Grace Jones

Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica in 1948 and raised in Syracuse, New York, Grace Jones became one of the most singular figures in popular culture — model, singer, actress, and performance artist all at once. After establishing herself as a high-fashion model in Paris in the early 1970s, she transitioned to music, releasing a series of disco albums before finding her true voice with the trilogy of Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981), and Living My Life (1982), produced by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. Her work with photographer and director Jean-Paul Goude defined her visual identity: severe geometry, flat-top haircut, and an androgynous power that was decades ahead of its time. She appeared as a Bond villain in A View to a Kill (1985) and as Zula in Conan the Destroyer (1984). Her influence on artists from Annie Lennox and Rihanna to Lady Gaga is immeasurable.