July 7 is an unofficial holiday in the Taylor Swift fandom, and Hayley Williams chose to celebrate with a major hair transformation. In honor of the release of Swift’s rerecorded album “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” Williams dyed her hair bright purple with pink highlights — a subtle nod to the original album cover.
“First show back, second leg of the tour, and Brian has put some purple extensions in my hair ’cause there’s some stuff happening tonight at midnight,” Williams said in behind-the-scenes footage of hairstylist Brian O’Connor applying the extensions. Hinting at more Swift-inspired surprises, he chimed in, “So y’all better ‘speak now’ or forever hold your peace.”
O’Connor achieved the color using products from Good Dye Young, the hair-color brand he cofounded with Williams. Specifically, he used ready-to-dye hair extensions, which he colored using the Pink Dyeposit Color Depositing Mask mixed with Sky High Semi Perm “to create the lighter pink from root to midshaft.” Next, O’Connor added the Pink Dyeposit Color Depositing Mask mixed with a pea-size amount of Blue Ruin to achieve the darker pink-to-purple ombré look on the tips of Williams’s hair. Finally, he applied the brand’s new Poser Paste to her roots. The finished look was a major shift from Williams’s typical blond and signature rock-star orange.
Williams’s hair transformation comes one month after she paid homage to her longtime friend’s newfound agency as an artist. “Taylor was the first industry friend I ever made and hung out with outside of work things,” Williams wrote on Instagram on June 6. “When Speak Now dropped, I bought my friend’s record (as you do!) and listened to the whole thing in my first car, sitting still in the driveway. It’s my favorite Taylor Swift album for so many reasons. I wish I could go back to this moment at my 21st birthday and tell her one day she’ll legitimately own Speak Now and we’ll get to sing together on one of the songs.”
Almost 15 years after they first became friends, it’s nice to see Williams and Swift’s friendship is still going strong. See the Paramore singer’s epic new hair color, inspired by “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” ahead.