Dedicated fans of Grimes might know that the avant-garde musician has a singular sense of artistry that extends well beyond her music. The pop star recently expanded their ever-evolving tattoo collection by debuting two new designs in June – a massive piece of ink that spans nearly her entire left leg and a smaller ear tattoo. (The latter of which brought her closer than she’s even been to getting a face tattoo, she tweeted after the fact.)
In addition to these two new designs, Grimes has at least 25 known tattoos. Though several pieces in her collection share a running theme of alien scars, including her white-ink chest and back markings, it might surprise you that most of her tattoos are born out of spur-of-the-moment decisions. “I never decide until 10 minutes before I’m getting a tattoo what it’s going to be,” she shared in a 2016 story with Teen Vogue. Grimes frequently works with tattooists, such as Delphine Noiztoy, Jancob, and Nusi Quero, to come up with ideas for her new ink, but they’ve also given themselves multiple stick-and-poke tattoos.
Because Grimes has increased her total number of tattoos exponentially in recent years, it might be hard for fans to keep track of all of their designs. So, we’ve created an ultimate guide, allowing you to revisit almost all of Grime’s tattoos that she’s gotten over the years. From her LOTR-inspired Elvish script ink to her prominent brush stroke-style leg design, take a closer look at her eccentric ink collection and learn what all of them mean to the singer, ahead.
Getty / Dominique Charriau
Grimes’s Dagger Calf Tattoo
On the inside of her left calf, Grimes got a dagger tattooed in black ink, which she later partially covered with her massive brush-stroke style tattoo.
Getty / Vivien Killilea
Grimes’s Chest Tattoo
Grimes has another white-ink tattoo on her chest, which is thematically an extension of her full-back white-ink design. It features symmetrical curvy lines that intersect at the center of her sternum. This tattoo, the artist shared in her Instagram Story in February 2022, is her “long slow effort to have a full alien body,” adding that she’d like to be “totally covered in white ink.”
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Grimes’s “The Legend of Zelda” Arm Tattoo
The Triforce symbol from the popular video game series “The Legend of Zelda” can be seen on the singer’s left forearm, which she got as a matching tattoo with her brothers. “‘The Legend of Zelda’ was the first video game me and my brothers ever got, and so we all got matching Triforce tattoos,” she told Bullett Media in a 2012 interview.
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Grimes’s Head Tattoo
Tucked into Grimes’s hair behind her right ear are three horizontal black lines.
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Grimes’s Brushwork Cross Cover-up Tattoo
Grimes used to have a solid black cross tattoo on her right wrist, which she later modified with a brush-stroke style cross. Speaking with Teen Vogue in a 2016 cover story, she shared that she “wanted to cover up a really bad tattoo that I got when I was younger.” Further explaining the design, she said, “I’m not religious, but I grew up religious, so it’s a comforting image to me.”
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Grimes’s Ribcage Tattoo
Taking inspiration from Norse mythology, Grimes got the runic alphabet inscribed over her right ribcage. Done by Delphine Noiztoy in November 2016, the ink includes the symbol “ᚷᛈᚫ ᚷᛗᚫ,” which translates to the English letters “gpa gma.” The significance of this tattoo isn’t known.
Getty / Kevin Mazur/MG18
Grimes’s "Фай" Knee Tattoo
In September 2017, Grimes gave herself another tattoo with a stick-and-poke kit at home. Placed horizontally above her right knee are three Cyrillic alphabets, “Фай,” which translates to “faé,” an archaic way of referring to a group of “fairies.”
