Akon is revealing new details about his business relationship with beauty mogul Jeffree Star, whom he signed early in his career before playing a role in the rise of Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
Akon recently appeared on the Kid L Podcast, where he reflected on his career, the music industry, and his business ventures—including his work with beauty mogul Jeffree Star. Speaking about Star, Akon said he recognized his potential early and signed him as an artist he believed could reach the level of Lady Gaga.
“He was supposed to be
the male version of what Gaga is,” Akon said. “He’s like the perfect story. We put out his records called “Prime Night.” First week, we did a million, we thought we were gonna go on crazy, but then it stagnated and it moved.”Akon recalled that Jeffree Star kept promoting himself online, with his makeup tutorials gaining more traction than his music. Seeing the shift, Akon quickly recognized the opportunity and chose to invest in Star’s move into the beauty industry.
“I’m looking at the tutorials. Then I’m looking at the video. The video ain’t really moving. The music video I’m talking about,” Akon explained. “But then the tutorial videos start moving, jumping, 10 million views. I said, ‘Oh, we in the wrong business. We need to be selling makeup.'”
After meeting with Jeffree Star, Akon urged him to fully commit to the beauty industry, then traveled to China to lay the groundwork for what would become Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
“I went to China, started moving around with some manufacturers, found a company in LA that did it directly,” Akon recalled.
After launching in 2014, Jeffree Star Cosmetics quickly grew from an indieinto a global force, reportedly generating $50 million in its first year. Jeffree Star’s debut velour liquid lipsticks sold out almost instantly, fueled by his strong YouTube following and a standout formula. Spotting the opportunity, Akon encouraged him to prioritize beauty over music—a move that proved highly lucrative for both.
“We ended up not even doing music at all,” Akon said. “We ended up doing cosmetics with his line called Jeffree Star. We ended up doing 50 million a year on his cosmetics alone. Two months ago, he’s now valued at 2.1 billion.”
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