‘She owned her Blackness and celebrated it’: Grace Jones’s Nightclubbing re-reviewed

Nightclubbing by Grace Jones (Image: Island Records)

“Ladies and gentlemen, here’s… Grace!” When it comes to true visionaries, there are few more original than the Jamaican-born Grace Jones. This once-in-a-generation performer is an artiste in every sense. Her fierce, gender-fluid appearance and straight-off-the-runway looks broke barriers for many in pop. Equally, her unique sound — a progressive blend of genres — feels as fresh today as it did some 40 years ago.

Emerging from the hedonistic party scene of 1970s New York, Jones’s first three albums capitalised on the immense popularity of disco, earning her the title ‘Queen of the Gay Discos’. As the genre fell out of favour following the ‘Disco Sucks’ movement in 1979, Jones was quick to get ahead of the curve and explored new sonic territories —

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