Nailing festival style is always a challenge, but it’s one that singer-songwriter Ashnikko is more than up for—even when she’s performing, as she did at this year’s Governors Ball Music Festival. With the help of makeup artist Zaheer Rudranauth Sukhnandan, some serious transformation takes place, as swirls and rhinestones are capped off by Ashnikko’s signature electric-blue bob.
Of course, the makeup is just one part of an eye-catching onstage ensemble. There is also Ashnikko’s outfit, selected by her stylist DJ Mango, which Mango describes as “an organic cyber-flower-alien look” designed by Nicolas Rademacher. “I found him through the internet. I love finding independent designers, because it’s really nice to give them a platform for their work to be seen...you can feel the love that people put into their garments, and it’s just really special,” Mango adds.
Jewelry—including chokers, a lot of silver, and a lucky necklace from Ashnikko’s girlfriend—goes on next. “I don’t really actively think about expressing my queer identity in my music, I just talk about my experiences and am queer,” Ashnikko explains. “That’s just how it naturally happens, because a lot of my songwriting themes are about queer love and queer sex...I’m just being myself.”
As Ashnikko continues ready, she spills some secrets about her next album . Then, once the thigh-high boots are laced up and a quick “jump test” completed to make sure everything is sitting correctly, it’s go time—and needless to say, fashion fans in the audience at Governors Ball were in for a real treat.