Kelsea Ballerini And Boyfriend Chase Stokes Get Matching Tattoos
This set of new ink brings the country star’s tattoo total to eight.

Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini; Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for CMT
Kelsea Ballerini is showing off her new set of fine-line tattoos in an Instagram story.
“Thanks for adding to my little skin scrapbook again…you’re just the best,” she wrote alongside the shared post that reveals her newest set of ink to be an outline of a butterfly on one arm and the Virgo symbol on the other arm.
Coordinating Ink
The delicate artwork was done by Michelle Santana, who posted the image of both Ballerini’s new ink as well as her boyfriend, Chase Stokes’ newest additions to his body. These photos revealed the couple got matching Virgo tattoos with the only difference being that the songstress included a small star under her symbol.

This isn’t the first time Ballerini has gotten artwork done by Santana. Back in September, the “Penthouse” singer attended the 2023 MTV VMAs alongside Stokes. While posing with her man on the red carpet, the Tennessee native’s stunning red Mônot gown with a deep open back showed off her delicate hummingbird tattoo that was done in one of NYC’s most popular tattoo shops, Bang Bang.
“She’s incredible. She’s getting her debut on the VMAs. I’m so excited,” Ballerini told POPSUGAR in an interview with Covergirl as she boasted about the tattoo artist’s work.
How Many Tattoos Does Kelsea Ballerini Have?
With her newest round of ink, this brings the Grammy-nominated artist’s total number of tattoos to eight. Her first was acquired in 2014 in the form of the cursive script “How sweet the sound” written horizontally on the inside of her left wrist. The story behind this tattoo is that it was done somewhat spontaneously due to the fact that she was about to take part in her first-ever photoshoot following the release of her debut single, “Love Me Like You Mean It.”
She later admitted that she felt panicked about wanting to have a tattoo and feared that if she got one after the shoot, fans would think, “She’s going off the deep end.”
What Is The Tattoo On Kelsea Ballerini?
So ahead of the photo shoot, Ballerini impulsively decided to pay tribute to the first solo song she performed in her church choir growing up, “Amazing Grace.” These sentimental lyrics were not only a major part of her upbringing, but it’s also part of an experience that helped inspire her passion for music
“It was just this youthfully innocent way of saying, ‘I’ve got to be who I am from the beginning of this,’” Ballerini told Shape back in 2021. “A lot of artists and public people have a persona that they step into, but I can’t do that. I don’t want any surprises. I just want it all to be out there.”
“Square Pegs”
Ballerini’s next tattoo was also inspired by a song, but this time it was one of her own. She paid homage the powerful narrative of her 2015 single “Square Pegs” off her debut album The First Time, with a very small square peg inside a round hole to reflect the song title. The award-winning singer/songwriter also previously shared that this piece of artwork that sits on the inside of her left wrist commemorated another milestone moment in her career.
“Honestly, I got it with a group of 12 people drunkenly after I played my first headline show up the Troubadour. So that’s that,” she stated.
“Love Love”
One of her most sentimental and meaningful tattoos to date is probably the text placed on her right rib cage that reads, “Love Love.” The cursive handwriting was pulled from a letter her parents’ wrote her around the time her first single dropped.
“It said, ‘Love, Mom; Love, Dad,’” she told Pop Sugar. “And so, I was in New Orleans when the song went number one, and I took the ‘Love’s from the letters, and I put them side by side on my ribs.”
Diving Into A New Ink Journey
Kelsea Ballerini Gets a new tattoo. pic.twitter.com/lYw7AkqMf4
— Nzeora (@NzeoraHQ) January 20, 2023
The majority of Ballerini’s tattoos have been done throughout 2023, starting off with her fourth tattoo, a small wave on her left hip. She debuted this piece during an Instagram Q&A at the start of the year when a fan asked if she had gotten any new ink. The image featured Ballerini posing in front of a mirror wearing a green bikini that sat just above the tattoo.
“I got a little wave on my hip,” she said in response to the question. “I’ve been wanting it since 2016 and just randomly one day did it. it’s my fourth little baby tat.”
She also added that she was eager to add to her collection but wasn’t too sure her mom would be too keen on the idea.
“kinda want more. kinda don’t want my mom to kill me,” she wrote.

“Mountain With A View”
It turns out her desire to get more tattoos won because in July of 2023, she shared yet another piece of ink via social media. The Instagram post contained a slideshow of images documenting the recent highlights of her life at the time and featured was an image of her blocking the sun with her left forearm. This is also when fans caught a clear glimpse of the simple design of a scenic mountain view with birds and a shining sun located just above the peaks.
This tattoo also represents an important chapter of her musical career as it was inspired by the song “Mountain With A View” off Ballerini’s latest incredibly personal EP, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. The collection includes tracks that helped her heal from the aftermath of her divorce from fellow country singer/songwriter, Morgan Evans.
“It was just a really important moment for me, just personally. So got that,” she explained.

With every piece of ink that Kelsea Ballerini has added to her “skin scrapbook,” she’s preserved a period of time or a special moment in her life that she wants to remember forever. As time goes on, these tattoos also reflect her growth both personally and as an artist. Even the ones that may have come from a more difficult chapter, Ballerini says she has no regrets.
“I stand by my life. And so I made the decision to get this when I made it,” she stated. “I think if things no longer suit you, you’re allowed to change your mind.”
Kelsea Ballerini is currently preparing to return to her hometown of Knoxville, Tenn. for the biggest headlining concert of her career. The sold-out show is set to take place on November 2 at Knoxville’s Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
Special guests include Ingrid Andress and Georgia Webster.
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.