Twiggy’s six favourite albums

Posted On January 5, 2025January 5, 2025

Twiggy was shot out of obscurity into the very defining fabric of the 1960s, with her iconic striking look capturing rapturous attention all over the world. With her stick figure, short haircut, and long eyelashes in check, she conquered the modelling and fashion industries by force, getting her face to the front of every magazine and newspaper there was. As one of the first-ever supermodels and among this country’s most seismic exports, Twiggy’s catapult to global fame coincided with the boom of the British invasion, where some of the brightest talents from these isles became set on total domination.

To that end, it’s no surprise that the model is grouped with the Beatles and Mick Jagger as the greatest icons of the swinging sixties era—they embodied so much of that same breakout rebellious spirit that captivated the minds and looks of young audiences that went on to change the world. But what’s a model without her ideal catwalk soundtrack?

Much in the same way Twiggy was thrust into the spotlight alongside some British pop and rock music smashes, she also holds that amazing casting eye in defining her personal listening taste. Whether influenced by the landscape of the origins of her career or indeed by her own spanning stint as a singer from the 1970s to 2000s, she certainly knows a good record when she sees one, as demonstrated in her pick of favourite albums.

When delving into her choices with the Daily Express in 2012, the London-born cultural powerhouse singled out records that were both newer and older, unique but timeless, speaking to the pulse she has maintained on musical popularity over the past six decades. She began, naturally, with the seminal Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles, to which she exclaimed: “Oh my God, this changed the world! I can remember when it came out, everywhere you went in London it was playing.”

It was, in fact, a lot more than just everywhere in London because the Fab Four had hit the zeitgeist bullseye globally in that moment. But in a similar vein of artists and albums universally adored, Twiggy then went on to pick out Blue by Joni Mitchell, whom she described as “beautiful” and “one of [her] idols” as holding a special place in her heart. “She just took my breath away. In fact, she still takes my breath away. To this day it stands up as a great album.”

That it does, but Twiggy’s eye for brilliance extends further than just the names we know and love. She cited a lesser-known artist, Ruth Etting, and her album Love Me or Leave Me as being particularly distinctive. “Probably not a lot of people will know about Ruth, but she was a singer in the ‘20s and ‘30s,” she explained. “Many people will, however, know her songs ‘Love Me or Leave Me’, ‘Shine On Harvest Moon’, and ‘Ten Cents A Dance’. She was probably the first pop singer in America.”

From America’s cream of the pop crop, she goes to Britain’s, admiring Adele’s iconic 21. “I love Adele, along with everyone else in the world. My goodness, that girl. Her voice and her writing are simply extraordinary. She makes me cry.”

Well, there’s no more room for tears because we’ve got to keep cramming these picks in. Next, she pivoted to Neil Young and his critically revered fourth album, Harvest, commenting: “Neil Young is amazing. His voice and his writing blow me away. You know how sometimes you get an album and there are a couple of great songs, and then you get one where the whole album is mind-blowing such as Sgt Pepper?”

“This is one of those albums,” she adds.

Finally, we end our whistlestop tour with everyone’s favourite medicine – a good dose of Dolly. For Twiggy and the rest of us, only The Very Best of Dolly Parton will do, with the model recalling her encounter with the country legend, “When I was living in LA in the early 1970s, Dolly did a show about 100 miles away, and I drove to see her. I went backstage to meet her, and she was gorgeous, charming and absolutely hilarious.”

As it turns out, if you ever need playlist inspiration, just look to Twiggy – she’s got you covered.

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