This article was written by Spencer Adkins. This article was originally published on Queer Kentucky, and is republished on So.Gay via the publishers’ strategic partnership.
Hear how this Kentuckian catapulted himself from a gay kid in Boone County to a big f*ckin’ deal across the globe
On June 15, Chappell Roan lit up the stage at Kentuckiana Pride, drawing record-breaking crowds for the festival. As if her performance wasn’t spectacular enough, she wore makeup and costume inspired by the drag pioneer Divine.
Just two weeks after the festival (lovingly dubbed “the Chappell Roan concert” by her fans), the queer Kentuckian behind the Midwestern Princess’s meticulously planned makeup looks, Andrew Dahling, shared how groundbreaking an experience it was to do the pop star’s makeup and contribute to the impact of her iconic looks.
“I didn’t know it was for Kentuckiana Pride. They just told me ‘We’re doing Divine.’ and I said yes.” Dahling recounted when he got the offer to come back to his home state and paint the face of one of pop music’s biggest names.
“Then they said it was Kentuckiana Pride. As somebody that understands what it’s like to be a queer in Kentucky and come from a conservative family with no other gay people, it was kind of an out of body experience.”
Dahling grew up in Northern Kentucky and graduated from Conner High School in Boone County.
“Now that I’m older, I realize how much of that was not meant for me. I am who I am today because of it, but there’s so much of who I was and who I had to be [in Kentucky] that I had to let go of and heal from.,” he explains. Dahling was always drawn to the glamor and performance of makeup, which was ultimately the catalyst for pursuing a career doing full-fantasy, club-kid-esque makeup.
“The first thing I did when I was left home alone was put makeup on.” He said, echoing the universal truth for every gay boy.
Out of high school, he worked makeup counters and beat the faces of prom girls and brides until he decided he had outgrown his hometown.
“I was like, it’s your time, babe. Get the ticket, get on that bus. It just had to happen.”
Now, almost a decade later, he has worked New York Fashion Week and painted the likes of Karlie Kloss, Adam Lambert, Chrissy Chlapeka, and now the omnipresent Chappell Roan. His biggest inspiration is the club kid era of New York City, which is palpable in his work. “That level of artistry and fashion makeup extremism allowed me to see past the limitations that I had.”
Andrew has done Roan’s makeup for the most recent moments that have catapulted her to stardom: the statue of liberty look at Gov Ball, her Divine-inspired costume at Kentuckiana Pride, the club kid look at Bonnaroo, and most recently, the Swan Lake inspired ensemble on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
“It’s so hard to choose a favorite, but I love the Gov Ball look. It was just so major.” He said. “I appreciate the Jimmy Fallon look for other reasons, because that was also really major.” He finally conceded, because a true mother would never pick one favorite. His gratitude for being an integral part to so many of the singer’s viral moments was incredibly evident; He was proud of the work he’d done.
Dahling told me his collaboration with Chappel Roan “was fated.” He met Chappell’s stylist, Genesis Webb, on set for a different project.
“She was like, ‘How’s your white face?’ I said, ‘Oh, I’m like a professional clown. It’s in the bag.’”
From there, he was contacted to do the full-body statue of liberty makeup for Chappell’s Gov Ball performance.
“Genesis is a huge creative powerhouse. She and Chappell decide the look. Everything I was involved in was probably planned out months prior.”
It clearly takes a village to pull off Chappell’s looks: the big hair, the costumes, the makeup.
“I’m there to execute and put the vision together. It’s very important as a makeup artist to put in your own taste, but who they are as an artist and what they want to portray.”
From an isolated gay boy in Boone County, to backstage at New York Fashion Week and Gov Ball, Andrew urges the small town gay boys to “Listen to that little voice inside of you that you think might be a little crazy, speaking to your soul and to that power that you feel inside of you – it’s right. You are the one. If you focus on that voice, and you’re true to your heart, it’ll all happen. Don’t get too spooked about it, and just keep going, because you’re going to make it.”
Andrew Dahling is an impressive creative, drawing from the campy, club kid sensibilities and always pushing the envelope to create stunning, full-fantasy makeup looks. When asked what we can expect next, Andrew kept it vague. “Well, there’s a couple things that I’m not allowed to talk about.” Whatever those new adventures might be, you can follow along with Andrew’s growing career on Instagram @1800andrewdahling.
Read more from Queer Kentucky at QueerKentucky.com
