Join Queer Kentucky for their latest print edition featuring original stories, gorgeous photography, and exclusive interviews with Zack Wickham of Bravo’s The Valley, award-winning singer S.G. Goodman, and Chappell Roan’s makeup artist Andrew Dahling.

The last time I spoke with Andrew Dahling, the club kid diva from Boone County, his partnership as makeup artist to Chappell Roan was just beginning to take flight. Having done Roan’s makeup at Governor’s Ball, Bonnaroo, The Tonight Show, and the Kentuckiana Pride Festival, Dahling’s career was at a tipping point. Since then, he’s been as busy as ever painting the Midwest Princess an showing out at Bartschland in New York City. “It’s been kind of a whirlwind,” Dahling said of the past year.

“Yeah, the MTV VMAs [Video Music Awards] happened, and that was wild.” He recalls, “I guess you have this perspective based off of being the viewer—the fan, the spectator—and then you’re behind the scenes. It’s just very surreal, all these people walking around, doing their thing, working the stage.”

photo by Alexey Kim

At the awards show, Dahling helped craft Roan’s ethereal Joan of Arc-inspired look, blending shades of gold, burgundy, and amber to complement her look. “She wanted to look like a medieval porcelain doll […] very hallowed, dreamy, and ethereal.”

Standing backstage, Dahling says he couldn’t help but think of the iconic VMA moments through the years that have shaped gay culture—and how he now had a hand in shaping another legendary VMA performance.

“I just thought of the Gaga VMA days, and how important those were to us when we were in high school. I still watch it, like all the time,” he reflects.

2024 wasn’t all glitter and spotlights, though. As Dahling puts it, “I’ve been saying that this is the best and worst year of my life. So much of the success came at a time when I was not doing super well.” But even in those moments, the show must go on. “I understood these are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to work with somebody like this. And not just, you know, the popularity that she has, [or even] how talented and amazing she is, but just aesthetically.

Chappell Roan in a Divine inspired look at the 2024 Kentuckiana Pride Festival. photo provided by Biz 3

She’s all I’ve ever wanted to do makeup on. She is that person. There were so many reasons why I was like, ‘Okay, I cannot fuck this up. I cannot let my mental state get the best of me.’”

One of the most pivotal moments this year, both for Dahling and Roan, was Roan’s debut on Saturday Night Live. “We weren’t sure if it was going to happen or not, but at the last minute they decided to go for it. Both days were, like, 14-hour days. It was really intense,” he recounts.

“But nobody knew that Kamala was coming, so we were all gagged.” He explained how they suddenly cleared the hallway, and it was immediately flooded with Secret Service while Harris waited to go on for her skit. “So, that was kind of crazy.”

Andrew Dahling painting Chappell Roan at the 2024 Kentuckiana Pride Festival. photo provided by Andrew Dahling

Beyond sold out festivals and live television performances, Dahling finds inspiration in the vibrant and theatrical world of On Top, a party series put on by the legendary Suzanne Bartsch in NYC. “She’s just such an important gay icon. She invented this whole [club kid] space. To work for her, do her makeup, and be a part of her life in general is so special.”

“All I wanted was to be a club kid in New York. And [On Top] really inspires my personal style too, as a makeup artist. It’s another thing in my life that [just makes me] feel so lucky. I can’t believe I actually get to be a part of this.”

photo by Alexey Kim

But as Dahling reflects on his journey from Boone County to the city, he hasn’t forgotten his small-town roots. “There’s this thing with New Yorkers—they kind of all understand and know that people that come here from small towns are always the ones that make it.”

He went on, describing what it’s like when you first get to the big city, “You have these big dreams, and you’re working towards it, but you don’t really know what it’s going to be like when you actually get there. And you don’t know for sure if you’re going to get there. But then you do.”

“Genuinely, the most intense feeling I have is gratitude. I just feel extremely lucky, like I just won the lottery or something. There’s something about coming from such a small town and experiencing that for majority of your life, and then coming and creating a whole new life. If anything, it allows me to appreciate it more.”

photo by Alexey Kim

There’s still so much for Dahling to do, though, and when asked about how his small-town definition of success has changed, he said, “I think for me, success is sort of like exploring the other sides of my creativity. It’s so cliché to say this, but when you finally get somewhere that you feel like is pretty notable, and the dust settles, there’s still all of these other things that you want to do.”

“I want to get more into making my own clothes, and just taking the Andrew Dahling world—brand—into the next era. I’ll never give [makeup] up completely, but things have been put into perspective with the state of the world. Nothing seems real. Everything’s changing so fast. And I’m just at a point where I want to do everything I can possibly do before I die or I get old.”

Dahling’s humility and gratitude shine through every step of his story: “I’m so, so grateful that you all even care to do an interview with me. It’s honestly such a huge honor.”

Whether it’s working at the MAC store in Northern Kentucky, painting Chappell Roan’s face for international audiences, or becoming a fixture of the club kid scene in New York City, his story is proof that persistence and creativity can open doors you never thought possible.

From Boone County to Bartschland, his journey is far from over—and the Andrew Dahling world is only just beginning.