Did Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Madonna Copy Grace Jones?

[Voguerista 11,775]

I definitely think these three artists might have gotten inspiration from Grace Jones at times....but, not as much as Grace might think. Madonna hasn't been afraid to challenge herself and ventured out in different directions where Grace and others haven't. I don't see Madonna's vocals like hers either. What do you think?

Watch Grace Jones talk about Madonna copying her style in an old interview

Grace Jones is an icon, an arbiter of style, and ultimately one of the coolest people of, perhaps, all time? It comes as no surprise, then, that countless people have looked to her for inspiration time and time again, referencing everything from her legendary music videos and her fashion editorials, to her inimitable personal style when it comes to their own work – but while you may have thought you’d gotten away with pinning a pic of her circa 1984 to your own moodboard, just know that she sees you, and she has something to say. 

Talking about those who have looked to her style in this interview, Jones says there is a difference between searching for inspiration and copying, before giving Madonna and her team their own personal shout-out. 

“You know Madonna used to come around and watch me,” she explains. “I know because kids would always say, ‘You know who was there? Madonna was there”, before offering some advice for budding creatives tempted to look to others before them. “If I was having a class of upcoming artists I would simply say, whatever it is you feel to do, do it before you go looking outside of yourself. From there you can get a true creation.” Amen.

Of course, this isn’t the only time the singer has spoken about people copying her. In her 2015 memoir, which FYI is entitled  I'll Never Write My Memoirs, Jones called out Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Madonna, again(!). “Trends come along and people say ‘Follow that trend’”, she wrote. “There’s a lot of that around at the moment: ‘Be like Sasha Fierce. Be like Miley Cyrus. Be like Rihanna. Be like Lady Gaga. Be like Rita Ora and Sia. Be like Madonna.’ I cannot be like them – except to the extent that they are already being like me.”

 

[Redha DBL 7,320]

Damn she' totally wasted on that video.

[PWCCA 2,498]

Grace has always been known for her rather inflated ego, but I actually love that about her. Truthfully though, all artists take from one another at times....  even Ms Jones (though I doubt she's admit to it). Very little is original, and all pop stars copy others... especially Madonna at many points in her career... that's just how it all works. 

[LikeAMelody 728]

Postmodernism

In art, postmodernism refers to a reaction against modernism. It is less a cohesive movement than an approach and attitude toward art, culture, and society. Its main characteristics include anti-authoritarianism, or refusal to recognize the authority of any single style or definition of what art should be; and the collapsing of the distinction between high culture and mass or popular culture, and between art and everyday life. Postmodern art can be also characterized by a deliberate use of earlier styles and conventions, and an eclectic mixing of different artistic and popular styles and mediums.

https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/84

 

I am not familiar with Grace Jone's work. I have to be pulled in by an artist and she never pulled me in. Kinda like Bowie which annoys me. What's wrong with me? 

I can however have the opinion that artists are inspired whether they choose to showcase that inspiration or not. They are all inspired. 

The best artists attach their own feelings to something that inspired them and elevate the thought behind it to another level....another way of thinking about it. 

What is the intention of the artist? Is it admiration, validating a feeling, a commentary, mocking?? 

Copying to me is to do something exactly like another with no other intention but to do just that. No thought behind it, no feeling. Brings nothing to the table. 

 

[DiegoLCL 5,049]

I don't want to sound rude but I guess that Rihanna and Lady Gaga most of the time just use stuff that people put together for them, it's very evident how Gaga changed when the whole Haus of Gaga went down. They're not "specialists" in Pop culture as we are to know that somebody used something similar 30, 40 years ago.

As for Madonna and Grace, I think that to some extent that applies too, they were involved with very creative people from the get go (Hi Maripol), so for them to claim owner of something is just a matter of ego. There's a difference between making something popular and be the creator of that.

Things evolve, ideas collides, it's just a matter of who puts enough personality and makes it work.

[Roland Barthes 5,832]

Maripol did a lot of Grace Jones stuff for the stage and she eventually used them again for Madonna when she started. She also did a lot of stuff for Debbie Harry and she re-used them too. For instance the Like a virgin wedding dress was already a prop in Blondie's and Grace Jones shows. Were they original ? No since it wasn't their idea either.

[deathproof 10,580]

Duh.

[azrael 735]

'It's not her, it's the machine around her' - and, like Grace always does, she lays the true celebrity issue bare in such a simplistic way. Love this woman.

[John Wayne 1,186]

Meaning of Inspiration / feminine noun

Creative capacity of artists, writers, authors or other professionals.

 

Meaning of Plagiarism / masculine noun

Action or effect of plagiarism, export or exhibition of another person's intellectual work as if it were his own authorship.

 

Did you see the difference?

[RUADJAI 14,929]

I get what's she saying here and maybe that's her view point of what an artist should be(completely unique), however ALL artists are inspired by something.

It's painfully obvious Madonna doesn't watch Grace Jones shows and turn around and do the same thing. The fact that she's throwing Madonna's name out there says to me she may be a bit jealous of Madonna's success, because part of Madonna's artistry that Grace doesn't seem to appreciate is the art of marketing and polishing that inspiration into something 10x greater than what the source was either by collaboration with other people, or marrying it with other ideas or even compromising part of your vision to appeal to a record exec. Thats all part of Madonna's artistry in my eyes and she's greater for it. 

[Pootz333 2,686]

I think M was inspired by her, but applied it to her work with her own vision. I see Grace's mixing masculine/feminine and bringing art to pop (her work with Haring, Warhol etc) as influential to the work M did with Gaultier/Mondino/ Blond Ambition. And I think the clones in "Vogue" for the Madame X tour was a definite nod. 

Rihanna and Gaga have mopped her looks.