{"id":73518,"date":"2024-03-01T12:08:58","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T17:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/03\/01\/glam-for-female-artists-is-crucial-and-incredibly-complicated\/"},"modified":"2024-03-01T12:08:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T17:08:58","slug":"glam-for-female-artists-is-crucial-and-incredibly-complicated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/03\/01\/glam-for-female-artists-is-crucial-and-incredibly-complicated\/","title":{"rendered":"Glam For Female Artists Is Crucial \u2014 And Incredibly\u00a0Complicated"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tNo manager wants to say no to their artist.<\/strong> But this time, the situation demanded it. \u201cYou\u2019re blowing your f\u2013king money,\u201d the manager told her client. \u201cThis is money you\u2019re not going to have to promote your music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe expense under discussion wasn\u2019t a private jet, a non-fungible token or some new cryptocurrency, but glam \u2014 a catch-all term that encompasses the services of hairstylists, makeup artists and nail technicians. The rising artist wanted to hire her favorite celebrity hairstylist for a two-day video shoot, which would cost $12,000 in services alone, in addition to business-class travel for the hairstylist and the hairstylist\u2019s assistant, plus the hairstylist\u2019s agent\u2019s fees. The label\u2019s video budget was $10,000 to $15,000, not including travel, and the difference would come out of the artist\u2019s pocket. The manager stood firm: \u201cWe\u2019re not doing that for your hair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tStill, she sympathized with her artist\u2019s anxiety. \u201cEverything is so visible now,\u201d the manager says, noting that fans expect artists \u2014 and in particular, young women \u2014 to always look the part of the perfectly put-together pop star, whether at an awards show or on TikTok. \u201cYou\u2019re always being compared. And there\u2019s all these photos all the time, and then when they don\u2019t look good, the internet loves to talk about that. It\u2019s just really unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs the world reopened after COVID-19, public appearances for artists increased \u2014 even more so than before the pandemic, according to the many artist managers and publicists interviewed for this story \u2014 and with that, the need for professional glam. To control costs, artists\u2019 teams must negotiate constantly with their clients about when (and when not) to use it.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen I first started in this business in the \u201990s, nobody got B-roll of anything,\u201d says one Nashville-based business manager. \u201c\u00a0\u2018What are you talking about, B-roll? They\u2019re doing radio interviews. Y\u2019all don\u2019t need any B-roll.\u2019 But that\u2019s part of the process [now], so you can\u2019t walk out and not be camera-perfect every time. Because the second they are, everybody attacks them on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Musicians<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tBillboard Women in Music 2024 List\u00a0Revealed\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tGlam professionals have mixed feelings about this increased demand. Some say pay was better in the 1990s, others that their rates have always been \u2014 and remain \u2014 low, and many state that they are still recovering financially from the total halt in work during the pandemic. But a handful have capitalized on explosive social media followings and their work with a few popular clients to transform themselves from invaluable members of the backstage team into celebrities in their own right who can demand $5,000 to $10,000 a day for their services.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is, for me, the biggest hurdle to developing female artists today,\u201d the manager says. \u201cIt\u2019s just killing me because we can\u2019t [sign and develop] girls because of crippling glam costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tNot all glam professionals are so cost-prohibitive.<\/strong> \u201cThat\u2019s like the 1%,\u201d says hairstylist and men\u2019s groomer Laura Costa, whose clients have included Daniel Caesar, 50\u00a0Cent and d4vd. \u201cPeople who are getting these astronomical rates are just the very small percentage of hairstylists and makeup artists that are working with huge-selling artists like Mariah Carey. I don\u2019t want people to think that we\u2019re out here making $10,000 a day to put ChapStick on someone. Because that\u2019s not the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe norm for someone like Costa, who has been in the business since 2012, is $500 for a men\u2019s \u201cdo-and-go\u201d: meeting clients where they are, doing their hair or makeup and leaving. The average do-and-go lasts two hours, and then Costa is off to another appointment. \u201cI\u2019ll work for the entire day, and people think, \u2018Oh, my God, that\u2019s great money for the day.\u2019 But I have to give my agent 20% of it, I have to pay all my taxes, I have to pay for all my equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA do-and-go allows glam artists to squeeze more clients into a day, but running from job to job can be taxing. \u201cI think it\u2019s the worst thing that has happened to the industry,\u201d says makeup artist Colby Smith, who has worked with Icona Pop, Tove\u00a0Lo, Charli\u00a0XCX, Zara Larsson and Alanis Morissette, among others, during his 17-year career. \u201cMy do-and-go today is from 12:30 to 2:30, so they\u2019re paying me not for half a day and not for the full day. The whole concept of do-and-go is to get us for a quarter rate.\u201d Sources say day rates typically range from $1,000 to $2,000, while a do-and-go pays anywhere from $300 to $800. \u201cIt\u2019s a new industry standard that has brought pricing down and the use of us down,\u201d Smith explains.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe do-and-go is often booked for artists who are spending a whole day making different types of content, like social media posts or TV appearances. Some artist team members say labels favor cramming everything into one day and opting for a do-and-go \u2014 rather than hiring the glam team for the full day \u2014 to cut costs. If an opportunity does not fit in the scheduled day, the artist must turn it down.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor some up-and-coming artists, doing their own glam is preferable to a missed opportunity. According to one publicist with clients in the pop space, established artists may decline to appear even on social media without full glam, but newer acts understand that they must stick to a budget or stay home.<\/p>\n

\n\tCountry artist Megan Moroney, who scored her first top\u00a010 on Billboard<\/em>\u2019s Top Country Albums<\/a> and Hot Country Songs<\/a> charts in May, tends to handle her own hair and makeup except for special occasions. \u201cRight now, it\u2019s mainly just for big shows that are streamed or obviously awards shows or bigger events, I have glam,\u201d says the 26-year-old singer-songwriter, who is signed to Sony Music Nashville\/Columbia Records. \u201cI wish I could have my glam girls all the time because it definitely looks a little bit different when I do it,\u201d she admits.<\/p>\n

\n\tMoroney\u2019s glam team includes makeup artist Paige Szupello and hairstylist Jessica Miller, the expert behind Moroney\u2019s signature hair pouf. \u201cShe said she wants to be known by her silhouette, so we have the pouf that we do on her,\u201d Miller says. \u201cAnd you know, that\u2019s iconic. People are recognizing that pouf now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cJessica really is the only person that knows how to do it,\u201d Moroney says. \u201cShe could probably do it with her eyes closed. I have had people fill in sometimes if she wasn\u2019t available, and it was an epic fail.\u201d Having a consistent glam team puts Moroney at ease ahead of performances, not only because Szupello and Miller know her face and hair so well and are able to always create an on-brand look, but also because she feels comfortable around them. \u201cThey definitely know way too much about my life,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you find people that are really talented at what they do, it just makes it more enjoyable if you also like them and are friends with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThose friendships can also sometimes lead to business complications. \u201cThat\u2019s where it gets messy with a lot of these glam teams,\u201d says one glam professional. \u201cWhen they get too close, they think that they can ask for crazy numbers, and they\u2019ll get it because it\u2019s like, \u2018Well, I\u2019m your best friend. Are you going to fire me because I\u2019m asking you for money?\u2019\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOn the other hand, informal relationships between artists and glam teams can blur job descriptions in ways that overtax glam professionals. \u201cThey need someone in their camp that they can actually trust,\u201d says Robear Landeros, whose clients include Kat Graham, Jennifer Hudson and a number of Bravo\u2019s Real Housewives<\/em> stars. \u201cI become publicist, I become manager, I become security guard, I become stylist. It goes beyond the glam of it all. I don\u2019t think the common person understands like, \u2018Oh, my God, they charge so much,\u2019 or \u2018Oh, my God, why does it cost this?\u2019 It\u2019s so much more than just beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tFor business managers, the cost of glam<\/strong> also goes beyond beauty. \u201cI think the travel is a huge part of it,\u201d says Kristin Lee, founder and managing director of business management company KLBM. \u201cHaving to fly people, pay for their cars, give them per\u00a0diems when they\u2019re on the ground \u2014 that stuff has doubled from a few years ago.\u201d To reduce costs, Lee tells her clients to use local hairstylists and makeup artists rather than fly glam teams to different cities. She has also put glam professionals on flat retainers when a client has a particularly active month, since it is often cheaper than a day rate.<\/p>\n

\n\tLee estimates that her female clients \u2014 who span genres, though she has had an uptick lately in Miami-based Latin artists \u2014 spend about $100,000 annually on glam, but it does not make them inherently more expensive than her male clients. \u201cThey all find ways to spend a lot of money,\u201d she says dryly, though, she adds, \u201cI fully believe in the \u2018pink tax.\u2019 The guys are spending money on luxury [by] choice, as opposed to what my clients consider a necessity for going out and looking and feeling a certain way \u2014 which costs a lot of money. Everything is more expensive as a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBelva Anakwenze of Abacus Financial Business Management says her clients \u2014 most of whom are Los Angeles-based R&B and hip-hop artists \u2014 spend around $30,000 on glam in an active quarter, and though it can be much higher than that, the cost typically accounts for less than 3% of an artist\u2019s expenses. \u201cGlam is a very small percent for our clients\u2019 overall budgets,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnakwenze has tough conversations with her clients about going with less expensive, less familiar glam teams to save money, but sometimes such decisions are not so simple. \u201cWith people of color, it\u2019s even more difficult because not everyone knows how to effectively style their hair or makeup, and so they do become very loyal,\u201d she says. \u201cBut sometimes the loyalty ends up saving us money, in that they don\u2019t really increase their fees. They\u2019ll go up incrementally, but if they\u2019re charging a new client $1,000, they may charge my client, an existing client, $500.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor others, loyalty comes at a higher cost. Sally Velazquez, founder and president of Empower Business Management, explains that once her clients lock in their regular glam teams, those hairstylists and makeup artists post photos of their work with them on social media and build their own fan bases. \u201cTheir prices start to increase based on their demand, which makes sense. But that demand sometimes happens because our clients gave these people a shot,\u201d she says. \u201cWe see a year later, now that same makeup artist that was charging $100 wants $750. And now, the issue is the client built a rapport with this person, they like working with this person. I\u2019m a person that definitely wants to make sure that we value whoever we\u2019re working with, but sometimes it gets to the point where you\u2019re like, \u2018Hey, maybe we only use this makeup artist for big things like the Grammys and not use them for every day.\u2019 That\u2019s the way we try to manage the costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tVelazquez acknowledges that inflation and cost-of-living increases play a role in the rising rates but also points to travel and accommodation, as well as unexpected expenses. \u201cAs the makeup artist becomes very famous, it\u2019s almost like working with another artist,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just their fee anymore. It\u2019s also just the little things that they need. You know how artists have their own riders? Now makeup [artists], hairstylists have their own riders as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEveryone \u2014 from artists\u2019 business managers to the glam professionals they\u2019re hiring \u2014 is looking out for their own bottom line. \u201cWe are running a business, everybody\u2019s running a business, and very few artists end up actually profitable,\u201d says a publicist whose client spent $600,000 on a recent TV appearance, a large portion of which went not to hair or makeup but styling. \u201cIt\u2019s not like we\u2019re just trying to save money. It\u2019s that you\u2019re trying not to hemorrhage money. And you\u2019re trying not to spend stupid money, and that\u2019s where it becomes stupid money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOne label source who has worked with Latin artists for decades says that sometimes even what seems like \u201cstupid money\u201d is worth it in the end. \u201cWhen I was working for a label, I would pay this hairstylist $5,000 a day,\u201d the source recalls. \u201cThe artist had like an inch of hair, and he was constantly telling him, \u2018Oh, my God, you are so handsome today. And you really look great. And I see that your face is super fresh.\u2019 All those things that the artist needs so desperately, constantly. When you tell that to an artist, if you\u2019re the manager or if you\u2019re the label, they think that you say it because you want him to hurry up and go onstage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile getting the look right is a glam team\u2019s primary job, those in the field are keenly aware of this additional expectation. \u201cI understand when they say, monetarily, we\u2019re a massive expense, because I know we are,\u201d says one glam professional. \u201cBut you really can\u2019t put a price on having us around when we make the day run smoother. I\u2019ve been on Nicki Minaj music videos. I\u2019ve been on Cardi\u00a0B music videos. I\u2019ve been on Mariah Carey music videos. I\u2019ve been on Katy Perry music videos. All of these f\u2013king music videos would not get made without their goddamn glam teams. These women would not feel confident enough or happy enough. And I have literally seen some of these big, big A-list talent walk off set because the vibe wasn\u2019t right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe source from the Latin world agrees. \u201cIt\u2019s important to find the right people. The glam people, their assignment really is to make the artist happy. I was going to say they are expensive \u2014 but now I realize that they are super cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tGlam Rock Stars<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tGet to know some of the top hair and makeup pros with major artist (and social media) followings.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\t\tJesus Guerrero<\/strong>\t<\/h3>\n

\n\tHairstylist
Instagram followers<\/a>:<\/strong> 598,000
Clients:<\/strong> Dua Lipa, Katy Perry, Rosal\u00eda<\/p>\n

\n\tPerry\u2019s bob-to-bangs transformation, Rosal\u00eda\u2019s 2023 Latin Grammys tresses and Kylie Jenner\u2019s \u201cwet look\u201d all have one thing in common: Guerrero\u2019s comb. The hair guru\u2019s versatility allows him to go from taming Christina Aguilera\u2019s platinum waves one day to weaving Kali Uchis\u2019 hair into a butterfly sculpture for her Red Moon in Venus<\/em> album cover the next.<\/p>\n

\n\t\tUrsula Stephen<\/strong>\t<\/h3>\n

\n\tHairstylist
Instagram followers<\/a>:<\/strong> 125,000
Clients:<\/strong> Zendaya, Ciara, Mary\u00a0J. Blige<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond heading her own salon, veteran stylist Stephen has crafted showstopping styles for everyone from Rihanna to Serena Williams, Ariana DeBose and Yara Shahidi. Many of her most memorable looks have been worn on the Met Gala carpet: Zendaya\u2019s auburn Joan of Arc crop in 2018? That was all Stephen, as was Rih\u2019s faux-hawk swoop in 2009.<\/p>\n

\n\t\tTokyo Stylez<\/strong>\t<\/h3>\n

\n\tHairstylist
Instagram followers<\/a>:<\/strong> 1.5\u00a0million
Clients:<\/strong> Cardi\u00a0B, Megan Thee Stallion, Victoria Mon\u00e9t<\/p>\n

\n\tTokyo Stylez is behind the wigs of more stars than one would believe \u2014 in fact, she\u2019s so good, it\u2019s often difficult to tell whether her clients are sporting one of her pieces or a dye job. She\u2019s responsible for some of the past few years\u2019 most iconic hair moments, from Cardi\u00a0B\u2019s bright yellow pixie cut on the Invasion of Privacy<\/em> cover to Megan Thee Stallion\u2019s pink \u2019do on Saturday Night Live<\/em> in January.<\/p>\n

\n\t\tRokael Lizama<\/strong>\t<\/h3>\n

\n\tMakeup artist
Instagram followers<\/a>:<\/strong> 306,000
Clients:<\/strong> Beyonc\u00e9, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen he\u2019s not working as Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s on-the-road Renaissance<\/em> tour makeup artist, Lizama creates nude-glam looks for Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger, Demi Lovato, Normani, the Kardashian sisters and more. After working on campaigns for other major beauty brands, he started his own self-titled makeup line with a specialty in fake lashes.<\/p>\n

\n\t\tPriscilla Ono<\/strong>\t<\/h3>\n

\n\tMakeup artist
Instagram followers<\/a>:<\/strong> 894,000
Clients:<\/strong> Rihanna, Latto, Kali Uchis<\/p>\n

\n\tRihanna wouldn\u2019t trust just anyone to paint her face \u2014 but Ono is no ordinary beauty expert. Not only is she the global makeup artist of the singer\u2019s billion-dollar Fenty Beauty brand, but she also brushed on Rih\u2019s Super Bowl halftime show and Academy Awards looks in 2023.<\/p>\n

\n\t\tPatrick Ta<\/strong>\t<\/h3>\n

\n\tMakeup artist
Instagram followers<\/a>:<\/strong> 3.6\u00a0million
Clients:<\/strong> Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello, Halsey<\/p>\n

\n\tTa opened his first salon when he was just 18. By showcasing his wearable glam looks on social media, he built a client base that now includes Gigi Hadid, Kim Kardashian, Anitta, Hailee Steinfeld and Ayra Starr \u2014 and in 2019, he launched an eponymous cosmetics line that was picked up by Sephora. \u2014HANNAH DAILEY<\/p>\n

\n\tThis story will appear in the March 2, 2024, issue of <\/em>Billboard.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No manager wants to say no to their artist. But this time, the situation demanded it. \u201cYou\u2019re blowing your f\u2013king money,\u201d the manager told her client. \u201cThis is money you\u2019re not going to have to promote your music.\u201d The expense under discussion wasn\u2019t a private jet, a non-fungible token or some new cryptocurrency, but glam […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73518\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}