Rihanna's Red Hair at the BET Awards Has Fans Speculating About New Music

Her hairstylist takes us behind-the-scenes.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rihanna attended the 2019 BET Awards last night looking like an absolute goddess with bright burgundy hair. Red has been RiRi's color of the summer, and I'm completely here for her taking a break from her usual jet-black hair. Last week, she stunned us all when she showed up to her FENTY pop-up event with fire-red box braids. Last night was no different. And we got the details from her long-time stylist Yusef Williams on how he slayed this fire style.

"Her outfit definitely served as inspiration," Williams said in an interview. "It was black leather and I wanted to create a contrast with her beautiful burgundy hair so I went for a feminine hairstyle."

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

He began by washing and conditioning her hair. While Rihanna's hair was damp, Williams applied Suave Professionals for Natural Hair Define & Shine Serum Gel to ensure a smooth finish. Then, he used the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer Professional edition to blow-dry to prep. Next, the styling came in. "I parted her hair from ear to ear and added extensions for body, volume, and fullness to create that dreamy baby doll style," Williams explained. "I used a curling iron to create some texture, and locked in the style with Suave Professionals Firm Control Finishing Hairspray. Lastly, I pulled her hair into a half-up pony."

Shop the $5 Hair Products Used to Create Rihanna's Look

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It's important to acknowledge that Rihanna's bright red hairdo was executed with products all under $5. It's also important to recognize the impact her red hair has had on social media in less than 24 hours. The switch-up had fans in a frenzy on Twitter last night. Everyone's assuming since Rihanna changed her hair color she's dropping new music.

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Rihanna is busy being a boss and the world's richest female musician, according to Forbes, so who knows what's next for the 31-year-old powerhouse. And at least when it comes to her beauty look, Williams confirmed she definitely won't be playing it safe. But then again, when has she ever? "Safe" isn't even in Rihanna's vocabulary. "Effortless hair with some twists and surprises," is what Williams says we can expect from Rih. The million-dollar question: Does new hair mean new music? Not sure. But I'll be bumping all of my favorite Rihanna throwback songs until then, and waiting in anticipation for more of these fire lewks she's been killing it with.

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Maya Allen
Former Beauty Editor

Maya Allen is the former Digital Beauty Editor at MarieClaire.com where she covered makeup, skincare, haircare, wellness, you name it! She has a 15-step skincare routine, owns over 200 red lipsticks, and enjoys testing the latest and greatest in beauty. On most weekends, you can find her at her happy place, which is her makeup vanity. There, she’s usually blasting her speakers while singing along to lyrics at the top of her lungs, and making sure her highlighter is on point.