Demi Lovato Has Over 23 Tattoos and The Meaning Behind Each Is Just Beautiful

The singer got the number three in Roman numerals on the side of her wrist to commemorate her father, who passed away in June 2013. “I have the number three in Roman numerals on my wrist and that was a number that was very significant to my birth father because he loved [race car driver] Dale Earnhardt,” she told iHeart Radio. “So when he passed away I got the number three tattooed on me to remind me of him, and also because I love Dale Earnhardt. That’s like the most redneck tattoo I have, by the way!”

Lovato got the words “Stay Strong” on her left and right wrists after she completed rehab for bipolar disorder, addiction, and eating disorders in 2011.

“When I got out of rehab, that’s the first thing that I did. I went and got tattooed ‘Stay Strong’ because a lot of fans were telling me that, and it helped me get through a rough period, so anytime that I would feel triggered to either self-harm or act out in an unhealthy behavior, I could look down at that and stay strong,” she told iHeart Radio.

In Stay Strong, a documentary Lovato recorded after rehab, she revealed she got the word “Faith” inked right below her elbow, with Lauren Martin, a friend she met during treatment.

Demi’s 12 birds on her outer forearm were brought to life by Kat Von D. Although it’s now understood that they symbolize the 12 steps of Alcoholic and Narcotics Anonymous, when she first got them she didn’t have that in mind, she told iHeart Radio.

“I love the freedom that birds represent and I didn’t specifically have a huge reason why I got 12 of them,” she said. It “was kind of like a God thing, like I worked the 12 steps, so as I got that while I was in Sober Living, apparently it was really meant to be.”

The singer and former Disney star has the words “Now I’m a warrior” on the back of her right shoulder – lyrics from the closing song from her self-titled 2013 album, Demi, called “Warrior.”

In an interview with Billboard, Lovato said “Warrior” was “the hardest song to write because it was the most vulnerable.”

After celebrating her 21st birthday in Africa, Lovato inked her inner upper forearm with the continent’s outline to commemorate the missionary trip to Kenya she took with Free the Children, where she helped build a school.

“I went there for my 21st birthday. I went to Kenya and it was just a very, very inspirational journey that I feel like really had a huge impact on my life,” she told iHeart Radio in 2014. “And, I would’ve gotten Kenya but then people would have been like, ‘What’s that?’ So Africa’s a little more distinct.”

Lovato has the words “Let Go & Let God” across her feet. She’s never publicly spoken about the tattoo’s meaning, but we think it’s safe to assume that they have to do with her Christian faith.

Yet another roman numeral tattoo for Lovato, this one is a long list of birthdays on her side, each representing a close family member: From top to bottom: her mom’s, Dianna de la Garza (Aug. 8, 1962); her older sister, Dallas Lovato (Feb. 4, 1988); her younger half-sister, Madison de la Garza (Dec. 28, 2001); her stepdad, Eddie de la Garza (Feb. 14, 1963); and her biological father, Patrick Lovato (Oct. 23, 1960).

Lovato has always been open about her faith, so it was no surprise when she got a tattoo of a cross on her hand. She confirmed on On Air With Ryan Seacrest that she got it because she’s a devout Christian.

This is one of Lovato’s tattoos we don’t get to see often. She has another feather, this one small and blue, behind her left ear.

In this picture, you get a Lovato at Demi’s “Peace” tattoo on the inner middle finger on her left hand. She also has the words “Rock n Roll” on her left hand in the same spot, said to represent her love for music. Even though she’s said she has a high pain tolerance, Lovato admitted that of all her tattoos, these two “hurt” the most.

Buddy was Lovato’s beloved dog, whom she lost in a tragic accident in 2015. Because her furry friend was like a child to her, Lovato got the ink in kids’ handwriting.

She debuted it on Snapchat in April 2017 and has yet to discuss its meaning. We’re thinking it might have something to do with the second trip she took to Kenya in January 2017.