If you're an avid Lana Del Rey fan, you may be familiar with her tattoos. She's not one of those people who goes out of her way to talk about them or flaunt them in everyone's face, but she certainly has her share of body ink. So how many tattoos does Lana Del Rey have? While it's hard to know for sure, she's got at a handful — quite literally. A majority of her tats are on her hands and they hold special meaning to her. There are at least six tattoos that fans have counted, or that she's spoken about publicly. In an interview, Del Rey explained her "paradise" tattoo and why the word is etched on her hand:
Death and paradise for me are linked. I expect after my death, something that is very calm and relaxed. This can already be described as paradise. It is so loaded with meaning. I just like the word "paradise." I even tattooed it on my hand.
That's not Del Rey's only seemingly morbid ink. She has the phrase "die young" in cursive on her right ring finger. The phrase "trust no one" is also written on the side of her left hand. Does she actually trust no one, or is this just some kind of mantra? Either way, it seems a bit sad.
Luckily, not all of her tattoos are so dark. In fact, her other ink seems to tell the story that there are people she trusts and respects a lot. In that aforementioned interview, she explained, "I have tattooed on my arm the names of my favorite authors, Whitman and Nabokov. Whenever I look at it, I remember that life can be great." Interesting homage to Walt Whitman and Vladimir Nabokov. But fitting, since the two really are great authors!
Besides these two tats, she has another meaningful hand tattoo — the letter "M." Reportedly this is a tribute to her grandmother, whose name is Madeleine.
Most recently, she got another tattoo in June. Reportedly the reason was to make herself feel less lonely. This one also had to do with names. Del Rey has "Nina & Billy" tattooed across her chest. She explained the story behind it, saying:
I've been touring for the last three years and it gets lonely. That's the reason I really only have script on my body; I've got Nabokov and Whitman and things like that. I just like the idea of carrying someone with me on the road. So I'm bringing Nina [Simone] and Billie [Holiday] on the road. I like doing good luck scripture stuff every year that stays with me. Because you're alone a lot.
Based on these tattoos and the stories behind them, it seems like she'll be getting another before we know it! And chances are, it'll be a tribute to a singer, author, or family member who means a lot.
