Mariah Carey's Hairstylist Dior Sovoa Dishes On Styling The Divas

According to celebrity hairstylist Dior Sovoa, the key to styling a diva is knowing that the diva is always right. Coming from someone who’s worked on the tresses of legends like the late Cicely Tyson and Mariah Carey, it’s clear that Sovoa is an expert at his craft. The D.C. native, who grew up in a hair salon, left the world of public relations to pursue his passion for hairstyling—and he never looked back.

Following his heart, and the guidance of what he calls his “fairy godmother,” led him to style for syndicated talk shows like Good Morning America and The View. Now, Sovoa continues to set the bar higher, most recently styling the legendary Mariah Carey for award shows honoring her decades-long career—the BET Awards, where she received the Ultimate Icon Award, and the MTV Video Music Awards, where she accepted the Video Vanguard Award.

HelloBeautiful’s social media manager Char Masona chatted with Sovoa about his impressive career, styling legends, and more. Check it out below.

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HB: Can you start by telling us a little about yourself and your background? How did your passion for hairstyling come about?

DS: For me, my mother was a hairstylist, so it was embedded in me. I just knew that it had to be a part of my life, especially after my mother passed away and wanting to live out her same dream. I’ve always done hair. I always played in Barbies and things like that secretly when I shouldn’t have. But I had a passion for hair because [of] my mother and she loved it. [I’ve] even seen her have a stroke and come home, and the happiest thing that brought a smile on her face was doing finger waves on a lady that she had just met. So I just wanted to continue on with her passion and live out her legacy as well as mine and create something beautiful for both of us.

HB: So it sounds like you grew up around the salon experience?

DS: Yes, I definitely did. My mother was doing hair. They had their own salon—her and my Aunt Pinky. I’d be running around doing whatever I wanted to do. Then, as I got older, in high school, I started working as a shampoo person in the salon to make extra money on the side, just because I was a hustler. So hair has always been a part of my life, even when I tried to steer away from it.

HB: Did you go in a different direction before committing to being a stylist?

DS: I went to school for public relations. I worked for a PR agency that worked with the Redskins for about two and a half years. I started as an intern for the first half, then two years. I probably worked with them a year straight and then a year on and off. It was an experience for me, but it wasn’t something for me.

So I went back to trying to do hair, and it led me here to being with one of the biggest icons in the world. Thank God.

HB: Let’s name the icon.

DS: The icon is Miss Mimi Mariah Carey—the diva, the doll, the everything.

HB: Amazing. But how did we get there? How did you get into celebrity hairstyling? Who was your first big client?

DS: My first big client, I would have to say, would have to be Cicely Tyson.

HB: Oh, big names! How did you get there?

DS: So I quit PR, went back to hairstyling. Then I went to hair school, got my hair license. I was living in Washington, D.C., [and] had my whole salon. A person came in to do a movie. My old boss said he didn’t want to do the hair, so I did the hair, and ended up working on a movie. From there, [I’d] seen my checks and I was like, ‘Okay, I love being in the salon,’ but this is way different for me. This is something I actually like to do because I like being in control. 

One of the people that worked on set was friends with a model, who used to come from New York all the way to D.C. She was like, ‘You are too good to be here. Why don’t you move to New York and sleep on my couch for a year and see where it takes you?’ I was like, “You do know I have kids. She was like, go live your dream. Your kids are going to be there and they’re going to want to see you live this dream. So I did it.”

Working there, I started in reality TV, moved on to television, started working at The View and Good Morning America. That’s where I met the lovely Mariah Carey.

HB: Did you pitch to her or did you just meet her on set?

DS: No, thankfully my fairy godmother, Elena George, who is a phenomenal makeup artist, has always been in the business for decades. She’s been there to watch over me and give me guidance. Even when I can’t reach her, she’ll find a way to reach me eventually.

HB: What has been your experience as a Black man in the celebrity hairstyling space? How has that shaped your approach to your work?

DS: It’s definitely let me know we have to work 120% harder than our counterparts, but it pushes me to let them know I’m here for a reason. I’m going to go as hard as I need to let everybody know that we are talented, we are creative, we have our own voices, our own minds. We are here to slay. We create the dynamic, we are the dynamic. This industry is not for the weak. You have to know who you are, navigate with grace, and know that everything isn’t going to go your way. But if you’re giving it 120% like you’re supposed to, things will fall into place.

HB: How did you develop your signature style, and how do you approach new clients?

DS: So with every client, before I walk in the door, I take one minute to do a yoga session [for] myself, just breathe in, breathe out, think about all the positive things that I want to do and tell myself that I’m going to slay this person’s hair no matter the outcome. I always like to meditate before I step into somebody’s space, set up properly and just know that things may not always go how you want it, but if you’re giving it your all, like 120%, it’s going to go exactly the way it’s supposed to go. I always think with a positive mind that  I’m going to go slay this person’s hair.

My signature style is always going to be soft, elegant hair. At the same time I have to give it a little bit of edge. It’s Dior Sovoa, I have it give it that edge.

HB: Miss Mariah Carey looked amazing accepting the Ultimate Icon Award—how did you approach her hair for such a major stage

DS:  [Mariah Carey] can tell me how she wants her hair for the most part. I let her choose. We had a couple of different looks that we wanted to do for this and I just knew that I wanted to do something iconic. And the straight look was, for me, timeless.
Because to me, it made her look 17 again. So for me, that was amazing. And then the pullback from the Mimi era, like we had to give it that for the BET Awards. Like this was a Lifetime Achievement Award (Ultimate Icon Award). She definitely deserved this.We wanted to do something sleek, beautiful that shows off her face, let everybody know that the girl is still girling, the face is still facing, you know. We did what we had to do

HB: What is Mariah like in the chair?

DS: She is one of the most humble, sweet people that you ever… The word diva does not really, in that aspect, apply to her because she’s not one of those people that’s evil or mean. She’s the diva that just knows what she wants and how she wants it. So when sitting in the chair, we have a good time. She is actually one of the funniest comedians that you would think of. She doesn’t show that side as much, but as you can see, her one-liners get picked up so much. So she keeps me laughing, keeps me focused, and we have a good time. That’s why I think it always creates a good look because the atmosphere is always good energy in the room.

HB: And at the VMAs?

DS: This look will be different because I’m collaborating with her other longtime hairstylists. So we’re doing this together to make this definitely iconic because MTV has slipped up. She should have had some awards, so we got to let them know what they missed. So I’m definitely collaborating with somebody on this to give her the trust that she needs to let the people know that’s why she’s Mariah Carey.

HB: How do you feel about visibility and recognition for hairstylists on social media?

DS:I don’t really care for fame, but visibility, definitely. I think all hairstylists, makeup artists, anybody that’s working in this industry from wardrobe, we deserve [it] because we are the heroes behind the scenes. We’re the one that’s making these celebrities look the way that they look so that you are loving them and wanting to be like them. It starts with us, the beauty people. And I’m thankful that people are getting the recognition that they deserve. This also gives hope for the future of hairstyling, makeup artists, and wardrobe to go forward. So for every hair, makeup, wardrobe, nail person, just know if you’re not getting the recognition that you deserve, your time will come. You don’t need validation from others. Validate yourself because that’s where it’s going to start from.


HB: Has social media helped you gain the visibility you deserve?


DS: I will say yes and no, because I don’t utilize social media the way that I should, because I’m one of those people that like to stay humble. I don’t need to feel like the world needs to know me. The people who know me will know me. And if it’s up to the world to know me, it will come in time. I’m letting God take over and do whatever needs to be done and just playing my part, just knowing that I am giving it my all with all my clients and whatever comes along with that is amazing. But I definitely would say it has helped with brands recognizing me. So I’m thankful for that.

HB: With milestones like these awards, what does this season of your life represent personally?

DS: For me, this season of life is freedom. My kids are turning 18. They’re graduating high school. So it’s time for daddy to wild out a little bit and see the world a little bit more on my own time. So I’m thankful for that. This season is about me continuing to style all the divas and knowing my worth but it’s about freedom as well. Because as hair and makeup artists, nail people, wardrobe, we attend to everybody else’s life. And sometimes we don’t take the time out to enjoy the perks of our life. So I want to take some time out for myself to have a little bit of gratitude and thank God for all that he’s done for me.