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Meet Ayan Vasquez-Lopez of The Makeup Mariachi in Crenshaw

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayan Vasquez-Lopez.

Ayan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Well, let’s start with music. Music is what actually got me into the world of art and fantasy. My first instrument ever was the violin, which I still play to this day. I also sing and play some percussion whenever I can. I played in orchestras throughout grade school end even joined the school mariachi back in high school! There has always been something about creating music with other people that I’m attracted to. The feeling of creating vibrations in a group…that feeling to me will always be indescribable.

In addition to music, makeup is something I have also always had an interest in. I remember so clearly being a little kid, going through my mom’s makeup products, and getting a shimmer all over my hands and just admiring how sparkly it was. I always loved doing my makeup on Halloween and really trying to create a fantasy, I’ve always loved the fantasy.

I really started to flourish in high school, where I feel like I finally found my people. My school had a dedicated academy for performing artists, so there I did orchestra, mariachi, and sang in choir as well. That’s where I developed more of my identity as a queer POC artist, and I had a pretty good high school experience! I even became popular at one point after a mariachi performance I did for the school…so that was definitely a memorable moment.

Honestly, most of my growing happened only in the last few years. I went to art school for a degree in music; and during my time in college, I experimented with different sides of my identity and personality. I played more with makeup and surrounded myself with different kinds of people, many of whom ended up being really good friends that I still talk to today.

Joining Mariachi Arcoiris was definitely a catalyst for me becoming The Makeup Mariachi, for sure. See, I had done mariachi in high school only for a few years, and then I had to stop because the schools I attended afterwards didn’t offer any mariachi courses. So, really, most of what I know about performing as a mariachi I learned from my time in Arcoiris.

As time passed, and I grew more and more comfortable showing my true self to our audiences and to the world in general…wearing a full face of makeup to gigs became more and more normal for me. That isn’t to say that the beginning wasn’t difficult, either. Of course, I felt extremely self-conchas being a male-assumed person with very feminine makeup. But, that’s how I felt most comfortable and powerful, and I just had to honor that and keep going at it.

Now, I’m here today, working on my brand as The Makeup Mariachi!

It really just seems to be a steady incline at this point for me. I am just living my life right now during this pandemic as a human that the world probably hasn’t seen before. While that may be a little scary, it’s really empowering. I just want to encourage and motivate everyone to be honest and be themselves as much as they’re able to.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh, it has definitely not been a smooth road.

I faced my share of bullying throughout grade school, and it was hard. It was hard not exactly knowing who you are yet, while everyone around you had already figured it out and made the decision to ostracize you because of it. This was also quite a different time, back in the 2000’s. There wasn’t so much acceptance of queer and fat people like there is today. It really did make some days harder to get by because my potential queerness and body weight is all I would have on my mind somedays.

Well, that was something that became a lot easier to deal with overtime. Even while I was in high school, society’s view of queer people changed drastically towards a more accepting culture.

As I progressed through community college, I began facing some new challenges, which was dealing with my fluctuating mental health. I did light therapy on and off at first and then stopped going completely for a few years. Only recently, about a year ago, was when I started going to therapy every week and prioritized working on myself. There have just been a lot of years of sadness, ended relationships, and feeling worthless for me. At some point, I just told myself that I want to be better and feel amazing about myself and learn how to manage it when the bad thoughts come up.

Therapy has really been a huge part of my journey, and I definitely would not be here today without it. I really believe everyone should be in therapy!

Please tell us about The Makeup Mariachi.
My brand is The Makeup Mariachi, and I am the world’s first non-binary mariachi performer and personality! (I haven’t fact-checked that yet, but I feel like it’s specific enough to be true.)

I am a queer indigenous Latinx mariachi and drag performer, musician and makeup artist, internet personality and content production powerhouse. What I’m known for honestly depends on who you ask. My network is pretty wide and I have roots in various communities, so people might know me for my music and others might know me for my makeup and videos on YouTube!

I’m most proud of making my identity my brand and my ability to showcase that on the internet. I think this also sets me apart from other internet personalities/makeup artists/musicians, etc. I really do have so much to offer the world, and while I can’t do everything at once, I can give you a new piece of me each day.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Oh honey, the only thing I would have done differently is to start sooner!

Besides that, I think everything is happening for me the way it’s meant to happen.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:

(Mariachi picture outside with the sombrero) Rafael Cardenas; All other images are shot by Ayan Vasquez-Lopez

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