Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
SZA and Serena Williams wore distinct curls during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show on February 9, 2025. SZA performed with Lamar in long, voluminous deep-red curls; Williams made a brief surprise appearance during “Not Like Us” in blonde curls. The looks made two Black women visible in a major live cultural event, but neither has publicly said that her curls carried a particular symbolic or political message.
What happened during the halftime show?
SZA joined Lamar for musical performances during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. Williams appeared in its closing moments, dancing during “Not Like Us.” The appearances were separate moments in the same performance—not a shared hairstyle or a documented coordinated statement.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
SOS | $33.19 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
SOS Deluxe: LANA | $69.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Ctrl | $19.50 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
SZA Complete Vinyl Discography: "CTRL" Exclusive Green / "SOS" / + Including Bonus Art Card | $79.36 | Buy on Amazon |
The US Open connected Williams’s cameo to her and Lamar’s shared Compton roots. TIME later reported that Lamar invited her because he appreciated her 2012 Olympic celebration dance and her representation of hip-hop culture on a world stage. Williams recalled being surprised by the request: “I’m like, ‘Wait, what, you’re asking me?’” Her account concerns the invitation, not the meaning of her hair.
How did SZA get her Super Bowl curls?
SZA’s hairstylist, Devante Turnbull, said they collaborated to retain her signature volume while adding length and a deep red hue. He identified Redken Color Fusion 6RR as the color formula and said he alternated between the ghd Curve Wand and Thin Wand to create ringlets in different sizes. He also said he used a salon-only K18Repair Service after lifting and coloring her hair. These are Turnbull’s reported styling details, not independent product testing. Allure’s February 9, 2025 report includes his account.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
SZA’s association with voluminous natural curls predates the show. A 2014 Vogue profile traces her hair history, including medication-related hair loss as a teenager and later transformations. That history helps explain why her recognizable volume has been part of her public image; it does not establish the exact texture or styling method used in 2025.
What did Serena Williams’s Super Bowl cameo mean?
The clearest documented context is the connection between Williams and Lamar: both have Compton roots, and Lamar valued her place in hip-hop culture as well as her Olympic dance. The US Open’s February 10, 2025 account emphasizes their shared hometown background, while TIME’s April 16, 2025 profile describes the invitation and Williams’s response.
Rank #2
- ----------------------------------------
- Released: 07/25/2025
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: R&B
Williams’s dance and appearance can be read as a moment of visibility for a celebrated Black athlete within a hip-hop performance. That is an interpretation of the cultural setting, not a statement she made about her curls. Essence’s beauty coverage described her curls as blonde and reported on her WYN Beauty makeup; it does not establish that WYN Beauty styled her hair.
How the two looks differ
| Aspect | SZA | Serena Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Role in the show | Performed with Lamar. | Made a brief surprise appearance during “Not Like Us.” |
| Reported curl look | Long, voluminous curls in a deep red hue, according to her stylist. | Blonde curls, as described by Essence. |
| Documented styling details | Turnbull named the Redken Color Fusion 6RR formula, two ghd wands, and a salon-only K18Repair Service. | The cited beauty coverage does not provide an equivalent tool-by-tool styling account. |
| Context | Her signature voluminous hair image was adapted for the stage. | Her cameo was linked to shared Compton roots and Lamar’s appreciation of her connection to hip-hop culture. |
What the curls can—and cannot—tell us
The hairstyles helped distinguish two memorable appearances: SZA’s dramatic stage look and Williams’s brief cameo. Their visibility can support a broader interpretation about self-presentation and Black women’s presence in a major pop-culture event. But the available accounts do not show either woman assigning a specific personal, political, or cultural message to her curls. It is more accurate to separate the documented styling choices and performance context from interpretations viewers may draw from them.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- CTRL Green Exclusive Vinyl
- SOS Vinyl
Rank #3
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
