When Grace Jones was asked what it felt like to know that she was considered by many to be a “legend” or an “icon”, she downplayed it: “these are words I don’t pay attention to; I think they should only be used to refer to you after you have died,” she told Shangay.
It was the year 2008, it had been going on since 1989, when “Bulletproof Heart” came out, without releasing a record. And he returned in style with “Hurricane”. He hasn’t released another album since. Nor was it necessary: on his 75th birthday, his life is still more alive than ever.
BEGINNINGS AS A MODEL
Grace Jones was born in Jamaica on May 19, 1948. Daughter of Marjorie and Robert W. Jones, the couple had six other children, Grace being the third to be born. Robert was a local politician and apostolic clergyman, so Grace was raised in the Pentecostal faith.
During his childhood, the family moved to New York. He studied at All Saints Pentecostal School and later at the public school. He did not have many friends in his childhood nor did he get along with his stepfather.
It was in the city of skyscrapers where Grace tried to start her modeling career through the Wilhelmina agency, but they considered that her androgynous physique and height would not fit within American standards.
Therefore, she was sent to Europe, where her exotic appearance attracted attention and made her stand out. Soon, she ended up parading in Paris and appearing in magazines like Elle and Vogue.
“I forged incredible bonds that still last, with the girls I worked with,” Grace fondly recalled in “I’ll Never Write My Memoirs,” the autobiographical book she published in 2015.
As a model, Grace has collaborated with some of the most renowned photographers of the day, including Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin. She also came to pose for Playboy magazine in 1987.
TRIUMPHING IN MUSIC AND FILM
But, despite being initially known for her work in the world of fashion, Grace Jones has also developed an outstanding career as an actress and, especially, as a singer.
Ha participado en películas como “Conan The Destroyer” (1984), “A View to Kill” (1985), “Vamp” (1986), “Straight to Hell” (1987), “Boomerang” (1992), “McCinsey’s Island” (1998) o “Shaka Zulu: The Citadel” (2001).
In 1977, she released her first album, “Portfolio”, which included songs like “La vie en rose” and “I Need a Man”, which was a success and made her stand out among the gay community in the midst of the disco era.
Desde entonces, ha publicado varios discos más: “Fame (1978)”, “Muse (1979)”, “Warm Leatherette (1980)”, “Nightclubbing (1981)”, “Living My Life (1982)”, “Slave to the Rhythm (1985)”, “Inside Story (1986)”, “Bulletproof Heart (1989)” y “Hurricane (2008)”.
Although Jones has had an incredibly successful career, her personal life has remained low-key. In the 1970s, she was in a relationship with designer Jean-Paul Goude, with whom she had a son named Paulo.
She also dated actor Dolph Lundgren for a while. And in 1996 she married the Hungarian bodyguard, of Turkish origin and younger than her, Atila Altaunbay, with whom she was until 2004.
REVOLUTIONARY ICON
“I remember when I started dating Dolph Lundgren,” Jones said in her book. “Andy Warhol was the first to know. He was calling me to try and find out how big Dolph’s p ***** was.
And it is that, at the end of the 70s, Grace became an icon of the New York nightlife by frequenting the legendary Studio 54 nightclub. There, she became friends with celebrities such as Andy Warhol himself, whom she talks about on her date.
Another of her anecdotes also involves Warhol: “When I was pregnant with Paulo, I had my ‘Baby Shower’ in the garage. Debbie Harry, lead singer of ‘Blondie’, and Andy Warhol arranged it for me”.
Thus, Grace’s foul-mouthed style when it came to expressing herself contributed to magnify her legend: “Who doesn’t like a good ass? Well, and a nice cock to go with it too. The pussies are pretty too,” she told Vanity Fair, speaking openly about her sexuality from her.
And during the last Fashion Week in Milan, we were able to see another of the traces that Grace has left beyond her words: her style. Because on the catwalk the eighties “glam” looks that the artist made fashionable have once again paraded, including hooded dresses.
Now, Jones, almost at the same time that she celebrates her 75 years, has been chosen as the image for a lingerie campaign by Wolford. For her, age is a world, and she already told Vanity Fair: “I think I’m about 5,000 years old.”
Because, despite her success and recognition, Grace Jones has never been a conventional artist. And, at 75, that doesn’t seem to be changing. Her legacy as one of the most iconic and provocative artists, as timeless as everlasting, is assured.
By Nora Cifuentes.
EFE / Reports.
2023-05-12 11:46:21
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