Saweetie is GLAMOUR's May cover star: ‘Hair to me is like putting art on my head’

Wigs, Birkins and Icy Grl world-domination. 
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GLAMOUR’s second ever Hair Issue is here – and who better to grace our cover than Saweetie, with her love for everything from braids, blonde buzz cuts and a bucket full of wigs? The Grammy-nominated rapper (and our Best Friend) speaks to Olive Pometsey.

Photography: Thom Kerr, Makeup: Evelyn McCullough, Makeup assistant: Marilyn Ramirez, Hair: Kendall Dorsey, Hair Assistant: Kherrington Gross, Nails: Temeka Jackson, Styling: Katie Qian, Stylist assistants: Jas Melgar, Kiona Vickroy

Saweetie arrives for our interview over Zoom with a technicolour bang, clutching an iced coffee and wearing bubblegum pink latex gloves, her look sits somewhere between courtroom Elle Woods and a Coachella-ready Bratz doll. A sharp, tailored pink cape says she’s ready for business, while a bedazzled blue butterfly halter top sits underneath, poised for any last-minute afterparties. And then there’s the wigoh, the wig. Cascading down the 28-year-old rapper’s back in streaks of yellow, pink and everything in between, not a hair is out of place as she sits down in front of the camera to be interviewed. It’s an appropriately show-stopping look for the cover star of GLAMOUR’s second annual Hair Issue. “Hair is important to me because it’s a form of expression,” she says, matter-of-factly. Amen.

You’d expect nothing less from the woman whose debut platinum-certified 2018 single Icy Grl introduced her to the world as an unapologetically ambitious, fabulously put-together force to be reckoned with. And with a real name like Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper, sparkling is practically Saweetie’s birthright. But still, watching the iced-out star in action is something to behold.

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Glam this good takes dedication and patience. When I first meet Saweetie over Zoom, at the end of a long day of shooting the GLAMOUR cover, her head-to-toe drip is already perfected. But those on site at the shoot in downtown Los Angeles got to witness a meticulous, six-hour beauty transformation. Yes, six hours. I’m later told that, after turning up in a casual grey hoodie, sunglasses and a request: ‘Madonna must be played on the shoot’ – Saweetie made herself comfortable for what was almost a full working day just in the hair and makeup chair. And what a transformation. Not a single detail was overlooked. Her nails, for instance, are painstakingly detailed mini works of art in themselves – look closely and you’ll even spot a spinning pink love heart on one.

Despite the lengthy glam process, Saweetie’s mood never falters. The rapper is, as her name would suggest, incredibly sweet, softly greeting and complimenting everyone in the room – even those who are there virtually, like myself. “Are you in London?” she asks, squinting at the laptop that’s beaming me via Zoom into the LA studio. Saweetie just scored her first correct guess of our conversation and now she’s asking for more specifics. “East London? Isn’t that where Top Boy is filmed?” Ding ding! Correct again. She flicks her acid rainbow hair behind her shoulders as I tell her that, yes, the Netflix show is indeed set and filmed nearby. A proud smile curls up one side of her face as she raises a single eyebrow and nods knowingly, an expression that silently says, “I know that’s right!”

It’s a busy week for the hit-making rapper. Five days before we meet, she attended the Oscars and, on the Sunday after our shoot, she’ll hit the red carpet at the Grammys – changing from a custom fuchsia Valentino two-piece into a stunning Oscar de la Renta number – where she’s nominated for two awards: Best New Artist and Best Rap Song for her Doja Cat collab Best Friend, a girl’s girl anthem that went double platinum in the US last summer. When the night finally arrives, Saweetie doesn’t take home the awards, but being nominated is enough – for now, at least. “The Grammys is one of the biggest award shows in the world, so the fact that I’m nominated twice without an album out, I think it just speaks volumes to where my career is headed,” she says, reflecting on the achievement days before the results are announced. “I’m really grateful and thankful to my fans, family and the Grammys for that recognition.”

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The Grammys nod is just the latest in a long list of achievements that Saweetie’s ticked off her take-over-the-world to-do list since bursting onto the scene in 2017. First came her debut viral hit wonder, Icy Grl, which was soon followed by her debut EP, 2018’s High Maintenance. The next year, she pushed her sound to new heights with the boisterous, club-ready track My Type. More bangers dropped thick and fast including the Grammy-nominated Doja Cat collaboration Best Friend and the Insecure-soundtrack Get It Girl. Most recently, the rapper gave us the latest taste of what to expect from her hotly-anticipated debut album, Pretty Bitch Music, a link-up with H.E.R. for her latest hit, the sultry disco floor-filler Closer. “For Closer, I really just wanted something fun, something that was carefree,” says Saweetie of her latest megawatt collaboration. “The world has been locked up for a long time, so as soon as we [got] outside, [people are] having a good time, partying with their homegirls, their boyfriend or girlfriend, whoever they may be with. And I feel like that’s the spirit of that song.”

The music video for Closer takes that energy and runs with it as Saweetie and H.E.R. helm a diamanté-encrusted cockpit on an ‘Icy Airlines’ jet, taking a flight full of “besties” around the world while she scoops a man in each country. And naturally, each pitstop calls for a new look, with Saweetie sporting a grand total of four wigs – a flicked-out blonde bob, a bum-sweeping silky brunette do, a rich plum unit with a fringe, and a platinum pony – throughout the three and half minute video. Wig wardrobe versatility like that deserves celebrating. Is there any wonder why we chose Saweetie to cover our Hair Issue?

“I honestly have a whole bucket of wigs. I don’t throw away my wigs, so I just have a big old pile at my house in a bucket,” she laughs. “I need to go through it…” The only thing that rivals Saweetie’s collection of wigs is her collection of Hermes Birkin handbags, which hardcore Icy Gang members will know are among her prized possessions – they even have their own Instagram account, @birkinbagbratz. “I don’t know what I have more of. Maybe it’s the same,” wonders Saweetie, attempting to tally up the numbers in her head. And just like her ever-growing stock of the iconic Hermès bags, the rapper’s wigs come in every colour: slime green, icy blue, cherry red, you name it. “It makes me feel like I’m playing a role or something,” she says. “With every wig I definitely feel like a different girl.”

And not only do her various wigs and hair looks bring out Saweetie’s alter egos; they make others treat her differently, too. “I feel like different hairstyles attract different groups of people, different types of energies,” she says. “I definitely see a difference when I’m wearing long, long straight hair to when I wear curly hair. Braids are definitely a different energy… I don’t know, maybe it’s the energy I give off.”

Saweetie has had a fearless approach to hair since childhood, when she and her friends would style each other’s locks. “I could do hair, they could do hair. We would take turns doing each other’s hair before we would go to the playground,” she says, looking back fondly. For a young Diamonté, it was the endless possibilities for experimentation through hair that got her creative juices flowing. “Baby hairs, the bows, the knockers – anything that would make my hair vibrant, I loved it.”

Saweetie wears top, Area, gloves, Vex Latex, shoes, Jimmy Choo, necklace, Shine Like Me, bracelets, Erickson Beamon & Stephen Dweck, earrings, Erickson Beamon, rings, Kyle Chan

It’s a maximalist ethos Saweetie still carries with her today. “I’m from the Bay, so ever since we’re kids, your hair, your clothes, our slang, how we talk, the music – everything is a form of expression,” she explains. “Hair, to me, is like putting art on your head.”

Born in San Francisco’s Bay Area and raised in Sacramento, California, with younger twin sisters, Maya and Milan, 11 years her junior, entertaining and looking good is in Saweetie’s blood. You might recognise her mother, Trinidad Valentin, as one of the video vixens who danced alongside Nelly, LL Cool J and DMX in the nineties and noughties. Meanwhile, her father, Johnny Harper, used to play American football for San José State, following in the footsteps of Saweetie’s grandfather, who played for the San Francisco 49ers. Saweetie was born when Trinidad was just 17, so her grandmother, Miss Black Nebraska winner Roxanne Glass, was instrumental in her upbringing. Saweetie’s close to her entire family, but anyone who follows her will know that she has a particularly special relationship with her mother, Trinidad, who frequently makes an appearance on her Insta and even presented her with the 2022 Game Changer Award at the Billboard Women in Music ceremony earlier this year. How’s that for a mother-daughter bonding moment?

But despite her family’s reputation and connections (did we mention that Gabrielle Union’s also family?) Saweetie insisted on making it on her own in the music industry – and not before completing a degree in communications from the University of Southern California. Instead of getting a leg up, she started posting freestyles from the front seat of her car on Instagram. “I couldn’t afford studio time, so that was my way of putting my music out into the world,” she explains. Saweetie began posting her ‘Car Raps’, as they’re fondly known, in 2012. Six years later, she landed a deal with Warner Records.

Saweetie’s racial heritage is as diverse as her cultural legacy: her father is African American, while her mother is Filipina and Chinese. She smiles remembering the family karaoke nights (“Growing up in a Filipino family, karaoke night is a big night”), when she’d belt out Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time. But while Saweetie’s always been proud of her tri-racial roots, the same can’t be said for the ones found on top of her head.

“I hated my hair,” she admits of her attitude to her hair while growing up. “It’s naturally really kinky and curly. It’s beautiful, but I was a tomboy and was like, ‘I don’t got no time for this.’”

Like so many other young girls, what she really wanted was to mirror the beauty ideals fed to her by society. That meant long, thick, straight locks, just like her hair heroes: Saweetie’s mother (obviously) and Cher, who at the start of 2022 starred in a MAC campaign alongside the rapper. But her mother only let her use straighteners every now and then, on special occasions, such as school picture days. “I loved me a long, straight, silky West Coast press. That was my favourite,” she says, as she mimes stroking the hair she longed for as a kid. But whether she knew it or not, that longing was borne out of discriminatory beauty ideals. “I remember when I would compliment another girl with straight hair, she wouldn’t compliment me back. At a young age, I just felt like my hair was very high maintenance and not easy to do. I always wished I had straight hair.

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“I actually got in trouble with my mom because I convinced my grandma to cut my hair off in the kitchen,” she continues. “I was just so tired of having to comb my hair out. Every time I washed it it would take just forever and my arms would hurt. So I had her cut all my hair off to, like, right here,” Saweetie gestures to the space just in between her collarbone and breasts.

In the end, it was actually Saweetie’s tomboy tendencies that taught her how to love her natural texture. Her American football star father had always encouraged her participation in sports. And like pretty much everything Saweetie does, she excelled on the pitch and was named athlete of the year during high school for her participation in football, volleyball and track and field. At one point, she even considered following in her father’s footsteps, when a varsity coach scouted her to play football for the women’s league.

“I was a year-long athlete, but I noticed that my hair was just so curly and wild that I didn’t need to do it at all. It was just pretty the way it was,” she explains. “I think just me playing a lot of sports and not having the time to do my hair, and seeing how loud it was, that’s when I really started to appreciate my hair.

“In hindsight, I’m vibing it now. I can’t wait to get my curls back nice and luscious,” adds Saweetie excitedly. On Christmas Eve 2021, the rapper known for her long, vibrant wigs debuted a completely new look on Instagram: a bleach-blonde buzzcut. This was stage one of operation luscious curls, known as ‘the big chop’ within the Black community. Cutting off all the damage – be it from chemical treatments, heat styling or an unsuitable hair care routine – allows you to start over from scratch, letting your natural hair texture grow exactly as it’s supposed to.

But for Saweetie, the big chop took on an even deeper meaning, beyond learning to love her natural texture. “I actually shaved it off because [during the] fourth quarter of last year, I learned about meditation,” she explains. “The deeper of an understanding I got of spirituality, self, alignment and purpose, I just wanted to start over with everything. And hair holds energy! I was like, ‘Damn, this hair been with me since, I don’t know, and I’m ready for a fresh start.’”

And so far, the ‘Icy Grl’ is loving the no-hair (unless it lives in a bucket) lifestyle. “Honestly, with my bald head, I feel so free,” she says, with the air of a woman who’s just had a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. “I love just massaging my head at the end of the day. I feel like I can finally touch all of me up here. It’s like a different type of pleasure.

Saweetie wears dress, Valentino, coat, Giambattista Valli, bracelets, Wasee Jewels, rings, Lillian Shalom & Ellie Vail, earrings, Weisheng Paris

“I think getting in touch with your natural style is important, because it’s a part of self-love, self-care,” she continues. If you can’t appreciate one part of [you], then you can’t appreciate yourself as a whole. I know this because I’ve struggled with different areas of loving myself.”

In 2019, California introduced the Crown Act, which prohibits discrimination against people based on hairstyle and hair texture. Bearing in mind her relationship with her own hair, what are her thoughts on the historical Act that has now been rolled out across 14 other states (and counting) in the USA?

How does Saweetie think this will affect people living in the state? “It’ll impact them for the better,” she says, nodding with certainty. “I know that a lot of women like us feel like they have to conform in the workplace. I don’t think that’s fair. Because whether your hair is straight, twisty or braided up, the work is going to get done regardless. Hair texture shouldn’t equate to whether or not someone should be accepted in the workplace.”

But Saweetie knows there’s much more that needs to be done to support her community. The past two years have seen Black Lives Matter protests erupt around the world, while anti-Asian hate crimes have increased at an alarming rate in the US and UK over the pandemic. And with parents of both heritages, she’s naturally seen the real-world impact of racism firsthand.

“It’s something that I’ve witnessed since I was a kid. I watched my dad get pulled over for no reason, get out of the car and him having to appear less of a man. He’s Superman to me, but when the cops come and pull him over, he has to confine to a certain type of submissiveness,” says a suddenly solemn Saweetie. “It’s always angered me, experiencing that, watching the videos. But I’m actually thankful that we have phones now, because now the world is witnessing what Black and brown and Asian communities go through behind the scenes.”

Last year, Saweetie launched the Icy Baby Foundation with her grandmother, Roxanne Glass, as her own way of giving back to young people from minority backgrounds. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, she decided to launch the initiative because she “was tired of giving away a lot of money to other foundations, not knowing what they did with the money” and “I trust my grandmother.” But the philanthropy isn’t necessarily a new venture for the family duo, it’s just a levelling up of the work they’ve been doing since Saweetie was young. “As a kid, I watched my grandma give back, I watched her go to high schools, I watched her go to other churches, I watched her go to other people’s homes, praying for them, giving to them,” she explains. “Uplifting those who look like me has been important all of my life, since I was a little girl. Because I would be right there next to my grandma helping other people.”

The first thing on the foundation’s agenda is teaching financial literacy to underserved youth. “The reason why I’m so sensitive to that is because I need help my damn self,” she laughs. “Just putting money in the savings account is not enough – especially not enough to create generational wealth for you, your family or your kids. It’s important that we educate these young kids so that it’s something that’s instilled into their minds, so it’s not something that they’re trying to figure out as an adult.”

Despite her self-deprecation, Saweetie is something of a business mogul herself, using her signature playful brand to build an Icy Empire that extends beyond the world of music. She’s collabed with beauty brands Morphe, Sinful Colors and Kiss Colors (launching an eyeshadow palette, a nail polish line and a limited-edition edge control, respectively), partnered with Pretty Little Thing on a capsule clothing line, and even worked with McDonald’s to launch an exclusive ‘Saweetie Meal’ – a banquet of a Big Mac, chicken nuggets, medium fries, sweet and sour sauce, barbecue sauce and a Sprite – to give fans a taste of her go-to order. What advice does she have for other women on the hustle? “I think a really important piece of advice that a lot of us overlook is just knowing yourself,” she says. “The more you know about yourself, the more you can create boundaries, expectations, and you’ll get further with your career.”

Saweetie wears full look, Moschino

If you want more lessons from the school of Saweetie, you can head to her YouTube channel to enrol at ‘Icy University’, the rapper’s series of how-to videos that tackle everything from starting your own business to navigating social media. As with everything Saweetie puts out into the world, from her Get It Girl lyricism to her openness on social media, the goal of the series is to uplift and inspire other women to become their best selves.

“I didn’t have a big sister, so I had to figure out a lot of things on my own. And when a little girl has no guidance, there’s a lot of mistakes that wouldn’t have been made if she would have had a mentor, a big sister,” explains Saweetie of the principles that drive her. “So the reason why I’m so giving and so loving, and try to give as much game as possible to other women is because I didn’t have that. The point of me sharing is to make sure that all those little girls who don’t have a mom, a big sister, a best friend, at least they’re learning from the mistakes I’ve made or the wisdom I gain.”

It’s also not lost on Saweetie that she’s a woman working in the historically male-dominated genre of rap. Building on the work of pioneering artists – such as Salt ’N’ Pepa, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliot, to name a small few – significant progress has been made over the past few years, as women like Saweetie and her collaborator Doja Cat top the charts. But that doesn’t mean sexism isn’t still alive and kicking in the industry. It’s nothing Saweetie can’t handle, though. Her tomboy upbringing taught her how to beat the boys at their own game.

“I played basketball and football better than the boys. When I would come onto the field or the court, they’d be like, ‘Oh, she can’t play, ’cause she’s a girl,’” she says, as a defiant look twinkles in her eyes. “Watch me!”

“That’s why it’s so easy for me to deal with sexism as an adult,” she continues. “I’ve always proved people wrong. I’ve always proved men wrong. I think that women deal with it, not only in the [music] industry, but in everyday life, you know, not feeling equal or not being respected. So I wouldn’t even put my focus on experiencing it in the industry. I’ve experienced sexism all my life, but I think in times like that, it just fuels my ambition to just prove those who may not see me as an equal wrong.

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“‘Feminism’ is a touchy word, but I think that it’s slowly evolved to [represent] a common goal of women being accepted, empowered and equal to everyone on the planet. I’m a proud woman and I love me some pretty bitches.”

And you don’t need a kaleidoscopic 20-inch wig or lip gloss – the rapper’s beauty kryptonite – to become a ‘pretty bitch’, the Saweetie-coined saying that has become as much a part of her brand as the word ‘Icy’. A term she invented to help her come to terms with and take ownership of her own pretty privilege – the notion that attractive people have an upper hand in life – those beauty cabinet stalwarts help, sure, but the pretty bitch mentality isn’t only skin deep. It’s about finding confidence, staying true to yourself and radiating from within. “Pretty to me means something completely different than what society may deem it,” she told us earlier this year. “When I say pretty, I’m talking about your aura; I’m talking about your hygiene; I’m talking about your manners; I’m talking about how you respect yourself.”

So, when Saweetie needs a pretty bitch recharge, she doesn’t head to the salon. She goes home. “Being with my family is a different feeling. I feel just like Superwoman, like I could take over anything,” she says, smiling from ear to ear. “That’s when I feel the most empowered.”

For all the chart-topping hits and Grammy nods, Saweetie’s values have evidently stayed firm throughout her journey, from her more-is-more hairstyles to her girl’s girl attitude. She’s still Diamonté from the playground, only now she’s accessorising with Birkins instead of hair bows. Is she at all surprised by how far she’s come? Well, not really. “I always saw myself getting here, I just didn’t know how,” she says with a shrug. “And the answer to that was just consistency and hard work.”

SAWEETIE’S BEAUTY MEMO

Your beauty cabinet is on fire, what three products would you save?

Probably just my tweezers and my pimple popping kit. I have a kit where I can do my own facials. I love cleaning my face. Especially after a long day.

What is the most radical thing that you've ever done in the name of beauty?

The obvious is cutting off my hair. But when I was a kid I used to dye my hair with Kool-Aid. But that was so dumb now, that process, you've got to get steaming hot water, pour it in my coffee cup, or like a bowl, you pour the Kool-Aid in it and then you dip your hair in it, and it dyes your hair.

What is your biggest beauty vice?

I think my biggest beauty vice is definitely lip gloss. I can't live without lip gloss. Lip gloss is like gum to me, it's just a necessity.My favorite lip gloss right now is the MAC lip gloss. It's nice and thick. It just makes your lips look so juicy.

What is the best life changing beauty hack that you've learned?

Oh, actually, I just discovered it. So, before I get my makeup done I love to, I wouldn't say wipe, [but] I get like ice cubes and I brush it against my skin, like give my face a massage, and it just sucks everything together. So, I definitely love the ice cube trick.