Machine Gun Kelly Wore a $30,000 Worth of Diamonds on His Fingernails to the 2022 Billboard Music Awards
Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox shut down the red carpet once again at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. The couple made headlines at the awards show for multiple reasons, and one was Machine Gun Kelly’s $30,000 diamond manicure. Here are the details of the musician’s jaw-dropping look and his emotional live performance.
Machine Gun Kelly rocked a $30,000 diamond manicure at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards
On May 15, Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox hit the red carpet at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards in matching black outfits. Fox wore a David Koma gown with a plunging neckline and a thigh-high slit, featuring rhinestone flowers trailing up the arms. Machine Gun Kelly matched her look in a Dolce & Gabbana suit covered in spikes and crystals.
The musician topped off his look with a $30,000 diamond manicure. His manicurist, Brittney Boyce (who is also the founder of Nails of LA), partnered with Marrow Fine jewelry founder Jillian Sassone for the expensive design.
Boyce started the look with a color from Machine Gun Kelly’s nail polish brand, UN/DN LAQR, using a black shade called “Depressionist.” The nail paint retails for $18/bottle. She added a gunmetal transfer foil before putting on each of the tiny diamonds, which featured over 10 carats and ranged in size from 0.8 to 2.4 mm. According to Vanity Fair, the manicure took 10 hours to create.
Sassone said that after the awards show, the diamonds will be removed from the nails and upcycled into a jewelry collection for charity. “Brittney will soak the diamonds off of the nails after the Billboard Awards, and I’ll create 10 pieces for charity with the stones,” she explained. “The collection will be a mix of diamond-heavy men’s and women’s signets and cigar bands, and 100% of the proceeds will go to charity.”
Machine Gun Kelly owns a nail polish brand called UN/DN LAQR
An eccentric manicure is on-brand for Machine Gun Kelly, who launched his own nail polish brand, UN/DN LAQR, in December 2021. The line is pronounced “Undone Lacquer” as a play on words for doing nails, but also the concept that nail art is a form of expression and doesn’t have to be perfect. All polishes from the brand are vegan and cruelty-free.
In a Dec. 2 interview with W Magazine, Kelly said that he hopes his genderless product encourages everyone, including men, to take time for self-care.
“Routines of self-care weren’t common the way I grew up and for the men I saw,” the musician said. “Self-care puts you in a position to go about your day, being confident and having your head high.”
Machine Gun Kelly shared an important self-care lesson he learned from his 12-year-old daughter, Casie. “I’ll ask my daughter, ‘Why are you putting on makeup today? We’re not going anywhere.’ And she’ll say, ‘This is just how I want to look. This is for me,’” Kelly said.
“And there’s a really stunning lesson in that because men almost never do things to be seen. And we don’t do things that put us in a position to be comfortable with ourselves. This line is like, ‘Hey, take this 30 minutes for yourself to just add to your vibe, whatever that is today.’”
The musician gave an emotional and vulnerable performance of his song ‘Twin Flame’ at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards
Machine Gun Kelly’s $30,000 diamond manicure wasn’t the only thing from his 2022 Billboards Awards appearance that made headlines. The musician gave a raw and vulnerable performance of his song “Twin Flame,” which he dedicated to his “wife” Megan Fox and their “unborn child.”
Fans have speculated since the song came out that it was about his relationship with Fox and possibly a pregnancy loss, especially due to the sad lyrics and heartbeat sounds toward the end of the track.
The stage was set with a Banyan tree, which is significant to the couple and is the place where the musician proposed to Fox. Machine Gun Kelly played the song’s intro on his guitar and said, “I wrote this song for my wife,” before launching into the lyrics.
After the first chorus, he said, “Happy Birthday, my love.” And before the end of the song, he announced, “And this is for our unborn child.”
On May 17, Fox posted a series of photos from the event on Instagram and wrote in the caption, “Baby- so proud of you for giving such a vulnerable and emotional performance. You are magic💔🤍”
