By now you’ve likely seen Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, in full or in part, thanks to social media, where it has been unavoidable since Sunday night. And for good reason! The performance was a beautiful and joyous celebration of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio’s career to date, spanning his exclusively Spanish-language discography, spotlighting the contours of his artistry as well as Puerto Rican identity and latinidad itself in all its complexity.
“The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate is Love” was the message displayed at the very end of the show, framed to a stunning effect by perfectly-timed fireworks, but this mantra permeated every aspect of the performance, including the prep. After all, hundreds participated, and most went through the hair department headed by celebrity hairstylist Brian Steven Banks and keyed by celebrity hairstylist Mariah Montes.
The Tease spoke with both about the halftime show’s hair design, how the department operated and more. Read on for our conversation.
The Tease: Tell us about how you approached the hair design for the halftime show. Did you know from the start just how many dancers and performers there would be?
Brian Steven Banks: I was hired as the Hair Department Head Supervisor for the Super Bowl Halftime Show after years of being trusted by Hollywood producers to lead large-scale productions including the Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, BET Awards, and major television projects like “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” where I met my phenomenal key, Mariah Montes.
Going into the halftime show, I knew we’d be managing close to 300 performers. I gladly accepted the role, and together Mariah and I led the team and built a behind the scenes hair operation that ran like a well-oiled machine. Because most of the dancers had natural texture, we built the looks around their real hairstyles and curl patterns. We carried that through the whole group by recreating those textures on dancers who didn’t naturally have curls. That meant a lot of [curling] with ghd curling wands, and in a few cases, using wigs that we custom-curled to match the overall aesthetic of the team. It kept everything cohesive while still feeling natural.
Were there key looks that were established and replicated? It seemed to be fairly custom! How much time did you have for each person?
Brian Steven Banks: A lot of the dancers came with him from his tour. So they already knew the routine and how they wanted to look. We just wanted to make them comfortable in their own hairstyles.
There were structured hairstyles that we did on the Mariachi Divas that was planned ahead of time.
And to achieve all of these looks, we only needed 15 minutes per person. With a four-hour window before the show and nearly 300 performers, timing was everything and we got through everyone with time to spare.
Talk to us about the wedding — a lot of people don’t know that it was real! How far in advance had you discussed the final look? Were there any hair tests?
Mariah Montes: Yes a real wedding! I couldn’t believe it myself — they are so lucky. Originally, we planned to wear her hair all down. But after rehearsal, I suggested pulling some of it out of her face so her family and friends could really see her during the ceremony.
She has so much beautiful volume, and we didn’t want the hair to take away from her presence. A half-up style felt like the best balance. It was a collaborative choice between the bride and I.
What were the most used tools backstage?
Mariah Montes: For Tools everything was done with ghd hot tools, from flat irons to a full range of curling irons, spanning from 0.5” to 1.5”, we worked across all textures and curl patterns.
For barbering, our hair team used GA.MA professional tools, including clippers, trimmers, and foilers, which gave our barbers control and clean finishes.
What was it like seeing the performance live?
Brian Steven Banks: It’s true what they say about the roar of the crowd. It is incredible! When I walked out on the game field on show day. It was so intense, I could feel the energy flowing through my whole entire body. We had been rehearsing for days and watching the rehearsals over and over and it was great. But on show day, the feeling was magnified a hundred times… To tears… It was very emotional to see the fruits of our labor on the world stage in such an iconic historical moment… Unbelievable!
What has the response to your work been like?
Mariah Montes: It’s been overwhelming in the best way. The response has been so nice. People reaching out saying they feel seen by the work. A lot of the love has come from people with natural texture and curls who finally feel represented instead of pressured to change themselves.
