The iconic and innovative Jamaican singer Grace Jones has returned once again to her favorite island to perform a mini-concert at the ’80s-themed ‘Glitterbox’ party at the Amnesia mega-club in Ibiza, as part of the performance lineup commemorating its 50th anniversary. The model, songwriter, and iconic and influential figure of 1980s pop, reggae, and new wave took the stage in the club’s Main Room to perform her international hits ‘Slave to the Rhythm’, ‘My Jamaican Guy’ and ‘Pull up to the Bumper’ – three of her best-known tracks – accompanied by a percussionist, two Black backing vocalists, and lip-synced musical backing tracks.
Jones performed wearing three different glittery outfits, in keeping with the Glitterbox party theme, complete with hats and sunglasses that she changed between songs. Visibly slim, she danced, sang, and displayed her aggressive and dazzling ‘pantera’ personality – the one that made her famous – with boxing gestures and winks to the audience.
The revolutionary solo artist tries to maintain her fame and hedonistic appeal at 80 as the ‘queen of disco,’ but today’s young nightclub crowd is unaware of her immense legacy as a futuristic show icon, her mysterious new wave sound, and her Jamaican reggae influences. Since 1989, Jones has enjoyed some great adventures on the island; she performed at the Ibiza 92 festival at the then-famous KU nightclub, alongside Miguel Bosé and other artists of the era. She was one of the emblematic figures of Ibiza’s hedonistic nightlife and its extravagant private parties.
She had a high-profile romance with playboy and hotelier Tony Pikes, owner of the world-famous ‘Hotel Pikes’, who accompanied her for two years on her travels around the world as her ‘Australian Guy’. This episode caused Pikes serious financial problems, as he could not keep up with the extravagant lifestyle of the Jamaican star, who was then based in London, New York, and Ibiza.
Her constant presence on the island at that time catapulted her to the status of a dance music culture icon and a fashion icon, with social appearances alongside film director Roman Polanski, Miguel Bosé, designer Jean Paul Gaultier, and Jean-Paul Goude, the creator of her costumes and the promotional posters for her albums and performances. Grace reached the peak of her theatrical and film career with her role as the villain in the James Bond film ‘A View to a Kill’, alongside Roger Moore.
