Tag Archives: Grace Jones

Power To The Party: Afropunk Heads To London This Weekend

London ladies, are you looking for something awesome to do this weekend? Your search is over, because this Saturday Afropunk brings its party to London for its inaugural edition.

Staged at the historic Alexandra Palace – with line up that includes the sensational Grace Jones, Laura Mvula and The Noisettes – the event invites attendees to become apart of the Afropunk family.

Now in its 13th and largest year, Afropunk has transformed from a small, music and activism movement, to a global community with annual festivals in Brooklyn, Atlanta, Paris, and now London.

On paper, you may be fooled to think it is simply a one-day music festival – but one look at the hashtag on Instagram reveals something very special.

Afropunk has been defining culture in the music world; a triumph of multiculturalism and diversity for people of all races, genders, colours, creeds and tastes.

It is a place where lines of booths dubbed ‘Activism Row’, bring out music lovers and believers in change in equal measures.

Giant banners promoting an inclusive experience hang next to every stage proclaiming “no homophobia, no sexism, no ageism”, and a long list of other prejudices that is not tolerated.

So make sure you head down over this weekend, and take a look at the most beautiful, wild and wonderful street style the UK has to offer.

Tegan and Sara Premiere Their “Faint of Heart” Music Video, With An Epic LGBTQ Lip Sync Battle

Tegan and Sara have released the video for ‘Faint Of Heart’, the fourth single taken from recent album ‘Love You To Death’.

The video stars LGBTQ youth in-character as musicians traditionally cherished as community icons: Elvis, Madonna, Prince, David Bowie, Grace Jones, and Tegan and Sara themselves. The real Tegan and Sara sit in the audience, cheering on the young performers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuvfefCZO_Q

According to Teen Vogue, where the video premiered, happened to be filmed the day after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. In that atmosphere, its creation felt particularly emotional.

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Tegan Quin told the magazine.

There was something very personal about this tragedy and that was undoubtably on our minds as we arrived on set. I felt honored to be included… which sounds silly since it was a music video for our band.”

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From the second we walked in, I felt incredibly emotional. The cast was so young, so excited, so talented, so friendly and so diverse. It was clear this video was going to be very special. I felt honored to be included… which sounds silly since it was a music video for our band. But from the second we arrived, my brain recognized the music video as something we were doing together with our community to present the bravery, the talent, the love, the art, and the connection we all have, rather than just a vehicle for our music — which was a relief. It might be hyperbolic to say this, but I think it altered how we looked at how we were going to proceed in our career. The video had meaning, and that felt very important in that moment of time.”

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The video’s director Devon Kirkpatrick told Autostraddle, said he hoped to highlight the LGBTQ community with this video.

As a non-binary director myself, it’s important to me to be a part of creating opportunities that highlight the talents of the LGBT and specifically trans and GNC community. To cast trans and GNC young people as icons that helped to push the gender binary was especially gratifying. We cast two queer identified trans girls as Tegan and Sara themselves. It felt especially important to create a space that reflects inclusiveness.”

 

New Bondage-Themed Video From Miley Cyrus Conjures Grace Jones

Miley Cyrus’ new video ‘Tongue Tied’ isn’t a single — it’s a Quentin Jones-directed, Grace Jones-referencing fashion film.

The bondage-themed visuals look like a mixture of Slave To The Rhythm and Madonna circa ‘Erotic’, with Cyrus wearing that bondage lightly – and literally. She stretches the definition of kink and turns it into pop.

Watch and enjoy…

Miley Cyrus: Tongue Tied on Nowness.com

 

I *heart* Grace Jones – May Disco Live On

Some iconic celebrities remain set in their era, or reinvent themselves as they grow into the next. The compelling, iconic draw of Grace Jones is by no means subject to time or to passing fads. She was a striking presence as a model, with her angular face and her lithe body, she radiated self-possession. Jones embraced her androgynous beauty, wearing both women’s and men’s fashion alike so well and so distinctively that the influence of her image continues from the 1980’s and lasts until today. While widespread and much imitated, the style of Grace Jones remains unmistakable.

Jones’ celebrity status was not only a matter of looks. The multi-talented Grace Jones also had a memorable singing voice. Her silken belt could breathe life into disco and lounge jazz tunes alike. The diversity and versatility of her talents, in addition to her adventurous style, made her the right fit as a performance regular in New York’s famous Studio 54 multimedia night club. Well into her fourth decade of performance art, Jones continues to perform and tour the world.

When it came to action films with challenging stunts, Jones proved that she could hold her own amongst Hollywood werewolves, vampires, barbarians of sword-and-sorcery fantasy, and even James Bond himself. For the Saturn Awards, Jones had been nominated numerous times for her supporting roles in Conan the Destroyer and View to a Kill.

An autobiography of Grace Jones is currently in the works, slated for release in the autumn of 2014. Fans of the iconic Grace Jones can look forward to her fond memories of collaborating with famous artist Andy Warhol and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. New fans can come to a deeper appreciation of the influential and irrepressible Grace Jones, and be taken back to a time where aesthetics and expression blossomed into a kaleidoscope of life. We can thank icons such as Grace Jones for both preserving this zeitgeist and keeping it alive—perhaps, even, creating it.

An autobiography of Grace Jones is currently in the works, slated for release in the autumn of 2014. Fans of the iconic Grace Jones can look forward to her fond memories of collaborating with famous artist Andy Warhol and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. New fans can come to a deeper appreciation of the influential and irrepressible Grace Jones, and be taken back to a time where aesthetics and expression blossomed into a kaleidoscope of life. We can thank icons such as Grace Jones for both preserving this zeitgeist and keeping it alive—perhaps, even, creating it.