang (1992) and continued to act and record music for years.

In later years she kept performing and recording. She released the comeback album Hurricane in 2008, collaborated with Gorillaz on Charger in 2017, and contributed to Beyoncé’s Renaissance in 2022. She was honored with the Order of Jamaica in 2018 and curated the Meltdown Festival in 2022.

Personal life: Jones has a son, Paulo, with her longtime collaborator Jean-Paul Goude. She was married to Atila Altaunbay from 1996 to 2004. She also had a well-known relationship with Dolph Lundgren. Her brother, Noel Jones, is a pastor.

Grace Jones is known as much for her bold fashion and striking visuals as for her music. She has inspired many artists and helped shape the look of fashion and performance art.