Hayley Williams is living proof a natural hair journey doesn’t have to be boring.
Backstage of her sold-out Hollywood Bowl concert—to be more specific, her second sold out night at the iconic amphitheater—the 37-year-old rockstar sits knees up in her makeup chair as her longtime hairstylist and Good Dye Young co-founder Brian O’Connor applies four Rhode eye patches to her bare face. She’s mid-way through her solo world tour, The Hayley Williams Show, and is ready to strip everything back.
“I am ready for live shows to feel not that different than going to the studio and jamming with my friends; I want everything to feel lived in,” she tells Glamour from her dressing room on October 6. “My personality [with Paramore] has been big enough. I’ve been kind of now wanting to experience the other side of what do for a living, which is play music.”
For Williams, hair has always been a key form of expression. Born a medium blonde of the so-called “dirty” variety, she’s better known for the vibrant orange hair from Paramore’s Riot! era back in 2007. Nearly two decades, her own hair dye company, and many dramatic styles later, getting back to her literal roots put her in the right mindset for more intimate performances.
“I still get to be out there and under the lights and all that shit but there’s something about going back to natural and feeling like it’s lived-in that signals to my brain, this is real life,” she says. “Whether you’re up there or back here or at home.”
