How to land a job as hairdresser for a band

Jonathan Andrew is senior stylist at Jamie Stevens and full-time hairdresser to boyband Union J. Here are his 10 top tips for being the hairdresser for a band. 1. Seize the opportunities that come your way We met Union J at a Cancer Charity Auction a few months after the X Factor had stopped filming. They mentioned that they weren’t happy with their styling so Jamie offered our services. Since then I’ve been their full-time hairdresser. This business is all about relationships; once you know someone you get to know their manager and they might know of someone else who's looking. 2. Be good at dealing with pressure It takes a lot of time and effort to groom a boy band, so they tend to do shoots for lots of magazines at the same time. You need to be equipped to deal with the pressure; there was also an occasion where I had finished one of the boys’ hair and then he went away and soaked it with hairspray. I had to wet it down and start again in less than no time! 3. Be good at what you do That means be good at both at cutting and styling hair, as well as dealing with the bands and the various layers of management that go with them. 4. Be flexible and accommodating There will be times when you’ll be called upon at the last minute and you need to try to find a way to make it work for them and for you. It can also involve fitting in extra hours or just going the extra mile – George from Union J’s replica doll is wearing my jacket because he had done something to his on the day they were being modeled so I lent him mine! 5. Have a supportive team behind you – whether that's the salon team or your family I’m lucky because my family and my girlfriend are both in the industry so they understand. Of course Jamie has his own celebrity clientele so he is very understanding too. 6. Live near them There will be plenty of early starts, so it’s much easier if your journey time is short - or at least easy. 7. Be up to date with what’s going on You need to know what is happening right now in music, TV, film and current affairs, as well as what the latest trends are going to be. Crucially, you need to be able to put your own spin on them. 8. Do not copy other people’s style One of the biggest faux pas in this industry is to copy. George is the ‘Harry’ [One Direction’s Harry Styles] of the band with lots of curly hair. We need to make a conscious effort to make sure we don’t just recreate his style. 9. Have a rhino skin at times It’s not just the band that you need to keep happy, it’s also their management team, the press and their fans. If a look you have created gets criticised, you have to have the fight within yourself to remember that it's just someone's opinion. 10. Be prepared to miss out on sleep One week the boys were guest-presenting Day Break, so I had to be up at 4am Monday to Thursday to style their hair and 3.30am on the Friday when all four of them were presenting together. That week they also shot an album cover, I was working on a photo shoot with Jamie and I also had clients in the salon! Looking for your next career move? Take a look at HJi Jobs for all of the latest hair and beauty job opportunities!