17 Models Who Made The Jump From Runways To Recording Studios
The runway already comes with lights, timing, pressure, and the strange requirement of making impossible things look effortless.
Still, stepping into music is a completely different performance.
A good walk and a camera-friendly stare do not automatically help when the job suddenly involves vocals and the deeply unforgiving reality of people deciding whether they want to hear you on purpose.
That is what makes this crossover so entertaining.
A model can be famous for presence alone, then turn around and chase something far less silent and a lot more personal.
When that jump works, it reveals a whole new version of someone audiences thought they had already figured out.
1. Grace Jones
Few people in history have been as genuinely impossible to categorize as Grace Jones.
Born in Jamaica and raised partly in the United States, she stormed the fashion world in the 1970s with her androgynous look and razor-sharp cheekbones before absolutely owning the music scene too.
Her 1981 album Nightclubbing became a landmark record blending reggae, funk, and new wave in ways nobody had tried before.
How many models can claim they inspired both fashion designers AND punk rockers? Grace can.
2. Carla Bruni
Before she became the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni was already turning heads on catwalks for Versace, Chanel, and Christian Dior throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.
Then she quietly picked up a guitar and changed the conversation entirely.
Her debut album Quelqu’un m’a dit, released in 2002, sold over two million copies worldwide. That is not a typo.
Soft acoustic folk songs delivered in a dreamy French whisper turned out to be exactly what the world needed.
3. Milla Jovovich
Long before she was kicking zombies across movie screens in the Resident Evil franchise, Milla Jovovich was already a teenage model AND a recording artist.
Her debut album The Divine Comedy, released in 1994 when she was just 18, featured haunting, ethereal folk-rock that felt centuries old and totally fresh at the same time.
Critics were genuinely impressed. Though the album did not chart massively, it earned real respect from music lovers who appreciated its unusual, poetic style.
4. Karen Elson
With that signature flame-red hair and porcelain skin, Karen Elson was one of the most recognizable faces in high fashion throughout the 2000s, gracing the covers of Vogue editions worldwide.
However, music was always pulling at her heartstrings behind the scenes.
Her debut album The Ghost Who Walks, released in 2010, was a beautifully dark collection of gothic Americana that surprised absolutely everyone.
Produced by her then-husband Jack White of The White Stripes, it showcased a deep, soulful vocal style nobody expected.
5. Suki Waterhouse
Suki Waterhouse has always had that effortlessly cool energy that made her a standout model for brands like Burberry and a sought-after face in British fashion.
What many fans did not see coming was her genuinely compelling music career quietly building in the background.
Her 2023 debut album I Cant Let Go received warm critical praise for its dreamy indie-pop sound and honest, vulnerable songwriting. Fans of Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift found a lot to love here.
6. Naomi Campbell
Arguably the most famous supermodel who ever lived, a trailblazer who broke racial barriers in fashion and redefined what it meant to own a runway. So of course she also recorded a pop album, because why not?
Her 1994 album Baby Woman featured dance-pop tracks that actually charted in several countries, including a top-40 hit in the United Kingdom.
Though music never became her primary focus, the album showed that Naomi brought the same fearless energy to everything she touched.
7. Paris Hilton
Now here comes the queen of reinvention.
Paris was already one of the most photographed socialites and models on the planet when she released her self-titled pop debut in 2006, featuring the undeniably catchy single Stars Are Blind.
That song actually performed surprisingly well, reaching the top 20 in multiple countries including the United Kingdom.
Years later, she shifted into DJing and electronic music, building a serious reputation on the international festival circuit. Whether people took her seriously at first or not, the numbers told a different story.
8. Samantha Fox
Starting out as a glamour model in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s, Samantha Fox became one of Britain’s most recognizable faces before pivoting hard into pop music. And honestly?
The pivot worked spectacularly well.
Her 1986 debut single Touch Me (I Want Your Body) rocketed to number one in 17 countries, which is the kind of chart performance most artists only dream about.
Though some critics were snobbish about her modeling past, fans worldwide clearly did not care.
9. Twiggy
If the 1960s had a mascot, it was absolutely Twiggy.
Born Lesley Hornby in London, she became the world’s first true supermodel at just 16 years old, with her doe eyes and pixie haircut defining an entire era of fashion. But the story does not stop there.
Twiggy successfully transitioned into acting and recording music, releasing several albums throughout the 1970s with a cheerful, theatrical pop style.
Her 1976 musical film The Boyfriend earned her two Golden Globe Awards. Twiggy basically wrote the blueprint for every model-turned-musician who came after her.
10. Amanda Lear
Mystery follows Amanda Lear everywhere, which is honestly part of her incredible charm.
A model and muse to Salvador Dali in the 1960s and early 1970s, she was already a fascinating figure before she stepped behind a microphone and became a genuine disco superstar.
Her 1977 hit Follow Me was a massive club anthem across Europe, and she kept releasing successful records well into the 1980s.
Where many models dabbled in music, Amanda Lear fully committed and built a serious discography.
11. Sabrina Salerno
Sabrina Salerno burst onto the scene in Italy during the late 1980s as both a model and a pop sensation, and Europe absolutely could not get enough.
Her 1987 debut single Boys (Summertime Love) became one of the defining Eurodance tracks of the decade, reaching number three in the United Kingdom.
Though she was sometimes unfairly reduced to her image by critics, Sabrina kept recording and performing for decades, building a loyal fanbase across Europe that never wavered.
12. Cassie
With her self-titled debut album in 2006, Cassie Ventura signed with Bad Boy Records and scored a massive hit with “Me and U,” which climbed to number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
Before all of that though, she had already established herself as a sought-after model with a look that stopped traffic.
Her blend of R&B vocals and effortlessly cool style made her a natural fit for both industries simultaneously. Though her music output slowed over the years, her cultural impact remained strong.
13. Rina Sawayama
After studying social and political science at Cambridge University and modeling internationally, one of the most critically acclaimed pop albums of 2020 arrived from Rina Sawayama.
Her debut album SAWAYAMA was celebrated for blending Y2K pop, nu-metal, and R&B into something genuinely new and exciting. Publications like Rolling Stone and The Guardian named it one of the best albums of the year.
Born in Japan and raised in the United Kingdom, Rina brought a unique global perspective to pop music that made every track feel personal and powerful.
14. Soo Joo Park
Soo Joo Park became one of the most distinctive faces in high fashion, known for her striking silver-blonde hair and editorial presence that graced campaigns for L’Oreal Paris and countless runway shows.
However, music has always been woven into her identity in a meaningful way.
A trained guitarist, she has spoken openly in interviews about her love for rock and alternative music, and she has collaborated with musicians as both a creative partner and performer.
Though her recorded output remains limited, her passion for music is real and ongoing.
15. Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose is one of those people who seems to exist at the intersection of every creative field at once.
An Australian model and actress best known for her role in Orange Is the New Black, she also built a serious career as a DJ and electronic music producer that predated her acting fame.
Performing at major festivals and clubs worldwide, Ruby brought serious energy and technical skill to her DJ sets, earning respect from the electronic music community.
Her ability to command both a camera and a crowd is genuinely rare.
16. Cara Delevingne
Always the kind of person who refuses to be put in a box, Cara is someone who excelled as a model, actress, and musician all at once.
Her iconic bushy brows and magnetic personality made her one of the most booked models of the 2010s for brands like Burberry and Chanel.
She collaborated with Swiss DJ/producer Sultan and Ned Shepard on the track Sonnentanz (Sun Don’t Shine) in 2014, which performed well across Europe.
Cara has spoken about wanting to release more music and continues to explore her sound.
17. Jourdan Dunn
Jourdan Dunn made history in 2008 when she became the first Black model in over a decade to walk the Prada runway, a groundbreaking moment that opened doors across the industry.
What many fans do not know is that she has also explored music as a genuine creative outlet.
She has recorded tracks and shared musical content that reflects her love of R&B and contemporary pop, showing a side of herself that goes well beyond the catwalk.
Though a full album has not arrived yet, her passion for music feels authentic and ongoing.
