Ari Staprans Leff, known as Lauv, has a tattoo collection that ranges from tiny black marks to colourful drawings. He has discussed a few pieces in interviews, while photographs show more of the designs.
Lauv’s Myspace tattoo preserves his online beginning
British GQ identified the Myspace logo behind Lauv’s ear and connected it to the online audience he built early in his music career. The mark is easy to miss unless his hair is short or he turns the side of his head toward the camera.
The Korean forearm lettering turns a joke into a documented design
In 2022, Lauv showed 맛살 on his forearm, the Korean word for “crab stick,” with a small heart beside it. Vogue Hong Kong discussed the tattoo, and Korean entertainment coverage shared a close-up of the simple black lettering among his other arm ink. It turns an ordinary food word into a deliberately playful design; the heart adds an affectionate note.
The forearm is exposed in sleeveless portraits and performance photos, though a sleeve can cover the word. The tattoo sits among older marks in the close-up.
The arm collection combines symbols, script, and bright illustrative marks
Wide portraits show fine black marks, small symbols, script and loose, brightly coloured drawings across Lauv’s shoulders and arms. A small icon may sit near a larger illustration, while lettering follows a different line along the arm.
The designs sit at different scales and angles. Together, the photographs show a varied arm collection rather than one dense sleeve or a single technique.
The neck and face-area marks make the collection unusually visible
Portraits show tattoos around Lauv’s neck and close to his face, including the Myspace logo behind his ear. The placement keeps some ink visible when a shirt or stage outfit covers his arms.
His public styling has included green hair, purple eyebrows, piercings, jewellery and painted looks. Portraits show those choices alongside the tattoos, which are on his skin rather than temporary makeup.
The collection’s colours and scale change from portrait to portrait
A blue-toned studio portrait shows his arms and shoulder against a plain background; a closer indoor image brings out colourful marks around the arm and face; a concert photo catches the ink under stage lighting. Distance, clothing and light change which details stand out.
Ari Leff’s interviews provide context
Vogue Hong Kong discussed the Korean word and asked about the size of Lauv’s collection. The number has been discussed at different times, so a portrait records one point in an evolving collection rather than a final count.
Lauv’s songs often address love, loneliness, self-worth and mental health, but published accounts don’t tie every tattoo to a lyric or song. The reported context is narrower: an online beginning for the logo and a playful Korean word beside a heart.
What the published images establish
The Myspace logo and the crab-stick joke have specific public context. Other tattoos are best described by what the images show, without guessing at their stories.