For the first time in almost a decade, Australia will once again witness the magnetic presence of an artist who transcends genre, era and expectation as Grace Jones returns in 2026, performing in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.
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.
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.
Expect surreal glamour, theatrical chaos, emotional depth, commanding presence and the kind of electricity only Grace Jones can conjure. This is a rare encounter with a legend who remains fearlessly, defiantly, extraordinarily immortal.
“You don’t get to stay famous for long unless you’re always switching. Grace Jones is an example of this.” – Andy Warhol
Grace Jones will perform at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt (Saturday 28 February), Palace Foreshore, St Kilda (Monday 2 March), On the Banks, South Bank – Brisbane (Thursday 5 March) and Womadelaide – Botanic Park, Adelaide (Saturday 7 March).
Image: Grace Jones – photo by Andrea Klarin