Behind-the-scenes of Kali Uchis and Rico Nasty’s ‘Aquí Yo Mando’ hair looks

This week, Kali Uchis and Rico Nasty dropped the video for their new single “Aquí Yo Mando.” Directed by Philippa Price, the video sees Uchis and Nasty cast as a pair of crime-fighting assassins taking on corrupt FBI agents while sporting the most incredible out-of-this-world hair. Think Bonnie and Clyde if they were cyborgs who grew up in Whoville.

From Nasty’s Cindy Lou Who-esque Christmas ornament hair to Uchis’s technicolour wigs, each look is over the top, fun, and futuristic. A little bit punk, a little bit sleek. The looks come courtesy of hairstylists Iggy Rosales and Preston Wada who worked with Uchis and Nasty, respectively, and Price on the elaborate creations.

“Rico was the perfect muse because she was so open to our ideas,” says Wada who created the two hyper-sculptural looks for Nasty. “We all mutually agreed the more over the top the better. Our inside joke is we want to see Rico’s fans walking around with that hair during Halloween and at her concerts.”

For the looks Wada describes as a “warped interpretation of future cyborg meets early 2000s Trinity from The Matrix,” he pulled from references ranging from 70s British punk to John Galliano’s AW10 runway hair. Galliano also served as inspiration for Rosales in his creations for Uchis which included an architectural aquamarine wig that looks like it could be designed by Frank Gehry and a slicked-back, scalp-tight pony that spikes out in all directions.   

“The aesthetic we wanted to create was very 90s fashion mixed with 00s Galliano Dior, but with a modern sleek edge,” says Rosales. “Kali always has such a strong sense of style and vision that she brings to the table so anytime I work with her I build my ideas off her persona.” 

 The two hairstylists worked together to make sure the looks on Uchis and Nast would live next to each other harmoniously as well as complement each individual artist. “When I think of Kali, I think of a strong, sexual, Latina woman who isn't afraid to take risks with her style. The music lends itself to a certain era so it all just goes in a blender and out comes the look,” Rosales explains. “I want her to look powerful and to give her something that feels as unique as possible.”

Rosales used wigs from Uchis’s archive – “I love when you can give new life to old hair,” she says – as well as creating new pieces, he says. The maroon and black, dead-straight striped wig belonged to Uchis already but was transformed into an ultra sleek, blunt-cut style. Meanwhile, the electric blue sculptural wig pulled influence from 90s Versace looks with the sculptural back designed to create a crown effect. 

The 90s also provided the inspiration for the spiked, super flat-ironed pony, a look which required a lot of hairspray. “We sleeked Kali’s hair back and then added the spikey hair pieces to the top,” says Rosales. “It was super hard to keep them spikey as there was a heat wave on the day which hairspray doesn’t appreciate!”

See the gallery above for behind-the-scenes polaroids taken by Rosales on set.