Demi Lovato has a lot of tattoos, and almost every single one of her designs is rooted in deeper meaning. As if the singer’s music and story of recovery aren’t inspiring enough, the collection of tattoos covering everything from her fingers to her arms to her ribs is more motivating than a two-hour TED talk (and a lot more fun to look at).
Lovato got her first tattoo when she was just 16 and has since added over 20 other designs to her lineup. Take a closer look, and you’ll notice that every single one is like a landmark in the singer’s personal history, chronicling everything from her career come-up and emotional and physical struggles with bulimia and addiction to her public missteps and successful comebacks. Her tattoos are a masterclass in meaningful body art — and you can check them all out, ahead.
Dreamcatcher
Lovato is no stranger to expanding and evolving her older tattoos. She got her first — “You make me beautiful” on the right side of her rib cage — in 2008, then added the two feathers just below the quote a few years later. In 2016, she visited Bang Bang studio in New York to finish off the design with a massive dreamcatcher.
Feather
Lovato added the feather tattoo behind her ear while on a tour bus for the Warped Tour festival back in 2010. She later admitted to Hollywood Life that the design doesn’t really mean anything; she just got it because it was cute.Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.
“Stay Strong”
After finishing treatment for “emotional and physical issues” in early 2011, Lovato added the words “stay” and “strong” to each of her wrists, respectively. Not long after, Lovato opened up about her struggle with eating disorders and self-harm, explaining that the tattoos are a message to stay strong and serve to cover the physical scars on her wrists.Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images.
Rose Cover-Up
A few months later, Lovato added a lip imprint to her left wrist, right underneath the word “stay,” with a few of her friends. By 2015, Lovato had the kiss mark covered up with a rose. She added a second rose to the cover-up tattoo a year later.
Cross
Lovato also added a black cross to the outside of her right hand as a tribute to her faith in 2011.Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.
“Peace” & “Rock N Roll”
Lovato became a fast fan of finger tattoos after adding the word “peace” to her left middle finger and “rock n roll” to her right middle finger in 2011. These are the singer’s tiniest tattoos to date.Photo: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images.
“Faith”
Lovato got this straightforward tattoo in late 2011 on her right arm, reportedly alongside a friend she met in treatment earlier that year.
“Let Go & Let God”
Lovato waited nearly a year to add her next quote tattoo. Fans started to notice the ink in late 2012, spotting the words “let go [and]” on her right foot and “let God” on her left.Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.
Flock Of Birds
One of Lovato’s most recognisable tattoos — a flock of 12 birds on her right arm — came less than two months later, courtesy of Kat Von D. Lovato later explained that the number of birds, which she chose at random, was a happy accident she now considers meaningful and representative of the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step recovery program she’s been a part of.
“Now I’m A Warrior”
In 2013, Lovato visited Bang Bang again to add “Now I’m a warrior” to the back of her shoulder, a snippet of lyrics from the song “Warrior” off her 2013 eponymous album Demi. “[The tattoo] was kind of like a tribute to releasing the album as well as overcoming some really, really difficult things in my life,” she later explained on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.Photo: Frazer Harrison/AMA2015/Getty Images.
“III”
Lovato also added a Roman numeral “III” to her left wrist as a tribute to her late father, Patrick Lovato. Although they weren’t close for most of her life, Lovato explained to Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show in 2013 that she wanted to honour him in a positive way, so she got his favourite number.
Outline Of Africa
Lovato got a delicate outline of Africa on the inside of her right arm just after spending her 21st birthday in Kenya.Photo: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic.
Roman Numerals
She added five dates in Roman numerals to her left ribcage in 2014 courtesy of Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy, signifying the birthdays of her mother Dianna, her older sister Dallas, her younger half-sister Madison, her step-father Eddie, and her biological father Patrick.Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images.
“Buddy Was Here”
In 2015, Lovato’s dog Buddy tragically died after a coyote reportedly got into her backyard. Not long after sharing the news, Lovato got the words “Buddy was here” in child-like handwriting on the inside of her left foot. By 2019, she added another tribute to the late pup in the form of a detailed portrait tattoo created by LA tattoo artist Dr. Woo just above the older ink.
Lion
Fans are convinced that Lovato’s intricate lion tattoo, which she got in April 2017, is a nod to her zodiac sign, Leo. McCurdy, the artist behind the design, seemingly confirmed the suspicions in his own Instagram post revealing the ink, writing, “Sometimes the canvas makes the art.”
“Free”
A year later, Lovato added the word “free” to her pinky finger not long after revealing she’d broken her six-year sobriety in her song “Sober.” The singer’s hairstylist, manager, personal assistant, makeup artist, and bodyguard also tattooed the word on their fingers in solidarity.
Rose
In January 2019, Lovato visited L.A. artist Daniel Winter to get this tiny rose tattoo on the inside of her finger. “Obsessed,” she wrote in an Instagram revealing the new design. Although Lovato never commented on exactly why she got this floral tattoo in particular, fans suspect it was to celebrate her six months of sobriety.
Great-Grandmother
A few months later, Lovato went to Dr. Woo to get a portrait of her late great-grandmother, who she called “Mimaw,” on her forearm. “This is for you Mimaw,” Lovato wrote on Instagram, showing off the tattoo. “You at 26 on my arm while I’m 26, and forever. I love you more.”
“Me” & Smiley Face
By June, Lovato added “me” to her finger in tiny text. Sure, it may be small, but it sends a big message, one Lovato echoed on Instagram when she first revealed the ink. “Can’t love anyone unless you love yourself first,” she wrote on her Story. She later posted a photo to her feed with the caption, “Me first. Thank you [Winter] for my new forever reminder.”
Three years prior, Lovato added the now-faded smiley face to her pinky finger. “Cause life’s too short not to tattoo your pinky,” she said of the decision.
“Divine Feminine”
Back in February, after her groundbreaking performance at the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl, Lovato gave fans a look at her “Divine Feminine” back piece done by Alessandro Capozzi. “I recently went dark on social media in preparation for my Grammy and Super Bowl performances, but while I was off socials, I got this incredibly meaningful tattoo done,” she captioned the photo, revealing her new art. “Having a fallen angel being lifted by 3, pure, angelic doves (the Holy Trinity) as her inner light is being guided by a higher consciousness, and the disintegration of her dark wings was representing the darkness I was shedding.”
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