If you follow Good Dye Young on social media you knew that co-founder, Hayley Williams’ new 17-track solo project didn’t come out of nowhere. Earlier this week, the brand dropped a brand new, limited-edition shade called “Ego.” The marigold yellow was revealed to be identical to Williams’ own color and users were told to scoop up one of 2,000 signed cartons before they were gone — forever.
The shade sold out in a few hours.
Just as fast, users took to social and forums alerting each other to a “special gift from Hayley” they’d received via email along with their purchase. Turns out they hadn’t just got first dibs on her hair color, they’d also got a chance to preview her new music.
Good Dye Young’s other co-founder, Hayley’s longtime collaborator, makeup artist and hairstylist, Brian O’Connor, tells The Tease tying the two together was part of a bigger plan. “I have known since the start of the year that Hayley was working on something new. I knew she was writing, but had no idea it would turn into a full album. And I also knew we were due for a new direction for her hair, I already had some ideas.”
Read on for our exclusive interview.
How soon did you start thinking about blending the music and Good Dye Young?
O’Connor: We knew we were doing this shade before we knew there would be this much new music. I think once she realized how much was behind this body of work, that’s when we talked about incorporating this color for summer. We were working on her summer look, and then that became the look for this launch.
It truly happened organically from the beginning, kind of unbeknownst to us, we were already tying these aspects of the art together and they were growing side-by-side.
Tell us about “Ego” the shade, why this color?
O’Connor: Once I knew Hayley was working on a song called ‘Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party,’ I immediately wondered ‘what color is an ego?’ I am big on the symbolism behind color, and asking ‘what color is sadness,’ or ‘what color is joy?’ I learned that yellow is strongly tied to the self and our egos, and knew that was the direction to explore.
What does it represent? How does it connect to the new music?
O’Connor: Like everything Good Dye Young, it represents who you are, how people perceive you and how you represent yourself. So much of what GDY stands for is already about identity, so it all came together and started making sense alongside the music.
Since this yellow Ego shade is tied to psychology and represents the identity and the lyrics, I would say it’s all in there. That would be my suggestion, listen to the music and boom, you’ll make the same connection I did when I first heard it.
If people don’t already know, “Ego” is actually limited-edition, as in, not ever coming back — talk to us about that decision.
O’Connor: That decision stems from a new creative concept for Good Dye Young, you either catch it live, and are a part of the moment, or it passes right by.
This was for the fans, the folks that were paying attention and wanted to be a part of GDY doing something special. Some people missed out, but for those that got to experience it, the excitement, the community, it makes everything much more special.
Does this mean we can expect more surprise, one-off shades in the future?
O’Connor: Absolutely, the success of Ego is exactly what we were hoping for, and Good Dye Young will be looking to create more of these limited moments. We’re very excited to partner with other musicians, other artists on other creator colors, where we work very closely with them to create a shade that’s a perfect fit for them, and really make into this exciting and authentic moment for our shared community.
For more on Good Dye Young, be sure to visit their website. And to keep up to date with O’Connor, make sure you’re following him on Instagram.
