No supervisor needs to say no to their artist. However this time, the scenario demanded it. “You’re blowing your f–king cash,” the supervisor advised her shopper. “That is cash you’re not going to have to advertise your music.”
The expense beneath dialogue wasn’t a non-public jet, a non-fungible token or some new cryptocurrency, however glam — a catch-all time period that encompasses the companies of hairstylists, make-up artists and nail technicians. The rising artist wished to rent her favourite superstar hairstylist for a two-day video shoot, which might value $12,000 in companies alone, along with business-class journey for the hairstylist and the hairstylist’s assistant, plus the hairstylist’s agent’s charges. The label’s video funds was $10,000 to $15,000, not together with journey, and the distinction would come out of the artist’s pocket. The supervisor stood agency: “We’re not doing that in your hair.”
Nonetheless, she sympathized together with her artist’s nervousness. “The whole lot is so seen now,” the supervisor says, noting that followers count on artists — and particularly, younger ladies — to all the time look the a part of the peerlessly put-together pop star, whether or not at an awards present or on TikTok. “You’re all the time being in contrast. And there’s all these images on a regular basis, after which once they don’t look good, the web loves to speak about that. It’s simply actually unfair.”
Because the world reopened after COVID-19, public appearances for artists elevated — much more so than earlier than the pandemic, in line with the numerous artist managers and publicists interviewed for this story — and with that, the necessity for skilled glam. To manage prices, artists’ groups should negotiate continuously with their purchasers about when (and when not) to make use of it.
“After I first began on this enterprise within the ’90s, no one received B-roll of something,” says one Nashville-based enterprise supervisor. “ ‘What are you speaking about, B-roll? They’re doing radio interviews. Y’all don’t want any B-roll.’ However that’s a part of the method 1709326152, so you’ll be able to’t stroll out and never be camera-perfect each time. As a result of the second they’re, everyone assaults them on social media.”
Glam professionals have blended emotions about this elevated demand. Some say pay was higher within the Nineteen Nineties, others that their charges have all the time been — and stay — low, and plenty of state that they’re nonetheless recovering financially from the whole halt in work in the course of the pandemic. However a handful have capitalized on explosive social media followings and their work with just a few standard purchasers to remodel themselves from invaluable members of the backstage group into celebrities in their very own proper who can demand $5,000 to $10,000 a day for his or her companies.
“That is, for me, the most important hurdle to creating feminine artists at this time,” the supervisor says. “It’s simply killing me as a result of we are able to’t [sign and develop] ladies due to crippling glam prices.”
Not all glam professionals are so cost-prohibitive. “That’s just like the 1%,” says hairstylist and males’s groomer Laura Costa, whose purchasers have included Daniel Caesar, 50 Cent and d4vd. “People who find themselves getting these astronomical charges are simply the very small share of hairstylists and make-up artists which are working with huge-selling artists like Mariah Carey. I don’t need folks to assume that we’re out right here making $10,000 a day to place ChapStick on somebody. As a result of that’s not the norm.”
The norm for somebody like Costa, who has been within the enterprise since 2012, is $500 for a males’s “do-and-go”: assembly purchasers the place they’re, doing their hair or make-up and leaving. The typical do-and-go lasts two hours, after which Costa is off to a different appointment. “I’ll work for the complete day, and other people assume, ‘Oh, my God, that’s nice cash for the day.’ However I’ve to offer my agent 20% of it, I’ve to pay all my taxes, I’ve to pay for all my tools.”
A do-and-go permits glam artists to squeeze extra purchasers right into a day, however operating from job to job may be taxing. “I believe it’s the worst factor that has occurred to the business,” says make-up artist Colby Smith, who has labored with Icona Pop, Tove Lo, Charli XCX, Zara Larsson and Alanis Morissette, amongst others, throughout his 17-year profession. “My do-and-go at this time is from 12:30 to 2:30, so that they’re paying me not for half a day and never for the total day. The entire idea of do-and-go is to get us for 1 / 4 fee.” Sources say day charges usually vary from $1,000 to $2,000, whereas a do-and-go pays anyplace from $300 to $800. “It’s a brand new business commonplace that has introduced pricing down and using us down,” Smith explains.
The do-and-go is usually booked for artists who’re spending a complete day making several types of content material, like social media posts or TV appearances. Some artist group members say labels favor cramming every part into in the future and choosing a do-and-go — moderately than hiring the glam group for the total day — to chop prices. If a possibility doesn’t match within the scheduled day, the artist should flip it down.
For some up-and-coming artists, doing their very own glam is preferable to a missed alternative. In keeping with one publicist with purchasers within the pop house, established artists could decline to look even on social media with out full glam, however newer acts perceive that they need to stick with a funds or keep house.
Nation artist Megan Moroney, who scored her first high 10 on Billboard’s High Nation Albums and Sizzling Nation Songs charts in Could, tends to deal with her personal hair and make-up apart from particular events. “Proper now, it’s primarily only for large exhibits which are streamed or clearly awards exhibits or greater occasions, I’ve glam,” says the 26-year-old singer-songwriter, who’s signed to Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Information. “I want I may have my glam ladies on a regular basis as a result of it undoubtedly seems to be just a little bit totally different after I do it,” she admits.
Moroney’s glam group consists of make-up artist Paige Szupello and hairstylist Jessica Miller, the professional behind Moroney’s signature hair pouf. “She mentioned she needs to be recognized by her silhouette, so we have now the pouf that we do on her,” Miller says. “And you already know, that’s iconic. Persons are recognizing that pouf now.”
“Jessica actually is the one person who is aware of the way to do it,” Moroney says. “She may in all probability do it together with her eyes closed. I’ve had folks fill in generally if she wasn’t accessible, and it was an epic fail.” Having a constant glam group places Moroney comfy forward of performances, not solely as a result of Szupello and Miller know her face and hair so nicely and are capable of all the time create an on-brand look, but additionally as a result of she feels snug round them. “They undoubtedly know approach an excessive amount of about my life,” she says. “If you discover folks which are actually proficient at what they do, it simply makes it extra pleasant should you additionally like them and are buddies with them.”
These friendships also can generally result in enterprise problems. “That’s the place it will get messy with a whole lot of these glam groups,” says one glam skilled. “Once they get too shut, they assume that they will ask for loopy numbers, and so they’ll get it as a result of it’s like, ‘Properly, I’m your greatest buddy. Are you going to fireside me as a result of I’m asking you for cash?’ ”
Alternatively, casual relationships between artists and glam groups can blur job descriptions in ways in which overtax glam professionals. “They want somebody of their camp that they will truly belief,” says Robear Landeros, whose purchasers embrace Kat Graham, Jennifer Hudson and quite a few Bravo’s Actual Housewives stars. “I turn out to be publicist, I turn out to be supervisor, I turn out to be safety guard, I turn out to be stylist. It goes past the glam of all of it. I don’t assume the frequent individual understands like, ‘Oh, my God, they cost a lot,’ or ‘Oh, my God, why does it value this?’ It’s a lot extra than simply magnificence.”
For enterprise managers, the price of glam additionally goes past magnificence. “I believe the journey is a big a part of it,” says Kristin Lee, founder and managing director of enterprise administration firm KLBM. “Having to fly folks, pay for his or her vehicles, give them per diems once they’re on the bottom — that stuff has doubled from just a few years in the past.” To cut back prices, Lee tells her purchasers to make use of native hairstylists and make-up artists moderately than fly glam groups to totally different cities. She has additionally put glam professionals on flat retainers when a shopper has a very energetic month, since it’s typically cheaper than a day fee.
Lee estimates that her feminine purchasers — who span genres, although she has had an uptick recently in Miami-based Latin artists — spend about $100,000 yearly on glam, but it surely doesn’t make them inherently costlier than her male purchasers. “All of them discover methods to spend some huge cash,” she says dryly, although, she provides, “I absolutely imagine within the ‘pink tax.’ The blokes are spending cash on luxurious [by] alternative, versus what my purchasers take into account a necessity for going out and feeling and looking a sure approach — which prices some huge cash. The whole lot is costlier as a lady.”
Belva Anakwenze of Abacus Monetary Enterprise Administration says her purchasers — most of whom are Los Angeles-based R&B and hip-hop artists — spend round $30,000 on glam in an energetic quarter, and although it may be a lot larger than that, the price usually accounts for lower than 3% of an artist’s bills. “Glam is a really small p.c for our purchasers’ total budgets,” she says.
Anakwenze has robust conversations together with her purchasers about going with cheaper, much less acquainted glam groups to economize, however generally such selections aren’t so easy. “With folks of colour, it’s much more troublesome as a result of not everybody is aware of the way to successfully fashion their hair or make-up, and they also do turn out to be very loyal,” she says. “However generally the loyalty finally ends up saving us cash, in that they don’t actually improve their charges. They’ll go up incrementally, but when they’re charging a brand new shopper $1,000, they could cost my shopper, an current shopper, $500.”
For others, loyalty comes at a better value. Sally Velazquez, founder and president of Empower Enterprise Administration, explains that when her purchasers lock of their common glam groups, these hairstylists and make-up artists publish images of their work with them on social media and construct their very own fan bases. “Their costs begin to improve primarily based on their demand, which is smart. However that demand generally occurs as a result of our purchasers gave these folks a shot,” she says. “We see a yr later, now that very same make-up artist that was charging $100 needs $750. And now, the difficulty is the shopper constructed a rapport with this individual, they like working with this individual. I’m an individual that undoubtedly needs to make it possible for we worth whoever we’re working with, however generally it will get to the purpose the place you’re like, ‘Hey, perhaps we solely use this make-up artist for giant issues just like the Grammys and never use them for daily.’ That’s the way in which we attempt to handle the prices.”
Velazquez acknowledges that inflation and cost-of-living will increase play a task within the rising charges but additionally factors to journey and lodging, in addition to surprising bills. “Because the make-up artist turns into very well-known, it’s nearly like working with one other artist,” she says. “It’s not simply their charge anymore. It’s additionally simply the little issues that they want. You understand how artists have their very own riders? Now make-up [artists], hairstylists have their very own riders as nicely.”
Everybody — from artists’ enterprise managers to the glam professionals they’re hiring — is looking for their very own backside line. “We’re operating a enterprise, everyone’s operating a enterprise, and only a few artists find yourself truly worthwhile,” says a publicist whose shopper spent $600,000 on a current TV look, a big portion of which went to not hair or make-up however styling. “It’s not like we’re simply making an attempt to economize. It’s that you just’re making an attempt to not hemorrhage cash. And also you’re making an attempt to not spend silly cash, and that’s the place it turns into silly cash.”
One label supply who has labored with Latin artists for many years says that generally even what looks like “silly cash” is price it ultimately. “After I was working for a label, I’d pay this hairstylist $5,000 a day,” the supply recollects. “The artist had like an inch of hair, and he was continuously telling him, ‘Oh, my God, you might be so good-looking at this time. And you actually look nice. And I see that your face is tremendous recent.’ All these issues that the artist wants so desperately, continuously. If you inform that to an artist, should you’re the supervisor or should you’re the label, they assume that you just say it since you need him to rush up and go onstage.”
Whereas getting the look proper is a glam group’s major job, these within the discipline are keenly conscious of this extra expectation. “I perceive once they say, monetarily, we’re a large expense, as a result of I do know we’re,” says one glam skilled. “However you actually can’t put a value on having us round after we make the day run smoother. I’ve been on Nicki Minaj music movies. I’ve been on Cardi B music movies. I’ve been on Mariah Carey music movies. I’ve been on Katy Perry music movies. All of those f–king music movies wouldn’t get made with out their goddamn glam groups. These ladies wouldn’t really feel assured sufficient or completely happy sufficient. And I’ve actually seen a few of these large, large A-list expertise stroll off set as a result of the vibe wasn’t proper.”
The supply from the Latin world agrees. “It’s vital to search out the proper folks. The glam folks, their project actually is to make the artist completely happy. I used to be going to say they’re costly — however now I notice that they’re tremendous low cost.”
Glam Rock Stars
Get to know a number of the high hair and make-up professionals with main artist (and social media) followings.
Jesus Guerrero
Hairstylist
Instagram followers: 598,000
Purchasers: Dua Lipa, Katy Perry, Rosalía
Perry’s bob-to-bangs transformation, Rosalía’s 2023 Latin Grammys tresses and Kylie Jenner’s “moist look” all have one factor in frequent: Guerrero’s comb. The hair guru’s versatility permits him to go from taming Christina Aguilera’s platinum waves in the future to weaving Kali Uchis’ hair right into a butterfly sculpture for her Crimson Moon in Venus album cowl the following.
Ursula Stephen
Hairstylist
Instagram followers: 125,000
Purchasers: Zendaya, Ciara, Mary J. Blige
Past heading her personal salon, veteran stylist Stephen has crafted showstopping types for everybody from Rihanna to Serena Williams, Ariana DeBose and Yara Shahidi. Lots of her most memorable seems to be have been worn on the Met Gala carpet: Zendaya’s auburn Joan of Arc crop in 2018? That was all Stephen, as was Rih’s faux-hawk swoop in 2009.
Tokyo Stylez
Hairstylist
Instagram followers: 1.5 million
Purchasers: Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Victoria Monét
Tokyo Stylez is behind the wigs of extra stars than one would imagine — in reality, she’s so good, it’s typically troublesome to inform whether or not her purchasers are sporting considered one of her items or a dye job. She’s answerable for a number of the previous few years’ most iconic hair moments, from Cardi B’s shiny yellow pixie lower on the Invasion of Privateness cowl to Megan Thee Stallion’s pink ’do on Saturday Night time Stay in January.
Rokael Lizama
Make-up artist
Instagram followers: 306,000
Purchasers: Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez
When he’s not working as Beyoncé’s on-the-road Renaissance tour make-up artist, Lizama creates nude-glam seems to be for Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger, Demi Lovato, Normani, the Kardashian sisters and extra. After engaged on campaigns for different main magnificence manufacturers, he began his personal self-titled make-up line with a specialty in pretend lashes.
Priscilla Ono
Make-up artist
Instagram followers: 894,000
Purchasers: Rihanna, Latto, Kali Uchis
Rihanna wouldn’t belief simply anybody to color her face — however Ono isn’t any atypical magnificence professional. Not solely is she the worldwide make-up artist of the singer’s billion-dollar Fenty Magnificence model, however she additionally brushed on Rih’s Tremendous Bowl halftime present and Academy Awards seems to be in 2023.
Patrick Ta
Make-up artist
Instagram followers: 3.6 million
Purchasers: Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello, Halsey
Ta opened his first salon when he was simply 18. By showcasing his wearable glam seems to be on social media, he constructed a shopper base that now consists of Gigi Hadid, Kim Kardashian, Anitta, Hailee Steinfeld and Ayra Starr — and in 2019, he launched an eponymous cosmetics line that was picked up by Sephora. —HANNAH DAILEY
This story will seem within the March 2, 2024, concern of Billboard.
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