Joe Jackson

Since his breakthrough in the late 1970s, Jackson has continually explored the boundaries between pop, jazz, classical and rock. His career is testament to his irrepressible curiosity and refusal to be pigeonholed into one genre.

Raised in a working-class family in Portsmouth, his asthma led him to find refuge in music at an early age. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music, he formed the Joe Jackson Band in 1977. He broke through internationally with “Look Sharp!” and the hit “Is She Really Going Out with Him?”. His combination of sharp lyrics and melodic pop became his trademark.

Jackson's career is a series of musical transformations: from new wave and ska to swing and the refined pop jazz of “Night and Day”, with global hits such as “Steppin” Out'. Albums such as “Body & Soul” and “Big World” confirmed his reputation as a perfectionist and innovative composer.

From the late 1980s onwards, he increasingly explored classical and film music, including “Will Power” and “Symphony No. 1”, which won a Grammy. His autobiography, A Cure for Gravity, revealed him to be more of a composer than a pop star. Nevertheless, he remained faithful to pop with “Night and Day II”, “Rain” and “Fast Forward”, among others.

Recent projects, such as “Fool” and “What a Racket!”, show that his creativity is undiminished. Jackson remains a musical chameleon: curious, uncompromising and always innovative. His oeuvre proves that integrity and imagination outlast fashion or fame.