Lady Gaga’s Make-up Artist Reflects On Ten Years of ‘ARTPOP’
Tara Savelo shares some of her favorite memories from this unforgettable era.
You know the cheesy old adage, “Wherever you go, there you are”? The same sentiment can be applied to Lady Gaga’s seminal third studio album, ARTPOP, which was released exactly ten years ago on this day. If you’ve logged onto Twitter (we do not call it X in this house) any time since 2013, I’ll bet you my left gazing ball that #ARTPOP was trending. Google “ARTPOP” right now and scroll past the expected results—where you can stream and purchase the album—and you’ll find various articles and think-pieces, all published as recently as last year (if you’re not counting the current ones covering the tenth anniversary), extolling its significant influence on pop culture and praising it for being ahead of its time.
Now a decade since its release, the conceptually ambitious and experimental opus from Mother Monster still maintains a stronghold over contemporary music. Today’s musical landscape exudes the same almost-manic energy ARTPOP does: You can hear its faint echoes in tracks like “XS” and “Comme des Garçons” from Rina Sawayama’s eponymously titled debut album, its frenetic timbre in much of Kim Petras and Charli XCX’s discography, and its learn-the-rules-and-then-break-them spirit imbued in many of the sonic choices made by artists and producers alike today.
Its two-pronged impact also threads through the world of fashion and beauty. From makeup artists, both emerging and seasoned, replicating the looks from this era on TikTok and YouTube, to the runways in Milan, and every editorial vision and red-carpet moment in between, the hair, make-up, and wardrobe of ARTPOP lives on in the form of both macro and micro stylistic choices that grab headlines today.
Lucky for me (and you, dear reader), the boundary-pushing and supremely innovative makeup artist behind most of the era’s memorable red carpet, screen and stage, and street looks also happens to be my best friend and creative partner-in-crime. So, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of this iconic album and era, I called up Tara Savelo, who is currently based in St. Louis, on FaceTime to take a stroll down this prismatic, gloriously technicolor lane.
Greg Mania: I want to start by wishing my dear and wildly talented best friend happy ten years of ARTPOP! I feel like this album has been in a perpetual renaissance ever since its release—I mean, it trends on Twitter literally every other day. Even beyond the internet, its impact is unequivocal on art, fashion, music, and pop culture as a whole, especially as younger, newer fans discover it for the first time. How does it feel to see this era—which you were instrumental in ushering into the world—remain so influential all these years later?
Tara Savelo: It’s been a unique experience with this body of art we created. It seems as if once it was released into the world it took on a life of its own. Some albums are released and they exist in a singular time and space. ARTPOP feels like it means something unique to every person. New people discover it and fall in love with it every day. I’m so proud to have been a part of its birth, but a decade later it is fully grown—and continues to grow.
Greg Mania: When asked what this album was about during an interview, Gaga once said it was about possibilities. On a sonic level, that sentiment delivered—there were risks taken, unconventional choices made. The same can be said about the looks of this era, especially the make-up. How did the risks you took pay off?
Tara Savelo: The make-up looks I created for ARTPOP were such a departure from anything we had done before. Each song/single had its own character, if you will. We created characters using hair, make-up, and wardrobe to transform Gaga in new ways. From the recording process to the promotional cycle, each song had its own personality and the character that embodied it.
For “Applause,” the incredible artist Yadim created this beautiful look for the music video that we then associated with the song. I took his creation as a base to springboard off of to create the looks for the “Applause” promo and appearances. These looks were very painterly and playful, unlike anything I had done before. Remember how Mary Jane Holland became sort of an alter ego during the Born This Way Ball tour? We were listening to the song a lot at that time so we brought her to life for Gaga’s Halloween costume one year. Similar to that, “Venus” seemed to invoke a more avant garde character: I was using a lot of white face and body make-up, mixing different applications and finishes. We were able to really lean into these characters in a way that was really exciting, and the fans seemed to recognize them even when they changed and transformed. We were collaborating with incredible artists such as Jeff Koons, Robert Wilson, and Marina Abromovivh—and these collaborations influenced the looks we created as well.
Instead of creating looks just for photos and interviews, we created looks that could also serve as entire performance pieces, even if [Gaga] was just walking from the hotel to the car. Some of these looks were considered shocking at the time, but have since been embraced as fan-favorites, which is so special.
Greg Mania: How did this era challenge you as a make-up artist?
Tara Savelo: I changed the products I used, the application, everything. For looks that would be considered traditionally “beautiful,” my approach was completely different than it had been in the past. I was working on a very experimental level, mixing many products together to create new textures and experimenting with alternative ideas of beauty. I began painting portraits at the same time, which I think helped open up my creativity to new possibilities.
My hotel room became my lab where I would concoct new products to create effects that only existed in my mind. I had always been a perfectionist and some of these looks forced me to create in a new way, to let go of fixed ideas of how things should be done, and follow my instincts instead.
Greg Mania: That is so fucking cool. I’m curious: what sort of unconventional materials and/or products did you use as make-up?
Tara Savelo: That's a great question! For many of the “Applause” promo looks, I used lipsticks, eyeshadows and eyeliners as face paint. You may notice the finish and texture of the swipes of color vary from matte to flat to thick to more paint-like. I was using a lot of special effects products along with craft items, and combined them to create new textures like the looks we did in Berlin.
For her body make-up, I was mixing theatrical make-up with a variety of glitters and shimmery products, some of which included craft glitter to achieve the effects I wanted, which was this ethereal glow. For some of these looks, we also incorporated character contact lenses, as well as things like false theatrical facial hair. For others I used silk florals from the craft store or ones leftover from wardrobe, and used them as body make-up accessories by gluing them to her skin.
Some looks that didn't make it past my trial runs included materials like gold leafing. I was also creating props for inspiration like headpieces, one of which she ended up wearing during her Roseland residency. For this I used fishing nets, faux flowers, spray glitters, and all kinds of crafting products that I was simultaneously testing on my own skin.
Greg Mania: Some of my favorite looks are the ones that sent the media into a tizzy, like, for example, the ones that have affectionately been dubbed “spooky Berlin.” I thought it was so punk how the press hated it, because it wasn’t seen as conventionally beautiful. Was this reaction intended?
Tara Savelo: Those are some of my favorite looks, too! The day we created that specific look, we didn't necessarily think of it as “spooky.” I actually thought it was quite beautiful—and I still do. Yes, it was unconventional, but it was still intended to be beautiful. I think now most fans love that look. I have seen many re-creations of it, and it always excites me to see how connected people still feel to that particular one. The idea behind it was to make it ethereal, almost like an otherworldly being. I imagined that character to be a beacon of peace and light, almost saint-like.
The bare feet, the shimmering white body make-up, a mix between a Lady Godiva and a Renaissance painting come to life. I thought it was funny and typical that the press didn't like or understand it. At the time it felt like if the press didn't get it, then we had done something right. So I guess in a way my answer would be yes, we didn't want or expect the press to like it—they were not our audience. The fans were our audience, and most of the fans not only got it, but loved it.
Greg Mania: I think the world—specifically the beauty and fashion community—is just catching up now, because we’re seeing more and more aesthetic choices that challenge notions of traditional beauty. I don’t think it’s a reach to say that you sort of ushered in this paradigm shift all those years ago, and now we’re seeing how much of a widespread impact it has had on much of today’s up-and-coming talent. What’s it like to see your looks recreated in some way, shape or form, all these years later?
Tara Savelo: It never ceases to amaze me, the creativity of this fanbase. Not only do they recreate these looks, but they add their own creativity to them and create their own art inspired by ARTPOP. This art inspires me to create more, so it's like this ongoing beautiful, creative circle. I've seen music, film, beauty, paintings, every form of creativity you could think of inspired by this era. It's incredibly touching.
Greg Mania: According to research and development (read: me), I do believe that you are the only make-up artist—dead or alive—whose work has been featured in the Louvre. I mean?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! How does that feel?
Tara Savelo: Definitely a highlight of my career and life! You know, I've never been inside the Louvre? As someone who has painted and created art my whole life, the Louvre is one of those places we learn about in school and dream of someday walking through, just to see that iconic art in person. Having work that I was a part of creating displayed next to the Mona Lisa is still difficult to comprehend. It feels like a dream; it still feels unreal. It's the kind of thing I hope they include in my obituary. Yeah, I still can't wrap my head around that one.
Greg Mania: I still, to this day, can’t get over these portraits and how stunning they are. I know these are photos, but they still look like paintings. How did you get the make-up to translate that way?
Tara Savelo: Since it was a series, we began with the Ingres. Since that was the first one, I hadn’t yet gotten the hang of what I was doing. Gaga was holding the photo of the painting in her hand, in front of the mirror, so we were trying to create the mirror image on her face from the painting. When we brought her out onto the set, I could see, judging by Robert [Wilson]’s lighting, that the make-up didn’t have to be as extreme as I had initially done it. The lighting Robert used was so magical, so it helped me course-correct, if you will. We went back into the dressing room, and I was able to modify it by pulling back a bit. By the time we worked our way to the second painting, I knew what I was doing.
Greg Mania: Last year I asked you how your skills as a painter influenced your make-up for this era. Now I’m going to flip it: how has this era influenced your painting?
Tara Savelo: I created a lot of my favorite work during ARTPOP. I hadn't really painted before; I had mostly worked with ink and pencils, so teaching myself to paint was new and exciting. I do think both crafts enhanced each other. It was a very inspiring and creative time.
Greg Mania: Okay. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Now think about a memory from this time that still lingers today. Open your eyes: what’s the story that came to mind?
Tara Savelo: The 2013 VMAs.
Greg Mania: What about them?
Tara Savelo: So Gaga wanted Freddie [Aspiras] and me on stage with her. We were already doing some things on stage with her around that time—like the iTunes festival in the UK—but we really wanted to do something groundbreaking. As far as we knew, no one had ever done a wig and make-up change in the middle of singing and dancing on live TV. The goal was to pull it off without pause.
Greg Mania: How much preparation did you have? Were you able to rehearse?
Tara Savelo: There was rehearsal to learn the choreography, but because of Freddie’s and my schedule at the time, we were only able to attend one rehearsal. We are not dancers, so it was nerve-wracking. Ha! We tried to learn it quickly, and we practiced by doing eight-counts in our heads. We had to learn the moves during that specific part of the song because we had to stay in sync with the choreography. That made me so anxious! And, in addition to that, I had a specific number of counts in the middle to decide what I was going to do for the make-up, and how I was going to apply it. And there was no rehearsal for that.
Greg Mania: I need an Imodium just thinking about it.
Tara Savelo: Girl, you have no idea. That photo from rehearsal was the only time I could practice applying the make-up. We did one go: She took a beat, looked at me, and while her head bobbed up and down, Freddie changed her wig, and then I had four counts to apply whatever I was going to apply.
The colors you see on her face from the one rehearsal we did with her are different because the lighting in the rehearsal space was different. On the day of the performance, I arrived backstage and it was super dark. I didn’t have much time to plan what I would do. I had one palette of thirty-two colors, but it was so dark that I squatted down on the ground and stuck one finger in each color, not necessarily knowing what those colors were. I knew I had white on one finger, black on another, but the other fingers were sort of a surprise, ha! When I came out on stage, my hand was hidden behind a palette that was a prop with fake paint on it—I already had the paint on my fingers. We were standing off to the side and I asked one of the dancers why the music sounded that way—it sounded like there was an echo or something—and they told me that’s just how the playback sounds. Then they counted us off and the rest was a blur.
Greg Mania: Correction: the rest was history.
Tara Savelo: You’re so sweet. I guess you’re right. I just went with it, and we pulled it off. It really gave me a boost of confidence, too. From the get-go, Gaga had trust in me and told me that I was great, that I would figure it out and pull it off. She’s always had far more faith in my talents than I did.
Greg Mania: Not just her, but the fans recognized it, too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a celebrity make-up artist amass such a loyal global fanbase who, till this day, continue to be fiercely devoted to you. What message would you like to send the fans on this special day?
Tara Savelo: I'm so grateful for all of you. This fanbase is so incredibly creative; so many of them are incredibly talented artists who now inspire me. I don’t think I could ever find the words to truly express how grateful I was—and still am, and forever will be—but thank you.
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Yours,
Greg
Credits
Cover art by: James Jeffers
Editorial assistant: Jesse Adele
You can follow my other unhinged missives by following me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. My debut memoir, Born to Be Public, is out now.