Pop star Lana Del Rey recently made waves for wishing “she was dead already,” like Amy Winehouse and Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, and the 28-year-old has also revealed that she got many of her more recent tattoos in an effort to “cure” her loneliness and make her feel connected to other people. Lana Del Rey’s tattoo reading “Nina & Billie,” for example, was inked on the upper left part of her chest as a tribute to her favorite singers, Nina Simone and Billie Holliday, who Lana says she is bringing on the road with her…in the form of ink.
Lana Del Rey, whose debut album was titled Born to Die, has been slammed recently for “romanticizing” death, telling the British newspaper The Guardian in an interview that “If it wasn’t that way, then I wouldn’t say it. I would be scared if I knew [death] was coming, but…” At the same time, the singer has admitted that she struggled in the past with unexplained illness and mental health problems, and the fact that she recently confirmed her split from long-time boyfriend Barrie-James O’Neill probably doesn’t help either.
“I’ve been touring for the last three years and it gets lonely,” Lana recently admitted. “That’s the reason I really only have script [tattoos] 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.” Lana also elaborated on “curing” her loneliness with the “Nina & Billie” tattoo on her chest, saying, “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.”
Lana Del Rey has several tats in addition to the “Nina & Billie” ink on her chest, including a tattoo reading “trust no one” on the side of her right hand, a letter “M” tattoo on her left hand, and the word “paradise” inked on the side of her left hand, much like Adele’s “paradise” hand tattoo. Obviously, tattoos hold an important personal meaning for the pop star, and even her go-to tattoo artist, Mark Mahoney of the Shamrock Social Club in Hollywood, plays a major role in her personal and professional life.
Mahoney, who has also inked the likes of Lady Gaga and Rihanna, made an appearance in Lana Del Rey’s music videos for “West Coast” and “Shades of Cool,” and the pop star says that she owes everything to him, calling him the ideal man. “He’s the biggest inspiration in my life. He’s my tattoo artist, he did Biggie and Tupac in the 90’s. For me, moving to L.A. and not knowing anyone, just knowing he worked up the street on Sunset Boulevard made me feel a lot less lonely.”
So, what do you think of Lana Del Rey’s tattoos and her desire to die young like Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain? Let us know in the comments section below!
