GRACE JONES - POP CULTURE AND THE ORIGINAL ALIEN SUPERSTAR

Madonna made history on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when 1.6 million people came out to see the final concert of her ‘Celebration Tour’, prompted by Roc Nation and sponsored by Itaú, Latin America’s largest bank.
The concert culminated a 40-year career for the pop diva, known for hits like “Like A Virgin” and “Material Girl,” and for pushing sexual boundaries on stage and with sexually driven albums like as her 1992 set “Erotica.”
In 2022, the pop star posted a reflection on the 30th anniversary of her “Sex” book, a scandalous exploration of her sexual fantasies and same-sex relationships, which was released alongside her 1992 album, saying other pop stars didn’t give her credit for the inspiration she provided with “Erotica.”
“30 years ago I published a book called S.E.X. In addition to photos of me naked there were photos of Men kissing Men, Woman kissing Woman and Me kissing everyone,” Madonna wrote. “Now Cardi B can sing about her “WAP.” Kim Kardashian can grace the cover of any magazine with her naked a- and Miley Cyrus can come in like a wrecking ball.” She closed with, “You’re welcome b-es.”
Years before Madonna, Jamaica’s Grace Jones was a symbol of boundary-pushing aesthetics in fashion, music, and films, but although she had her fair share of success, she was never promoted as a leader in pop music.
Former Senior Label Manager Disco / Black Music at CBS Records Canada Dominique Zgarka, who first signed both Grace Jones and years later Madonna to a one-album deal said that Jones was an inspiration to Madonna. “All I can really say is she was most probably an inspiration for artistic freedom like Madonna and Lady Gaga. Freedom of expression physically through fashion as well as through music,” he told World Music Views.
Reflecting on how he met Jones, Zgarka said, “I was at a conference in New York called the New Music Conference, which was owned by Tom Silverman, who owns Tommy Boy Records, and I got a call from this gentleman who was managing Grace Jones. I had no idea who Grace Jones was.”
This was before Jones met and signed with Chris Blackwell’s Island Records. “That was when Grace Jones did La Vie En Rose,” her first song which was originally written and sung by French singer Édith Piaf in 1945.
“So I made a deal, a one-record deal. Being so young, I didn’t know the difference,” Zgarka said.
Narrated by Rebecca Bissoon
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