Singer Kelsy Karter’s new face ink is not real, according to the New Zealand native.
In a YouTube video published on Thursday (Jan. 31), Karter admitted that the large tattoo on her cheek of Harry Styles‘ face was a hoax to promote her latest single about the former One Directioner titled “Harry.”
“In April of 2018, I was going through the hardest time of my life,” Karter explained in the video with the song playing in the background. “My dog Diva died. My relationship ended. And the last thing I wanted to do was write another sad song about it. Ant saw Harry on my lockscreen and said: ‘Let’s write a song about him instead.’ So we did.”
The upbeat track features her love letter to the heartthrob, “Harry, I’m gonna make you love me/ You’re gonna make me breakfast/ It’s a secret just between us/ We can keep it low-key, I ain’t bein’ funny/ You should be so lucky/ To put your, put your velvet arms around me.”
The video depicts the process of writing and producing the track and shooting the 70s themed video, as well as how her team came to the conclusion that they would release the song on Styles’ birthday (Feb. 1). “What would the rock legends that inspired me have done in 2019?” she wrote in the video. “Let’s tattoo Harry Styles face… on my face.”
With the help of a celebrity tattoo artist, Romeo Lacoste, they pulled it off. Then Karter took to social media to show off the ink and in a matter of days made worldwide headlines. “Every major publication and news outlet in the world covered the story, and more importantly, the song. I had your attention,” she wrote, adding a winky face to the text.
After meticulously detailing the process, Karter concluded the video by writing that the good-natured stunt was all about the music. “I love that Harry has introduced rock to a new generation of fans,” she said. “Plus he’s nice to look at. This has always been about Rock & Roll. ‘Harry’ is an anthem for the fans. The tattoo is gone. All that’s left is the music.”
Check out Karter’s full video below while you listen to her song “Harry.”