Grimes unveils 'beautiful alien scars' tattoo covering her back

Canadian musician Grimes has unveiled a huge new tattoo covering her entire back that she has described as "beautiful alien scars".

She posted a photo to Instagram of her new inking, which spans the length and width of her back with a tangle of lines and swirls.

Grimes wrote: "Don’t have a good pic cuz it hurts too much and I need to sleep haha, and it’ll be red for a few wks , but gna be beautiful alien scars."

Read more: Elon Musk says Grimes has a much bigger parenting role than him

She also wrote in her caption that the tattoo had been completed in white ink, which is expected to look like scarring once the red swollen lines have calmed down.

It is the latest addition to her tattoo collection, which also features designs on her arms and hands.

Grimes welcomed her first child with her partner, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, last year but raised eyebrows with their unusual choice of name.

The couple announced their new baby's name was X Æ A-12 Musk, leaving people scratching their heads as to how it was pronounced.

New mum Grimes, real name Claire Elise Boucher, explained on Instagram: "It’s just X, like the letter X. Then AI. Like how you said the letter A then I."

But Musk told podcast host Joe Rogan: "I mean it’s just X, the letter X. And then the Æ is, like, pronounced ‘Ash’… and then A-12. A-12 is my contribution."

Explaining their choice, Grimes said that X stood for "the unknown variable", Æ was elven language for AI, standing for artificial intelligence and also the word "love" in various languages, and A-12 was a tribute to the couple's favourite aircraft.

She said: "A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent."

However, Canadian law requires parents to register their children's names using only the 26-letter alphabet, so the A-12 reference proved problematic.

They later announced the name had been changed to X Æ A-Xii Musk, and when an Instagram follower asked Grimes about the different spelling, she replied: "Roman numerals. Looks better tbh."

Watch: Elon Musk and Grimes announce unique baby name