15 Model-Musicians That Rock Both Stage and Runway
CR's index to the ultimate cool-girl profession
Over the decades, a number of achingly cool catwalkers have used their fashion careers as platforms for diving into music―and vice versa. But looking the part is just one part of the equation. You've got to have the attitude, passion, and talent to really make it as a musician. Whether they released a few songs or made being in a band their full-time hustle, CR has put together an index of model-musicians who have proven their double and triple-threat chops. [Warning: several of the chicks on this list can really shred.]
Karen Elson
One of the most iconic models of our times, Karen kickstarted her career by shooting the cover of Italian Vogue with Steven Meisel on her 18th birthday. While she's been a muse for the industry's leading photographers and designers, the fiery British redhead remains a musician at heart. She released her debut indie-folk album, The Ghost Who Walks, in 2010. After taking a break for several years, (then marrying and divorcing rockstar Jack White), she moved to Nashville and returned with a new record, Double Roses, in 2017.
Follow: @misskarenelson
Ruby Aldridge
She's the punky sister to Victoria's Secret Angel Lily Aldridge and a major model in her own right, having walked hundreds of fashion shows including Calvin Klein, Prada, and Alexander Wang. While she's been having a resurgence of editorial and runway work lately, Aldridge's true passion project is Diet Choke, her experimental noise rock band (formerly called Texture) taking the New York underground scene by storm.
Follow: @rubyaldridge
Staz Lindes
This social media star and Hedi Slimane muse (who covered issue 8 of CR Fashion Book) fronts the surfy riot grrrl band The Paranoyds. Discovered while playing at a bowling alley in L.A., the pouty, London-born model has music in her blood: Her father is the guitarist for Dire Straits. These days, you're equally likely to see her in a magazine campaign or on the stage at Coachella.
Follow: @yostazyo
Jamie Bochert
She's a dead ringer for Patti Smith―and has jammed alongside the iconic musician, too. This edgy New Jersey native is the ultimate "cool girl" model, and has been a muse to countless designers including Anthony Vaccarello and Marc Jacobs (who she assisted briefly) over her decade-plus career in fashion. In recent years, Bochert has manifested her rock star destiny by singing and playing piano/guitar in the lo-fi shoegaze band Francis Wolf.
Follow: @jamiebochert
Abbey Lee Kershaw
This Australian bombshell was one of the most prolific, in-demand models of the '00s. [Does anyone else remember when she and Freja Beha Erichsen were fashion's premier power couple?] These days, you're more likely to see the Melbourne native on the big screen (she played a role in Mad Max: Fury Road) or performing in her Brooklyn-based psych rock band, Our Mountain.
Follow: @abbeylee
Milla Jovovich
There are multihyphenates, and then there's Jovovich, who parlayed her supermodel status into a successful acting career (starring in blockbusters like Resident Evil and The Fifth Element), dabbled in fashion design, and and made her music debut in 1994 with the critically acclaimed, folk-electronica album The Divine Comedy. Comparing herself to “a mix between Kate Bush, Sinead O’Connor, This Mortal Coil and the Cocteau Twins," Jovovich still tours and releases new music on her official website, and has even taken up directing music videos for other artists.
Follow: @millajovovich
Julia Cumming
Another protégée of Slimane, Cumming (the singer-bassist of indie rock band Sunflower Bean) launched her high fashion career on the Saint Laurent runway in 2014, and hasn't looked back since. She remains a performer first and foremost, and Sunflower Bean just wrapped a tour with '90s group, The Pixies. Fun fact: Cumming is also a clasically trained opera singer.
Follow: @juliacumming
Rina Sawayama
Born in Japan and based in London, this tangerine-haired Internet sensation crafts glittering, subversive pop and R&B―and equally infectious music videos (check out her latest release for "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome.") After signing with Elite Models, Sawayama has become a front row regular and stars in the latest Versus Versace campaign.
Follow: @rinasonline
Cara Delevingne
We all know Delevingne as the second coming of Kate Moss, with a spunky personality (and those signature, expressive eyebrows) that suggested a destiny beyond the runways. The Chanel and Burberry muse has recently taken on acting roles in films including Paper Towns, Suicide Squad, and this summer's blockbuster Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. And she's not stopping there. In July, the multitalented Brit (who has collaborated with the likes of Pharrell) released her first-ever music video for "I Feel Everything," a jazzy indie pop single off the Valerian soundtrack.
Follow: @caradelevingne
Sasha Belyaeva
A self-proclaimed "mint-haired sociopath," this up-and-coming model got her big break walking Chanel's Fall 2016 Couture show, and has gone on to work with brands including Sies Marjan and Zadig & Voltaire. But what stands out more so than her (amazing) dye job is her musical talent. The clasically trained violinist frequently posts videos to Instagram showcasing her acoustic guitar skills and folksy, airy vocals.
Follow: @sashabelyaeva
Agyness Deyn
Her rock 'n' roll style and signature pixie cut made her one of the top models of the 2000s, and a favorite of designers like Anna Sui and Henry Holland. In 2008, Deyn teamed up with NYC-based new wave band Five O’Clock Heroes, providing (poorly received) vocals on their single, “Who.” She also performed in a now-defunct indie band called Lucky Knitwear, and reportedly provided background vocals for Rihanna’s “We Found Love.”
Follow: @aggy_deyn
Beverly Johnson
A true boundary-breaker, in August 1974 Beverly became the first black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue, a triumph which landed her on The New York Times’ list of the 20th century’s most influential fashion icons. In addition to making modeling history (and acting in several films), she launched a brief music career in 1979 with a glittery, funky disco album titled Don’t Lose the Feeling.
Follow: @iambeverlyjohnson
Vanessa Paradis
Let us not forget that long before Paradis became known as "Lily-Rose Depp's mom," she was a child pop star at age 14 (her single "Joe Le Taxi" was a worldwide hit) who went on to act and become the face―and longtime muse―of Chanel. She's remained dedicated to music throughout the decades, putting out six albums that have sold over 4 million copies in France.
Carla Bruni
Bruni, the former first lady of France and original '90s supermodel―who left the biz in '97 to pursue a career in singing-songrwiting―has been enjoying a revival recently. She positively dazzled on the runway in *that* season-making Versace finale, and dropped a new album, French Touch, earlier this month. While most of her records have been in French, the latest features some of her favorite songs in English.
Follow: @carlabruniofficial
Naomi Campbell
Campbell's modeling career needs zero introduction, but did you think we'd get to the end of this list without remembering that time the British super released her first and only album, babywoman, in 1994? The collection of pop, R&B, and trip hop songs was viewed as both a critical and commercial failure, but became a surprise hit in Japan.
Follow: @iamnaomicampbell
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