Grace Jones is the experience: defiant, glamorous, transgressive, spellbinding. The transformative musician, artist, provocateuse and revolutionist emerged as a model in New York and Paris in the early 1970s and went on to be one of the most audacious characters in the legendary Studio 54 nightclub scene.
You don’t get to stay famous for long unless you’re always switching. Grace Jones is an example of this.” Andy Warhol
Her groundbreaking sound blended new wave, reggae, post-punk and avant-pop, delivered with a striking androgynous visual identity that challenged conventions and redefined pop performance.
Early albums Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), and Muse (1979) established her as a force within the international club scene with classics such as I Need a Man and La Vie en rose. A pivotal part of an artistic community of iconoclasts that included Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, Azzedine Alaïa and Keith Haring, she achieved mythic status through adventurous visual collaborations with French conceptual artist and designer Jean-Paul Goude, turning every stage appearance into a work of performance art.
In the 1980s, at Island Records, Jones forged bold hybrids of funk, electronic experimentation and the icy sophistication that defined the Compass Point trilogy: Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981) and Living My Life (1982). Collaborators included Iggy Pop, Roxy Music, Chrissie Hynde, Joy Division, The Normal and Sting.
Later, Jones worked with legendary producers Trevor Horn and Nile Rogers on the transcendent anthems Slave to the Rhythm and I’m Not Perfect. Jones has built a formidable global reputation through her performances at major festivals and venues worldwide including Glastonbury, Coachella, Lovebox and Royal Albert Hall. Her influence spans music, fashion, film and contemporary art, including screen roles in Conan the Destroyer (1984) and the James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985). In recent years, Jones curated 2022 Meltdown festival at London’s Southbank Centre and materialised on Beyonce’s all-star album Renaissance.
Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Music, Ben Marshall, said: “Can you picture it? A radiating Grace Jones prowls the stage and then unleashes that sonorous voice under moonlight and the glistening Sails. We are ecstatic to present the explosive genius and sinuous live spectacle of a true superstar. There are some moments when Sydney relishes her role as a global cultural hotspot, the city throbbing with unbridled creative energy – come be a part of a history-making night.”
EVENT DETAILS
Grace Jones
Saturday 28 February 2026, gates 6pm
Forecourt, Sydney Opera House
