For any artist, a summer tour is a gauntlet of high-octane performances, grueling travel days, and intense stage lights. For Houston-born rapper and songwriter Monaleo—currently hitting stages across the country alongside Summer Walker and Odeal—the road is also a canvas for self-expression.
As a Southern Black woman making her way in today’s music industry, taking control of both her image and her music is non-negotiable.
“It means everything to me,” Monaleo shared with I Love Us. “I feel like people, especially in this day and age, are constantly trying to write your story for you. They’re trying to make you fit within the parameters that they set for you, so I love being in control of my voice and my narrative. It’s the only thing that I truly, really have to my name, so it means everything to me.”
In celebration of Black Music Month, we caught up with the artist to talk about the beautiful, historic intersection of Black music and beauty, the generational traditions that keep her grounded, and how she maintains her hair health on the road.
From the Gas Stove to the Tour Bus
For Black women, hair is frequently a living archive of memory and cultural inheritance. For Monaleo, her fearless approach to switching up her look is a direct trait passed down from her mother and grandmothers.
“I had a mom who didn’t mind kind of processing her hair for whatever style she wanted, and same with my grandmothers,” she says. “Whatever look they were going for, they did that. I really loved that about them as well, because they didn’t feel so weighed down by their hair. They felt like whatever style they wanted to do, or if there was a funky color they wanted to try, or if they wanted to straighten it, whatever it was, they allowed themselves to do that with their hair and didn’t feel pressured to do one thing or another.”
“Whatever look they were going for, they did that,” she says. “I really loved that about them… they didn’t feel so weighed down by their hair. If there was a funky color they wanted to try, or if they wanted to straighten it, they allowed themselves to do that.”
Yet, one specific, sensory tradition truly bridges the generations of women in her family: the ritual of the hot comb.
“One thing I know that we have passed down is that we have all used a hot comb. We all loved the hot comb! My grandmother used to hot comb my hair, but it was the Marcel—the tool you had to heat up on the stove. She had a gas stove, and she would place the hot comb on the stove, and she would press my hair out for church every Sunday. And that’s something that I feel like has transcended our different generations. We still use a hot comb, maybe a little differently because now we can plug ours in. I love to see that the traditions stay intact.”
That willingness to experiment has evolved into Monaleo’s modern philosophy of beauty. “I learned that my identity isn’t tied to my hair,” she explains. “I love doing different things with my hair, and just expressing myself and customizing my avatar. And sometimes I pick between whether I want to prioritize caring for my hair, or if I want to prioritize getting a certain look. At the end of the day, it’s just hair.”
The Reality of Tour Hair: Protecting the Foundation
Maintaining that “avatar” under intense heat and constant manipulation requires serious strategy. Monaleo shares that protective styles only work if you are actually protecting what is underneath.
“You have to put the same care and attention into your real hair that you do with your extensions,” she says. “The attention that you paid to making sure that no hair is out of place with your extensions, you have to pay that same type of attention to your hair—making sure that you’re caring for it, keeping it moisturized underneath the wigs, the braids, whatever you may have in your hair.”
To pull off these rapid transitions without compromising her hair health, Monaleo partnered with KISS Colors & Care, a staple brand within multicultural beauty that she has been using since childhood.
Monaleo’s Tour Lineup
- Edge Fixer Wax Stick & Heat Protector Wax Stick: Her go-to solutions for sleek, flyaway-free styling under intense stage lights.
- Heat Protectant Keratin Spray: The ultimate barrier against daily hot tools and constant restyling.
- Hair Veil Mist: Her absolute favorite product on the road. Because she is a “scent girly,” a quick one-two spray eliminates any processed heat smell, leaving the hair lightweight and smelling fresh. “I always talk about the smell of the heat and hair that’s been processed and not really liking that smell,” she shares. “So I love it, it’s just a quick 1-2 spray that’s lightweight for the hair. And I’m a scent girly, so I love how it makes my hair smell.
“It was important to work with KISS because it was something that I already knew a lot of the girls within my community used and loved and had for a really long time,” Monaleo explains. “I like how they are always ahead of the curve, on top of hair trends, and are constantly evolving. I really appreciate how their products are affordable, and we can get them in the beauty supply.”
“I spent a lot of time growing up in the beauty supply. I had one right around the corner from my house,” she recalls. “I spent a lot of time trying out new products, trying things that were affordable in my childhood and young adulthood, just being a young girl experimenting with her hair, wanting to try different things, and finding my identity. So KISS holds a special place in my heart… It was a full-circle moment for me.”
Building Empires at the Intersection of Sound and Style
Monaleo views her partnership with KISS Colors & Care as part of a long, historic lineage of Black women who use their musical platforms to build tangible economic power. From Rihanna’s to Beyoncé, the relationship between a Black woman’s music and her aesthetic has always rewritten cultural rules.
“Music and beauty have always worked hand in hand,” Monaleo notes. “I think the biggest difference is that now we are really able to create our own businesses and brands without having to compromise. I can appreciate that a lot of my peers have become moguls in the process. We can venture off and allow our music to be a segue into the beauty industry.”
Despite the soaring trajectory of her career and the whirlwind pace of life on tour, Monaleo keeps her feet firmly planted by leaning heavily on the people who knew her before the stage lights turned on.
“The things that help me stay grounded are constantly talking to my village, making sure I frequently FaceTime with my son, and just staying connected with my family back home,” she says. “Talking to them about my experiences on the road and allowing them to live vicariously through me and what I do for work—those are the things that help me stay grounded.”
Catch Monaleo Live
As Black Music Month wraps up, Monaleo’s journey reminds us that staying true to your roots is the ultimate power move. Don’t miss your chance to witness her live. Catch Monaleo on the last few tour dates alongside Summer Walker and Odeal!
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