AleXa Faces and Conquers Heartbreak in ‘Tattoo’

Korean-American pop star AleXa made her first comeback of the year with the single “Tattoo” earlier today. The track is a deviation from the singer-songwriter’s previous releases, moving into a mellower space than her usual choreography-heavy power anthems. 

The English language single sees AleXa tackle heartbreak for the first time and outlines her attempt to forget about a previous relationship and move on. She’s fed up and determined to disconnect from a toxic partner: “What the hell you gonna do?/ You don’t know what I’ve been through/ Such a player/ That’s your nature/ Here we go again/ It’s a road that I’ve been down before/ I ain’t gonna do that shit no more.” As the pop-synth track progresses, she explains she wants to focus on herself and her own identity and strength: “Right now I’m happy doing it alone/ ‘Cuz he can’t give me what I like/ I just found another type/ And it’s me, myself and I.”

The music video for “Tattoo” was filmed in Los Angeles and features clips of the singer walking alone through the city, pondering her own identity and past memories. The video is filled with references to AleXa’s storyline as an A.I. but showcases her attempting to rediscover human emotions and unravel the mystery of her past before becoming an android–another chapter of her 2021 release, “Xtra.” 

“‘Tattoo’ expresses the confusion instead of AleXa as an A.I., where the human emotion of love has been engraved inside of AleXa like a tattoo,” explains Kim Junhong, CEO of ZB Label, in a statement. “Compared to previous singles, the song gives listeners an emotional stimulation with its delicate storyline and lyrics, adding even more to the AleXa A.I. universe. We decided to release the English version first to preserve the original meaning of ‘Tattoo,’ and leave the Korean version open for the future.”