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| Joseph Arthur |
The weather isn't the only thing heating up. Body paint is taking center stage in musical performances - both live and video - this summer. Singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur recently stopped by the Mehron headquarters on his way into New York City to pick up the custom liquid makeup formula we prepared for his appearance on David Letterman. He and his band painted their faces, necks, arms and hands to match the group's expressionistic outfits and set decor. As the video below shows, the body paint adds to the value of the performance.
Joseph Arthur is not the only, or the first, to incorporate body paint into his performance this season. A shirtless Adam Levine is dripping in body paint in Maroon 5's new Love Somebody video. Against a stark white background, he wipes parts of his painted body to reveal himself and then does the same to uncover a women. This "unrevealing" is a totally new, hot concept - we love it!
Taylor Swift is using body paint in a more theatrical way - as seen in her concerts and recent Grammy and Macy's Fireworks performances. Her dancers don painted faces as they elaborately perform We Are Never Getting Back Together. The whole look and feel of this live performance brings a new dimension to the song.
Although it is frequently popping up, the use of body paint for performances is not something new. Who could forget Pink's daredevil trapeze routine at the 2010 Grammy's where her dancers were covered in Mehron Metallic Powder in Gold with Mixing Liquid as they hung from the rafters. The performance and the visual were stunning.
Award shows are definitely THE place to combine music and visual artistry. Mehron key makeup artist Dani Fonseca made up Lady Gaga for the Emmy's using Paradise Makeup AQ and Celebre Precious Gem Powders. Kesha's dancers wore expressive masks as she performed Die Young at the American Music Awards. At the same show Pink and her dancing partner wore black and blue body paint for her mock violent performance of Try. Chris Brown and his dancers had muscles painted onto their torsos for the BET Awards. Body paint defintely adds another dimension for the live audience.
Body paint in videos is not exclusive to Maroon 5. Goyte turned his Somebody that I Used To Know video into an interesting body painting demonstration. Rhianna's silver body paint for her Umbrellas video is definitely memorable. And Lady Gaga's Born This Way video, which Dani also worked on, embraced the use of face and body paint in the song's story.
We can't wait to see whose musical performce will include body paint next!
