Happy Birthday David Bowie
Today, January 8, we are honoring the legendary musician and cultural icon: David Bowie.
Trail blazer
Bowie is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, with his career spanning both decades and musical styles. An innovator, Bowie never shied away from reinvention and incorporated his art and design background into his artistry, becoming well known for his stage and visual presentation of his work.
Cultural & Fashion Icon
David Bowie always had his own sense of style and was voted “The Best Dressed Man in British History” in 2013. It’s been said that he wasn’t inspired by fashion, rather fashion was inspired by him; several famous designers such as Louis Vuitton and Jean Paul Gautier both publicly stated their collections had been inspired by Bowie.
Musical tour de force
Bowie’s debut song, Space Oddity was a psychedelic folk track, released to success in 1969, yet Bowie felt ill at ease with conforming to this genre and by 1972, he re-emerged onto the music scene with his glam rock alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. After international success in the mid 70’s, Bowie felt the change of energy and in 1977, released Low, an album that incorporated a deep, electronica fused sound. His best selling album, 1983’s Let’s Dance was another evolutionary step, with a post-disco, dance-rock-pop and new wave sound at a time when the New Romantics dominated the airwaves. Throughout the 90’s and 2000’s, Bowie continued to experiment with a variety of musical styles, including (but not limited to) industrial and jungle. Bowie’s passion for music rarely erred, and his final album, Blackstar was released two days before his untimely death in 2016.
At all times, Bowie appeared to capture the zeitgeist - his music and art was, and is still culturally and critically acclaimed. His legacy as a cultural icon remains firm to this day, despite his passing.
Do you have a favourite David Bowie song or album?
