The Man Behind Sleep Token’s Masks
Lani Hernandez-David, a 22-year-old mask maker, will be watching Sleep Token perform at Download Festival this weekend. But unlike the other fans, Lani can claim to have played a role in the band’s meteoric rise to fame. Sleep Token recently had their first number one album and have developed a huge following with their breakout viral hits, all while remaining anonymous behind custom-made masks. And Lani is the one who has been creating those masks for the band since 2023.
A Passion for Mask Making
Lani, who works from a small studio in South London, has been manufacturing masks and costumes for about 11 years. His first latex creation is still sitting on his workbench. He was fueled by his interest in Cosplay and refined his skills by watching YouTube tutorials and eventually started posting his own creations online. Sleep Token’s drummer discovered him and dropped Lani a DM, asking if he wanted to work with the band. Lani thought it was a scam at first, but after noticing the blue tick on the profile and remembering that he had actually seen Sleep Token at a festival months earlier, he realized it was the real deal.
Creating Masks for Sleep Token
Lani met with the band, who provided him with ideas for designs, and he started the nerve-wracking task of creating the masks. "I had never made masks for a touring band before," he says. Sleep Token debuted Lani’s creations at their sold-out Wembley show in 2023, a moment that Lani says he won’t forget. "When they came out with my masks, I was just caught up in myself," he says. "I remember thinking, ‘This was made on my kitchen table – that’s crazy’."
The Rise of Sleep Token
Music journalist Emma Wilkes says that part of Sleep Token’s appeal is in their "genre-bending" sound. They are often described as a metal band, but Emma says that they also incorporate elements of "pop, R&B, a bit of trap." Sleep Token’s success has also attracted negativity, particularly from some long-standing rock music fans. A scathing review of their latest album said that it was "metal music for Disney adults." Emma says that she is surprised by the extent of the anger that the band sometimes attracts.
The Power of Masks
One of the most common criticisms of Sleep Token is that their masks are a gimmick to attract attention. Lani is not so sure. "You could do all the music without the aesthetic and I think you would still do well," he says. "But the aesthetic really helps." Sleep Token seems to have inspired other masked bands, with the most recent example being President, who will also be playing at Download this year. "It’s good for people like me," says Lani, who has also worked with President. "Maybe one day too many people will do it, but at the moment it’s great."
A Dream Customer
According to Lani, his dream customer would be Slipknot, the Nu Metal band with nine masked members, who are often cited as a prototype for bands like Sleep Token. But for now, Lani is content. "I’m doing what I always wanted to do," he says. "If you had told the 14-year-old me that I would be making masks for bands, I would have told you ‘no way’." Now, he says, he is known as "the guy who makes the band masks." "Five years later I can work for myself and do crazy stupid things."
