It's always awesome to see Australia represented on the global music stage at the Grammys, even if our actual artists aren't present. Which is why we're stoked to tell you about a Sydney nail artist who was involved with Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's amazing WAP performance at the 2021 Grammys - meet Sammy G Claws. 

Sammy worked on the nails for all of Cardi and Megan's dancers, even though the queens didn't have her claws on themselves. The futuristic outfits designed by independent designer Heather Picchiottino and creative directed by The Squared Division featured gloves with long chrome talons sewn on, and Sammy painted them all herself just recently. 

We caught up with the Sydney nail artist to ask her how she got the opportunity, what she was asked to do and what her favourite part of the performance was. Plus, check out the in progress shots!

Steamy? Cardi B & Megan The Stallion Get Freaky In #Grammys Performance For Hit Song WAP! pic.twitter.com/3ZY57ONl4q

— Street Talk LDN (@StreetTalkLDN) March 15, 2021

How did you get involved in Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion’s WAP performance?

About a month out from the Grammys I got a voicemail from one of my regular clients telling me that she was working on Cardi B’s dancers' costumes and asked if I wanted to do the nails! It was so out of nowhere and so crazy to me and I just said yes immediately without looking at my booking schedule because I was so excited to do it without any details! 

I didn’t know how it would all work with COVID and being an international thing but her performance was being done by an Australian company, so I would do the nails and they’d get attached to the costume and sent over for fittings. It all happened in about a week.

Your specialty is painted, themed nails - what was the brief like for this performance?

Because they were for Cardi’s dancers I knew they’d be long and sharp and cool. I was shown a little brief of the outfits with the colours and style they were doing which looked super futuristic and metallic. I did a few press on sets of stiletto-shaped silver, pink and purple chrome nails in different lengths - they ended up going with silver. Then I drilled three tiny holes in the bottom of the nail so they could be sewn into the fingers of the gloves of the costumes and worn on stage!

Was the pressure on to get the nails PERFECT for the dancers?

It was all fine and fun until I ran out of silver chrome on the last few sets... I had to drive out to the supply store, crossing my fingers they had the exact same chrome on the morning that they were due which luckily they did so it went down to the last minute but all worked out pretty perfect in the end somehow!

WAP has become a totally iconic song, what was your favourite part of Cardi & Megan’s performance? Apart from your own work featured, of course!

It was awesome that it was the first time they’d done it live together! I didn’t know that until just before so I was excited to see what it would be like. Their little flip things at the end was cool but the whole thing was amazing, I was kind of just freaking out the whole time it was on haha!

And the final look on dancers Amerah and Kruel Kalifornia...

i have no words. God is good!!!!! ?? GRAMMYS 2021 w/ CARDI FCKING B!!! @iamcardib pic.twitter.com/5UtHfW74Su

— amerah (@thelookinamerah) March 15, 2021

my first Grammy’s with the sweetest and most hardworking @iamcardib thank you God & @itsSeanBankhead im so grateful ???? pic.twitter.com/Q93WPIzmMf

— ‘dizzl (@kruelkalifornia) March 15, 2021

Anyway, if you're Sydney-based and looking for some insanely sick nail art, check out Sammy G Claws! 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Sammy (@sammyg_claws)