After years of being recognized for her signature ink, Kehlani is now in the process of removing some of her most noticeable tattoos.
The “Folded” singer spoke about it during a recent interview with Inked, revealing around the 1:40 mark that she’s having her “face tattoos removed.” Kehlani has several tattoos on her face, including a paper airplane. (“It just reminds me: if I’m having a down moment, I don’t have to spiral. I can choose to float gracefully through it and feel my feelings and ride it out,” she previously explained.)
“I am almost done,” the singer said about the removal process. “They’re almost gone. I think as I’m getting older, I like the ability to feel really fresh and fresh-faced and also play with my look a lot and play with how my face changes and things like that.
“And when you have tattoos on your face, you’re kind of stuck looking a certain way,” she added.
The R&B singer also shared that her tattoos tend to “introduce” her before she even gets a chance to “walk into a room.” “And as I’m getting older, I’m feeling softer. And sometimes I walk in the room with my face tats and it’s like, ‘Grrr!’” she joked. “And I’m like, ‘Wait guys, I just want to sit and talk to you at the park.’”
The 31-year-old added that some members of her Tsunami Mob fanbase have gotten the same tattoos she has. While she sees it as flattering, she noted that those fans might be in for a shock soon.
“A lot of people come to the shows and they’re like, ‘Look, I got the paper airplane, too.’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, you guys are going to feel crazy because that is not even about to be here. Give it two more months,’” Kehlani said.
When it comes to her larger tattoos, though, Kehlani made it clear she won’t be removing them, saying laser removal “hurts way too bad.”
Comedian Pete Davidson is currently on a similar tattoo removal path, having decided to erase much of his ink after going through rehab.
“I’ll be removing them ’til I’m 40. But it sucks. If anybody is actually thinking about getting a tattoo, I would recommend thinking about it for a couple years, ’cause your feelings change,” Davidson said during an August 2025 episode of The Breakfast Club.
