Meet Jonnie Star of Los Angeles

I grew up a latch key kid of the 80’s and was akward and a late bloomer. My Mom, who was a single hard working mother had me at 21 so we basically raised each other in Detroit. My mom left her family and we relocated to Orange County when I was 3 years old. It was a very conservative small town, a big change from the city of Detroit. I was always picked on by kids at school, they would say, ‘You’re fat, femme or gay.” I was always dressed fashionable, always wearing things that made me smile and made others uncomfortable. Mom, never quite understood my style, but was always supportive reflecting back. I found my tribe of musical theater and marching band kids and found a way to free my self in music. It was my therapy, and still is! I was forced out of the closet at 16 during such a weird time. Being gay was not accepted by society and the looming AIDS CRISIS was always on your mind. My Mom was accepting but didn’t know what to do with me. Around this time, late 90’s, my second boyfriend introduced me to raves and it altered my life forever. We were like the hippies of the 90’s. Everyone was accepting, eccentric and eclectic. Creativity was celebrated all around and I fell in love with the music and the community. I started working in the scene and throwing events, it was magical. I had a great start in my twenties but the pressure to know what I wanted to be when I grew up was looming. I went into fashion and managing a small boutique, it was a rave/gothic/club wear shop. I worked there for two years until the owner came to  me and said she was closing the store. I had no idea what was next and how this would shape the next 23 years. I went in the news paper and answered an ad for a front desk person but had no idea what type of business it was. It turned out to be a very high end hair salon. I had never been to a nice salon, my mom just took me to a place that focused on quick utilitarian style cuts, not the experience. I started working with some incredible artist that looked at hair as a medium to express themselves and make people feel good. I immediately fell in love with the industry. I realized that as somebody that grew up never feeling good enough, pretty enough or skinny enough that I had a gift to use to make other people feel beautiful. I didn’t want anyone to have to feel the way that I felt my whole life. I’ve had an incredible career. I’ve won several awards, been written up in magazines, owned one of the most prestigious salons in Orange County for 10 years. I got married to my now ex husband when I was 28 and I felt like that was the next step. It was the year before the gay marriage vote in CA and we knew each other 4 months before getting married. He is also a hairdresser and we worked as a team doing incredible things. We bought our first home together when I was 32 and built our business as well trained many other talented hairdressers. We became consumed with work and forgot about us. We separated in 2019 and ended up being locked down together during the pandemic. At the same time, I decided to go on a weight loss journey. I’d always struggled with being morbidly obese and was weighing over 350 pounds at that time but I have shed 200lbs over the last 5 years. During lockdown my ex and I did not talk so I focused all my energy into working out. I spent a lot of time walking because we didn’t have jobs and I needed to stay sane. Our salon was closed and we were just coexisting which lead to a conversation in which we said,” I love you, but I’m not in love with you. You’re one of my best friends. I would do anything for you, but I think it’s fair for both of us to find our own lobster.” We remain great friends now and we support each other and truly he is one of my best friends. People definitely don’t understand our relationship because there really wasn’t any drama or trauma involved with our break up. We just grew apart but in so many ways grew closer in our friendship. I started dating and all the boys that connected with me were in LA . I fell love with LA in a way that I never thought I could. Three years ago I sold my house and moved myself and my labradoodle pup to a one bedroom apartment in Echo Park. I went from a three bedroom house on a nice lot, all mid century modern to a 700 square-foot one bedroom apartment. This was a downgrade size wise but I haven’t felt this happy in years. I had a social scene and I was new and ready to discover life again. I started going to queer events and raves again which reminded me of my love for the scene, the music and the dance floor therapy. I commute to OC for my hair clients 5 days a week but my social world is all LA, I call it a separation of church and state. I love my clients and they have stood by me through so much. I can’t imagine leaving them. I started to soul search and found myself longing to learn how to Dj. My younger brother, who is 35 has been djing for 15 years and has an incredible ear for music . Although I always wanted to, I held myself back because I felt like I didn’t want to step in his light and I also felt like I couldn’t be good enough. I had imposter syndrome, here I was, a 40 something year old thinking I can learn a new skill and have everyone support it. But I knew I had to try and if I failed, at least I could say I tried and I didn’t have any regrets for never trying. My brother became my coach which brought us closer together and that was a gift. I started just learning equipment, which is super technical and not at all what I expected. It was much harder than I thought and of course you’re always learning. Having the ability to make others feel good and to release their stress after everything that’s been going on in the world is such a gift. To leave the world behind for one moment get and just feel music. Biggest inspirations for me is disco, house and soul music. Strong females with powerful vocals really inspire and move me. The era of free love and acceptance transcends through the beats and the lyrics. It’s been a wild ride to learn a new skill, to get up in front of your peers and just be vulnerable. I’ve had some great opportunities to do some wonderful events so far and I’m looking so forward to what’s to come.

I would say the biggest obstacle has been myself, that voice telling you that “You can’t do it, you’re not good enough and nobody likes you.” Having to constantly work on silencing that voice has been the biggest challenge. Whether it comes to weight loss, fashion or new career choices this has always been my biggest challenge. I’ve just learned to try to only control what’s in my control. What’s the worst thing that could happen? As far as business, the pandemic obviously was a challenge and navigating through a divorce was stressful, but in the end, I found a part of myself that I didn’t know I had lost. I discovered that I am non-binary. I have always been non-binary but as a product of the 90’s we did not have labels for things like that. I’ve always been creative with when it comes to clothing, I just wore what made me feel good. Living in LA has given me the platform to really express myself in so many ways.

My day job is making the people of OC feel like their most beautiful self . My business partner and myself run a studio suite, we call it Blanc Noir Hairdressing 3.0. I have been doing hair for 24 years and I have wore every hat along the way. I have been a receptionist, manager, colorist, head colorist and owner. I opened my own salon with my business partner and bestie/ ex husband Abel. We are both specialists, he is a haircutting specialist I am a color specialist and we work as a team to create a beautiful end result. We had a huge salon on Lido, it was quite the enterprise and we won best salon 9 years in a row. Unfortunately the pandemic and the aftermath lead us to close our doors and we went independent. Our loyal clients have stuck by us and we are blessed to continue doing what we love. My passion and what I am known for is balayage, a French freehand painting technique that takes many years to master. I have also worked for Loreal Pro for the last 15 years traveling the United States and training other stylist on this technique. My night and weekend job is Djing. My love for music runs in my veins and I love being able to create a vibe and therapy through sound and movement. I have been able to do some really great all welcoming events. I love the inclusivity of LA and the unity of my community. My motto is “I’m the Dj that will turn Lewks and spin vibes.” I love fashion, music and making others feel good. In a world that is sometimes tough to find your place, I feel that I allow people to go on a journey with me and feel like they can express themselves. Doing this makes me feel I like I have won! Fashion is a way to start a conversation about just being you and what makes you feel good while wearing it. Fashion has no gender and I am inspired by the bright colors and fashions of the disco era. A time when being different was embraced, celebrated and appreciated. Disco didn’t care! Come as you are, be yourself and twirl. That’s what I want to transcending through the speakers.

I love working with other artist! Fashion designers photographers and DJ’s! If anyone would like to work with me, please DM me and let’s do it. I have done some really great things with others, like this photo shoot, with my friend Edwin. He has been trying to grow his photography business and we were able to work together and I live for that. If anyone would love to come and get the hair done or learn more about the balayage method please reach out . I have been very focused myself on trying to support my friends locally first before going anywhere else. We are a family and community, and getting to watch us all rise and do great things is special. I am not a jealous type I think there are plenty of seats at the table and we all have our season. It makes me so proud to watch my friends achieving goals and making things happen. So please support me and your other friends out there trying to grow themselves. It’s not easy and you all make it happen and we need that! If you are thinking about diving into a new skill or career. DO IT you only live once.

Suggest a Story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.