Grace Jones News 2015: Singer Blasts Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus & Many More, 'No Long-Term Vision'
Avant garde singer Grace Jones does not have kind words for some of the music industry's hottest stars.
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The singer, who rose to fame in the '70s and '80s, has written a memoir in which she exposed many of the most popular singers in the industry as being copycats.
An excerpt from her memoir was published in TimeOut, and based on this passage, she does not pull any punches.
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"Trends come along and people say, 'Follow that trend'. 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," she wrote.
The innovative singer continued, "I have been so copied by those people who have made fortunes that people assume I am that rich. But I did things for the excitement, the dare, the fact that it was new, not for the money, and too many times I was the first, not the beneficiary."
She wrote that many singers have no "long-term plan" when it comes to being a truly original artist, since there will always be a new artist to come along that replaces you.
Jones also wrote about a pop star she was offered to collaborate with but turned them down. "No one could believe that I said no, but I am okay on my own. I am okay not worrying about a new audience. If the f--- don't feel right, don't f--- it."
She used the pseudonym "Doris" in discussing this pop star, writing, "The problem with the Dorises and the Nicki Minajs and Mileys is that they reach their goal very quickly. There is no long-term vision, and they forget that once you get into that whirlpool then you have to fight the system that solidifies around you in order to keep being the outsider you claim you represent."
Going even further with the "Doris" example, she wrote, "You are in the middle of the road. You are really in Vegas wearing the sparkly full-length gown singing to people who are paying to see you but are not really paying attention. If that is what you want, fine, but it's a road to nowhere."
