Demi Lovato's New Tattoo Has a Powerful Meaning

CBS's Coverage of The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards

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published 12 February 2020

What a comeback it's been for Demi Lovato, who returned to the stage following her 2018 overdose with two astonishing, internet-breaking performances: She debuted emotional new single "Anyone" at the Grammys, then nailed the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. Lovato stopped posting on social media to prepare for her return, adding a new tattoo to her collection while she was offline. On Tuesday, she posted a photo of the intricate new ink on her upper back, just to the right of her "warrior" tattoo, explaining what each aspect symbolized to her.

The tattoo, created by celebrity artist Alessandro Capozzi, depicts three white doves lifting an angel by strings, her wings dissolving as she rises. According to Lovato, she came to Capozzi without a design in mind. "Getting tatted by him was an experience I’ve never had before," she wrote on Instagram. "No idea what I was going to get done, I told him about my life and where I was at in that moment and we created a combination on images that best symbolized the spiritual awakening I was having."

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"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," Lovato explained. Thanking Capozzi (who was introduced to her by new manager Scooter Braun) for his work, she added, "the only bummer is I can’t physically see this amazing artwork because it’s on my back!" A red carpet prediction: Demi's going to be wearing backless dresses galore from now on.

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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.