Netflix's Building the Band Brianna Mazzola shares inspiration behind signature makeup

Brianna Mazzola, star of the new music contest programme Building the Band, has revealed the secret significance behind her distinctive "audio wave" makeup. The show, hosted by Backstreet Boys' AJ McLean, is a unique musical experiment featuring 50 performers who audition in private and select their ideal bandmates based solely on their voices.

Described as a combination of Love is Blind and The Voice, the singers are in control, but with participants separated in private booths until their bands are formed, and Netflix promises "plenty of drama". However, only six bands will be created, meaning not everyone will succeed.

The first four episodes were released on Netflix today (July 9), showcasing the formation of the initial bands.

Viewers may be curious about the meaning behind one star's makeup. Brianna Mazzola, 24, delivered an outstanding audition before deciding on her bandmates.

However, viewers may not realise they've seen her before, as she previously appeared in Club Mickey Mouse and provided the singing voice for Velvet in Trolls Band Together, reports the Mirror US.

The star sports a striking look, complete with a unique audio wave design on her face. In a 2023 TikTok video, Brianna was asked about the inspiration behind her makeup design.

She responded with a video explaining that in 2017, she signed with a record label in LA.

"I'd also just come off of Club Mickey Mouse," she said. "Everyone at the label was like, what's your thing, what's your thing going to be?

"And I was like, oh that's a good question, I don't know. I really took a deep dive into fashion archives, old school makeup books, Pinterest. I was really looking everywhere because I wanted to make sure whatever it was I really felt attached to."

Brianna revealed her inspiration came from her love for theatre and Marvel, leading her to create her own superhero mask. After discovering the "perfect mask" for her musical career, she shared that she was "dropped from the label" in 2020.

She later added: "Me being the stubborn Virgo I am, I was still set on keeping the mask and playing around with that. Having done theatre so much as a kid, I always had this huge obsession for makeup, even though I was never really allowed to wear it.

"One day I was just playing around with makeup, I'm an insomniac I don't sleep, and I decided to do a little sleep Z coming out of my eye with eyeliner."

The star continued, explaining it resembled an audio wave: "And that's how the audio wave came to be. I do it every day, different colours, glitter sometimes. I switch it up.

"I could go on with a trillion other reasons as to why I love doing it, the biggest thing is the little kid in me gets to draw on my face every day."

The new series also features late One Direction member Liam Payne as a guest judge alongside Kelly Rowland. Liam filmed his scenes as a guest judge before his death, and the episodes have been reviewed and supported by his family.

Nicole Scherzinger is set to take the judge's seat and mentor performers on Netflix's new show, with the streaming giant hinting: "Is chemistry enough to make them a success? And when the bands finally do meet, how will looks, choreography, and style come into play? Expect plenty of drama, next-level artistry, and unforgettable performances."

Building the Band episodes 1-4 are available to stream on Netflix now