A Closer Look at Sam Smith's 36+ Tattoos

Smith has an anchor inked at the center of the neck, above their collarbones. They offered the meaning behind their tattoo, which they claimed to be their favorite when chatting with SiriusXM. "I've got my little anchor on my neck, which I love, which symbolizes me and my beautiful fans and my singing and stuff like that, so I love that."

Smith has an intricate artwork of a rose blossoming out of a heart that sits on the inside of their right forearm, which they said in an interview is an ode to a poet they love, Emma Bunton.

The Grammy-winning singer has a script tattoo reading "TPH-50HR" inked at their nape. Though it may appear a cryptic code at first, the abbreviation of this ink is a sweet homage to Smith's childhood home. The initials stand for "The Pink House – 50 Heydon House," which is the address to the house where they grew up with two siblings and parents.

Sam Smith's Puffer Fish Tattoo

Among the latest additions to their ever-growing tattoo collection is a puffer fish design that sits on their left forearm. When host Jennifer Hudson asked them the inspiration behind permanently inking a fish onto their skin, they jokingly replied, "I don't know, honestly." They further went into their "reckless" tattoo selection process. "I'm quite reckless. I like, just, on the day of, 'let's go for it; just do it,' because I've got so many bad ones that I just don't care anymore."

The word "Honesty" is inked on the backside of Smith's left arm, near their elbow. They shared the poignant meaning behind the piece in a now-deleted Instagram post, saying that it serves as a reminder for them to continue to remain honest in their artistry. "This is what I promise to be in my music. It's what I live by. In the words of @mariamena_official 'Honesty is my God,'" they captioned the post at the time.

Smith has another anchor ink on their left wrist, which they got as a touching tribute to their fans, whom they adoringly refer to as the "Little Sailors." While joining British GQ's series "Actually Me" in Oct 2022, the English singer-songwriter explained the sentimental significance behind the design. "When I was 18, I wrote a song called "Little Sailor." That song was a catalyst for my career, really. So I thought it was cool to call my fans Little Sailors," they shared, adding, "And also, an anchor really is a symbol of grounding. It means love."

Smith has, as they put it, a "sexy strawberry" design on their left thigh. "I've got a sexy strawberry on one of my thighs," they beamed as they shared. "It's a strawberry, and she's in, like, heels and fishnets, and she's got a bra. Yeah, it's great."

Smith has an ink of a spitfire plane on their right ankle, which they seemingly got on a whim. "I got a Spitfire plane, dunno why, when I was drunk in Malia," they joked about the design, adding, "I wanna look a bit scary. I like when the tattoos look a bit, like, masc, but they actually have nice, friendly undertones."

In a recent talk with SiriusXM, they added that this was their first-ever tattoo and explained the funny story behind how they landed on the final design. "I got my first ever tattoo – it was so weird. I was drunk at 17 in Greece, and I had these earrings that were like diamond Spitfires – fake diamond Spitfires – and I got a Spitfire on my ankle, which is just so weird," they shared.