If you follow Halsey on Instagram, then you know just how many tattoos the singer has. Or, rather, you know they have a lot, but it's hard to keep track of the exact number because her body art is seemingly never-ending. (Halsey's arms alone hold over 10 pieces of ink.) Every time they post a new selfie or bikini picture, you get a glimpse at the seas of tattoos that cover their entire body.
Unlike some stars who keep their ink hidden, Halsey has always shown off their tattoos and been pretty open about the meaning behind each one. According to our calculations, the singer has over 43 tattoos, making them one of the most decorated stars [1]. Some of Halsey's tattoos are self-explanatory — like the word "NIGHTMARE," one of their hit songs, tattooed on their spine — but other pieces of artwork are more obscure. They also have two tiny stars on the side of their head [2] and a small cartoon with a thought bubble that says, "I wonder if they'll remember me," on their forearm — however, they're hard to see in photographs. Many of Halsey's tattoos are done in either the fine-line style [3] or the old-school traditional look [4].
If you're curious about what Halsey's tattoos mean, we rounded up all of them ahead. Keep reading for a complete guide to Halsey's tattoos and their meanings.
Halsey's Bjenny Montero Tattoo
On the inside of Halsey's right arm is a bird tattoo by artist Bjenny Montero. The design features a thought bubble that reads, "I wonder if they'll remember me."
Halsey's Baby Ankle Tattoo
Halsey's ankle features a tiny illustration of what appears to be a baby with some text under it, though the exact meaning of the ink is unknown.
Halsey's 4-Leaf Clover Hip Tattoo
Halsey debuted a four-leaf clover tattoo on her hip at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards. It's unclear exactly when they got this design.
Halsey's Ghost and New York Yankees Arm Tattoos
Directly under the "Heaven in Hiding" tattoo on Halsey's arm is a new tattoo of a ghost with a sad face. Above the "Heaven in Hiding" tattoo is the symbol for the New York Yankees.
Halsey's "F" Hand Tattoo
On the back of their hand, Halsey has a tiny lowercase "F" tattoo. Though she has not released the meaning of it, she did get the piece in 2020.
Halsey's Juice Wrld Tattoo
In July 2020, Halsey got a tattoo that says, "Life's a mess 999," in honor of rapper Juice Wrld, who passed away in December 2019. The tattoo was drawn on her left knuckle by Los Angeles-based artist Noah Lee. Halsey and Juice Wrld collaborated on a song called "Life's a Mess," which was released posthumously on July 6, 2020, and Halsey shared a snippet of it on Instagram that day.
"Juice was one of the greatest people I have ever known, and one of the most brilliant artists we will ever live to witness," the caption reads [5]. "A true genius who had lyric and melody spilling out of him without any second thought or hesitation. And a beautiful soul who believed in spreading love and creating a community for people to feel less alone. It means everything to me that I could be a part of this album. I cried the first time that I heard it. With all the love in my heart, #lljw."
"999," meanwhile, is a reference to Juice Wrld's favorite number, which, as he told MTV back in 2018 [6], is just "666" flipped around, a representation of turning negative situations into positive ones. The rapper had the number tattooed on his forearm.
Halsey's "Nightmare" Tattoo
Halsey's "NIGHTMARE" tattoo on their upper spine is from 2018 and is for their hit song.
Halsey's "Heaven in Hiding" Tattoo
"Heaven in Hiding" is the name of one of Halsey's songs on her album "Hopeless Fountain Kingdom."
Halsey's Playboy Jeans Tattoo
Halsey got a tattoo of Playboy jeans tattoo on her arm after she did a photoshoot for the brand and was criticized for it by a fan. "When I posted about my Playboy cover, someone commented, 'Oh, you showed your tits in Playboy but you call yourself a feminist?" she told Marie Claire [11]. "I was like, 'Yeah, dude.'"
Halsey's "BRA" Tattoo
The word "BRAT" is written in cursive on Halsey's right arm. According to Cosmopolitan [12], it's said to refer to their teenage years and a nickname from their parents.
Halsey's "Hopeless" Tattoo
Halsey's "Hopeless" butt tattoo is a reference to their album "Hopeless Fountain Kingdom."
Halsey's "EVERYTHING" Portrait Tattoo
Halsey has a simple outline portrait tattoo on her arm for Lido. It's in honor of his 2016 album "Everything."
Halsey's Dice Tattoo
In 2016, Halsey got a matching dice tattoo with LANY band member Paul Klein [13] after joining him on stage as a guest performer.
Halsey's Kissing Tattoo
Halsey has never revealed if there's a hidden meaning behind their minimalist thigh tattoo of two people kissing, but it's a pretty illustration.
Halsey's Butterfly Tattoo
There's a large butterfly tattoo on Halsey's left forearm because, "I just think they have a cool power," she told Marie Claire [14].
Halsey's Mars Tattoo
Halsey got a matching tattoo of Venus and Mars with their friend in 2015. "I got Mars because I met a guy on tour that I became really good friends with, and his birthday is on my half birthday, and I'm a Libra. So my ruling planet is Venus, and his ruling planet is Mars, which are also opposites," she told iHeartRadio [15].
Halsey's Sheet Music Tattoo
It's speculated that the music sheet tattoo on the back of Halsey's arm is for producer Lido.
Halsey's Match Tattoo
Halsey has a match tattoo on her forearm that she got with three fans in 2015. They explained [16] that they picked people at random on Twitter and got "match-ing tattoos" with them.
Halsey's "Serendipity" Tattoo
"Serendipity" means "the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way." Halsey got this tattoo with her mom in 2014.
Halsey's "FEROX" Tattoo
Hidden somewhere on Halsey's thigh is a tattoo that says "FEROX. In a tweet from 2014 [17], they explained, "It means 'fierce' in Latin and it was given to me with a sewing needle, India ink, and a lot of vodka."
Halsey's Horseshoe and Flower Tattoo
On Halsey's right upper arm, she has a tattoo of a horseshoe and flower that she got in 2014. "In tattoo culture, you're not supposed to tattoo a horseshoe upside down because it means all the luck is spilling out, so it's actually bad luck," she told iHeartRadio [18]. "I got an upside-down horseshoe to signify that I don't need luck."
Halsey's Little Prince-Inspired Tattoo
Halsey has four symbols on their left thigh that are inspired by a book they love titled "Little Prince."
Halsey's “These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends” Tattoo
"These violent delights have violent ends," is a phrase from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet and Halsey has it inked on her forearm.
Halsey's "511" Tattoo
The "511" on the back of Halsey's arm is for her little brother's birthday.
Halsey's Marilyn Mason Tattoo
On Halsey's side, she has a portrait of Marilyn Manson because she just loves him so much, she shared on Twitter [19].
Halsey's Star Wars Mythosaur Skull Tattoo
Clearly a big Star Wars fan, Halsey has a mythosaur tattoo on her inner arm. "It's a Mandalorian emblem and it's a deep cut Star Wars reference," she told iHeartRadio [20].
Halsey's Knife and Belt Tattoo
Halsey got this knife and belt tattoo on her leg by tattoo artist Emily Malice [21] in September 2014.
Halsey's OM Tattoo
On her left arm, Halsey has the OM symbol which is Sanskrit for the sound of the universe.
Halsey's Anchor Foot Tattoo
Halsey's foot tattoo is of a colorful anchor with the initials NCF in the middle. She got the ink when she was a teen and it's for her mom.
Halsey's "XXX" Hand Tattoo
Halsey addressed the "XXX" tattoo on her right hand and the sentimental meaning behind it in an interview with iHeartRadio [23]. They revealed it has two meanings. "My grandma used to do x's for my brothers and I, so it's me and my two brothers," she said. "But it kind of turned into a different meaning, because it almost means like a parental advisory, like it's an explicit thing."