Singer, musician, actress and model, the sublime daughter of the King of Pop Michael Jackson gracefully traces her own path. At 24, this Californian with hypnotic gaze, a fan of Radiohead and folk music, displays a very rock, singular and committed personality, in the image of the aspirations of her generation. Meeting with a punk princess whose boots are firmly rooted in the realities of the time.
Clothes, BALENCIAGA.
With her lagoon blue eyes, her long disheveled blond hair, her half-sexy half-disheveled look and her many mystical tattoos, Paris Jackson displays, at age 24, the allure of the fascinating Californians that we meet in the concert halls and on the beaches of LA. We are immediately struck by her aura that is at once solar, cool and a bit cosmic. On his Instagram account, the artist also reveals a certain spirituality, thanking the Moon, surrounded by a band of naked friends during a kind of shamanic night ceremony. When interviewed via Zoom, the singer-songwriter, also an actress and model, jokes and willingly confesses that she totally embodies the Californian cliché: “I thought I was unique and special, but when I saw the second season of the series You, on Netflix, where they make fun of people from Los Angeles, I understood that I was really the Californian stereotype!” Moreover, like the trendiest girls in this idyllic and sunny region of the United States, Paris Jackson puts forward a relaxed attitude and low profile. “Sometimes I go on stage in pajamas, says the artist. I prioritize comfort above all, even if I dress up for an event and love punk designers like Matthew Williams of Givenchy and Vivienne Westwood. I especially like to wear oversized and flexible clothes that give me the impression of being curled up in a blanket.”
But under her looks of a well-born pretty girl (in 1998, in the upscale city of Beverly Hills), the young American, whose godmother Elizabeth Taylor and godfather Macaulay Culkin, hides a depth and a spleen that make her all the more endearing. Because being the daughter of a king doesn’t mean the crown is easy to wear and the path has been paved with bliss. In fact, the fate of Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson was strewn with obstacles and doubts. Her father, the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson, conceived her with Debbie Rowe, a nurse who, following the couple’s divorce, was absent from her life as a little girl until her teenage years. Raised at Neverland Ranch – located in Santa Barbara County, California – by the interpreter of Thriller, she seemed protected from the outside world, as if she was evolving in an unreal bubble. Moreover, during public outings of the Jackson family, the singer hid the faces of his children (from Paris and his two brothers, Prince and Blanket). Its goal ? Avoid their over-mediatization.
Top, shorts and mules, PRADA.
Jumpsuit and pumps, SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO.
Thus, we will not really discover the beautiful face and the moving look of Paris Jackson until the death of her father, at the very public funeral of one of the biggest stars in music history. Paris Jackson was deeply bruised by the disappearance of the idol (in 2009), when she was only 11 years old. If her grandmother then took her under her wing, she was continually hounded by the paparazzi, developing a post-traumatic syndrome and suffering from auditory hallucinations and paranoia. Even following returning home, she continues to see the crackling flashes of photographers. She also experiences intense online harassment. Difficulties that will lead her from adolescence to attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and in a therapeutic center in Utah. After having tried several times to end her life, the young girl tries to rebuild herself. It is finally, like her father, the passion she devotes to music that will manage to make her see the light. “I started playing the guitar at 13, but my more serious involvement in music only dates back to three years ago. Before that, I already had a creative approach, but among all my passions, it was really writing songs that stood out to me as essential. For me, music is cathartic. If I write a good song, I feel better immediately followingwards. Even if it works less well when the song is bad!” [Rires.]
Jacket and pants, BALMAIN. “Juste un Clou” ring in pink gold and diamonds, CARTIER.
In 2020, Paris Jackson, who has already distinguished herself as a model (posing for Calvin Klein and parading for Jean Paul Gaultier) and as an actress (seen in Star, Scream et Gringo alongside Charlize Theron) is releasing an EP with her then-boyfriend, under the name The Soundflowers. Then an album, Wilted (meaning “faded”) successful and noticed. We discover a spiritual, melancholy and dreamy timbre, that of an “old soul” – which seems to have lived several lives – delicately placed on authentic and intimate pop, rock and folk melodies. “I don’t consider myself a singer, says Paris Jackson. I can’t match the notes of a Mary J. Blige or a Whitney Houston. I see myself more as a songwriter and a musician.” With humility and humour, the artist defines herself on her Instagram account as a “mediocre imitator of Thom Yorke”, the singer of Radiohead.
Among the influences of the American, the British group figures very well, but she also declares herself a fan of metal. and cult hard-rock singer Alice Cooper. She even went so far as to miss her prom to go to a Metallica concert. And she admits to practicing ardently the stage diving (the epic dives into the crowd at concerts). Another feat of arms? The word “Mötley” is tattooed inside his mouth, in homage to glam-metal band Mötley Crüe. A tattoo from the 50s she wears, alluding to her father, David Bowie, Prince, John Lennon and Van Halen. “I am a fan of alternative music, folk, rock. All the artists I listen to, like Nashville-born Kings of Leon, have changed my life with their songs. I have nothing once morest the music on the radio, but I need to listen to songs at home that have a profound effect on my being and upset me.“The singer is currently working on a new album, inspired by 90s grunge, the Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana. Moreover, seeing her during our Zoom conversation, we say to ourselves that Paris Jackson strangely resembles the daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, Frances Bean Cobain.
Dress and boots, LOUIS VUITTON. “Love” bracelets in pink gold and diamonds, CARTIER.
Dress, BALENCIAGA. “Love” bracelets and “Juste un Clou” ring in pink gold and diamonds, CARTIER.
But if music is the art that loves her the most, apart from the guitar melodies she composes evoking heartache, Paris Jackson nevertheless continues to multiply the exciting adventures. Last year she starred in the series American Horror Stories and in Habit, a film in which she played a lesbian version of Jesus (which caused an uproar in the United States, prompting a petition of 300,000 signatures once morest the feature film deemed blasphemous). She has also just signed a beauty contract as the face and ambassador of the KVD Beauty brand. A vegan label and cruelty-free who won her over with her commitment to inclusivity, self-expression and animal welfare. “I have always expressed myself on these subjects. Each time I have been involved in a fashion or cinema project, I have shown my activism by evoking the themes that are close to my heart. I want to use my time and my notoriety to highlight what seems important to me. And I consider doing something just for the money or for the glory to be a waste. That’s why I loved posing for Stella McCartney, who campaigns for more ethical and sustainable fashion as well as for the animal cause.”
Top, BURBERRY.
Dress, cuffs and mules, PRADA. “Love” bracelets and “Juste un Clou” rings in pink gold and diamonds, CARTIER.
Ambassador of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which raises funds for the fight once morest AIDS, and the Heal Los Angeles Foundation, which helps the homeless, the singer has also always been an activist. She proudly displayed her sexuality, declaring herself bisexual in 2018 (he was credited with a relationship with model Cara Delevingne) and spoke, without taboo, of the ups and downs of her psyche. Like Lady Gaga and Kanye West before her, she made it possible to break down the unspoken and open up discussion, especially regarding depression or self-harm. “Mental health issues are part of my daily life. And I think that will always be part of who I am and my music, which is inspired by my life and the things I’ve been through. I can’t see myself not talking regarding it.“While Paris Jackson’s dad never got around to fulfilling his promise to teach him the moonwalk, that’s not stopping the rising rock star from aiming for the moon. And always have hope. An attitude that is ultimately quite natural when you bear the name of the City of Light and consider it your second home.
The Lost (Republic Records/Universal) de Paris Jackson, disponible.
News, MIU MIU.
Hairstyle: Miles Jeffries at The Wall Group. Makeup: Anthony H. Nguyen at The Wall Group. Manicure: Christa Cole at A-Frame Agency. Assistant director: Adam Chia. Producer: Peter McClafferty.
