You know the image. It’s 1997. The colors are blown out, a fish-eye lens is distorting everything, and there’s a woman in a bikini sitting on the edge of a hot tub looking slightly annoyed or maybe just bored. If you grew up with a CD tower, Around the Fur was likely sitting right in the middle of it. But for decades, the identity of the woman on that cover was shrouded in the kind of mid-90s mystery that doesn't really exist anymore in the age of Instagram.
Her name is Lisa Hughes. And honestly, the story of how she ended up on one of the most iconic nu-metal covers of all time is way less "corporate marketing" and way more "messy 4 a.m. house party."
Why Lisa Hughes Deftones Still Matters in 2026
It’s actually wild that we’re still talking about this nearly 30 years later. In January 2026, a fresh documentary short from Jenkem Magazine brought Lisa back into the spotlight, and it turns out she’s basically the coolest "accidental icon" ever. People always assumed she was a hired model or a groupie. Some even thought she was dating Chino Moreno.
None of that is true.
✨ Don't miss: Tool 10,000 Days: Why This 2006 Masterpiece Still Confuses Everyone
Lisa was just a girl from Washington who liked to party. She was a friend of guitarist Stephen Carpenter. Back in the late 90s, while the band was recording in Seattle, they were living that cliché rockstar life—rented condos, late nights, and a lot of people hanging out in jacuzzis at 4 in the morning.
Photographer Rick Kosick, who later became famous for his work with the Jackass crew, was the one who snapped the shot. He wasn't even trying to take an album cover. He was just leaning over with a fish-eye lens, being that guy with a camera at a party.
The Reality of the Hot Tub Photo
People love to over-analyze the look on her face. Is she mad? Is she high? Is she "around the fur"?
Lisa recently clarified that she was actually oblivious to the fact that she was being "professionally" photographed for a product. She was just having a good time. In fact, when the band decided they wanted the photo for the cover, they had to track her down because Kosick hadn't even gotten her information.
"I'm just this awesome chick from Auburn, and I like to have fun. There was no groupie action going on here." — Lisa Hughes, 2026.
Here’s a detail most people miss: The original photo actually had Deftones' keyboardist Frank Delgado in the hot tub right next to her. The label, Maverick Records, ended up Photoshopping him out to give it that voyeuristic, solitary feel. Chino Moreno has been on the record saying he actually hates the cover. He thought it looked "horrible" and "cheap," mostly because it looked like the band was just partying with random girls while they were all married at the time. Awkward.
What is Lisa Hughes doing now?
So, where is she in 2026?
She isn't living in the past, but she isn't hiding from it either. Lisa works in the medical field in Western Washington. She’s a mom. And in a hilarious twist of fate, she’s recently been signing copies of Around the Fur for her daughter’s friends. Can you imagine your friend’s mom being the face of a triple-platinum alt-metal masterpiece?
She’s still a fan, too. She’s mentioned that her favorite records are still the "holy trinity" of Adrenaline, Around the Fur, and White Pony.
👉 See also: Why the Sleepless in Seattle Soundtrack Still Hits Different Three Decades Later
Correcting the Record
Let’s kill the rumors once and for all.
- The "Groupie" Myth: She wasn't following the band around. She lived in the area where they were recording.
- The Tattoo: If you look at her now, the flower tattoo around her belly button looks different. She’s admitted to getting it partially lasered off after having her daughter because of a bad reaction.
- The Drink: That drink next to her in the photo? It was a "Silk Panties"—basically peach schnapps and vodka. Peak 90s.
- The Relationship: She hasn't stayed in close contact with the band. She’s mentioned lately that she lost touch with Stephen Carpenter years ago and has tried to reach back out, but life just kind of happened.
The legacy of Lisa Hughes Deftones is a reminder of a specific era in music history where things were raw and unplanned. There were no mood boards. No creative directors from New York City overthinking the "aesthetic." It was just a guy with a camera, a girl in a bikini, and a band that was about to change music forever.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the Deftones lore, the best place to start is the recent Jenkem documentary where Lisa actually revisits the original condo and the exact jacuzzi where the photo was taken. It’s a surreal bit of time travel.
💡 You might also like: Ceelo Green Fuck You Lyrics: The Real Story Behind the Song
Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the Jenkem Magazine 10-minute feature on YouTube for the first-hand footage of Lisa in 2026.
- Check out Rick Kosick’s photography archives to see the unedited shots from that Seattle session.
- Listen to the 2025 Deftones release Private Music to see how far the band's sound has evolved since the Around the Fur days.