A Day In The Life Of Dior Sovoa: Mariah Carey’s Longtime Hairstylist On Glam, Legacy, Giving Back—And Why ‘Hair Stylists Are Superheroes’
“Remember, you are amazing, and what you do is worthy of the world,” is just one of the many affirmations that celebrity hair stylist Dior Sovoa says proudly to himself ahead of a busy day or weekend, especially when being in charge of laying the tresses of an icon like Mariah Carey.
Sovoa is passionate about helping people feel beautiful and confident through his work, which is why he’s managed to work with the best of the best. From the late Cicely Tyson to Patti Labelle and the person supporting Mariah Carey on the day-to-day, this DC native is no stranger to navigating the pressures that come with ensuring that the greats look picture perfect for some of their most significant moments.
“So not only is being a hair stylist a part of the culture, but I feel like we’re not just hairstylists,” Sovoa told aspireTV for a sit-down ahead of a huge glam night for Carey, where she received the Ultimate Icon Award during the 2025 BET Awards.
View this post on Instagram
More Than Just a Hairstylist
“We’re therapists, we’re your best friend, we’re your cousin, we’re your uncle, we’re your auntie, the neighbor down the street, somebody that’s always going to be there for you at your lowest point and your highest point. We’re always there to root you on,” he continued. “If you’re having a traumatic experience, you need to cut all your hair off like Angela Bassett in Waiting to Exhale, like, those moments. A hairstylist is always there for you, and we will always be there. I think hair stylists are the most loyal people on earth when it comes to their clients, because we pour so much into their hair. It’s an energy thing, because if you don’t have the right person’s energy on your hair, your hair can start being damaged and falling out and everything. That’s why they always say stick with your stylist that you know is going to be taking care of you and making sure your hair is healthy and all of that. Hairstylists are superheroes. We may not have the capes on, but we are there to save the day at all times.”
Beyond just being a celebrity hair stylist, Sovoa is what you would call a legacy connoisseur of the tresses, because it is his late mother who paved the way for the work he does so eloquently today. Not only did he learn the ropes from his mother, but Sovoa also learned how to manage a business. At one point in his career, he owned a hair salon alongside his aunts.
His Biggest Inspiration
“My mother, God rest her soul, was an amazing woman who was a hair stylist. She owned her salon with my aunts, and just watching her fight through the battles of having quadruple bypasses, heart attacks, and everything, but one thing I could say, hair was always her go-to,” Sovoa recalled. “I remember her coming home from like brain surgery, and she could barely remember how to speak and use words, but in that time, one thing she never forgot how to do was hair.”
He added, “She may have forgotten everything else about how to function in society, but she never forgot how to do hair.”
Since 2017, Carey and Sovoa have been a match made in heaven, which is why he was delighted to share with us his mood board for the “Always Be My Baby” singer’s big night. He also used the moment to take a trip down memory lane, noting that “curly Riah” is one of his faves!
Favorite Mariah Carey Glam Moment
“My favorite Mariah glam moment would have to be when we did Jessica Rabbit,” he said, with a massive smile across his face. “So many people thought she changed her hair red, and I got so many calls, and so many pickups about that. People were asking me, ‘How did you get her hair red? Did you dye her hair red?’ Not knowing that it was a quick unit we did for Halloween, but it was a good one, an expensive one. Of course, she’s always going to make sure she has the best, so that’s why it looked like it was growing out of her scalp.”
“But, I would say that is one of my best Mariah moments, but my best viral moment is when I did Donna Brazile for something in politics, I can’t remember. I will have to look it up. But literally, every magazine lost their minds about her new transformation. For me, that was when I was like, ‘Okay, I’m making some marks in this world.”
When asked to summarize his legacy in a hairstyle, Sovoa said without hesitation that it would be a diamond wig.
Love iconic glam moments like Mariah’s Jessica Rabbit transformation? Dive deeper into the life of the Songbird Supreme herself in Mariah Carey: Grit & Glamour—a Cinderella story of sorts about the woman who became a global superstar, the Queen of Christmas, and a dedicated philanthropist. Stream it anytime on aspireTV+—available now on Prime Video Channels and Xfinity.
View this post on Instagram
A Dior Sovoa Hair Style is Forever
“Because, not only am I a diamond or an Aries, but I feel like I put so much into making sure every person’s hair looks good that, eventually, it’s going to turn into a diamond. You’re gonna get a diamond from a husband, or somebody is going to be looking at this hair, and I feel like that is the legacy that I want to leave behind,” said Sovoa. “Diamonds are forever, so I want my hairstyles to be forever.”
When looking ahead to the future, Sovoa notes that he’ll always “be there for MC, to have her back.” Still, he ultimately has goals of opening salons in different countries, helping to make countless others, celebrity or not, experience that feel-good moment that one gets when stepping outside the salon chair.
What’s Next?
“I’m working on my shampoo and conditioner. I’ve been working on this for years, trying to get it right for every ethnicity, so those are the things that are in the works for me. I always want to have something that’s not just doing hair. Even if it revolves around hair, I want to open up my businesses, and for me, I think in the next five to ten years, I want to open up a halfway youth house where we can teach them trades and stuff like that.”
“I feel like society is starting to fail our youth, and I want to be one of those people who can give back to the youth,” he concluded.
—
Looking for more must-watch moments celebrating stars like Mariah Carey? Catch your favorite shows and movies on aspireTV and stream the Mariah Carey Grit & Glamour movie on aspireTV+—available now on Prime Video Channels and Xfinity! Stay connected and explore more stories with our latest Tribe Talks.
