Tattoo Talks: Marz23, Taiwanese rockstar and emo rapper

Lifestyle Asia’s Tattoo Talks explores the connection and stories behind people and their tattoos. For our next episode, we speak to Marz23, the Taiwanese rockstar making waves in the Asian rock scene. His ink embodies what the punk or emo genre is all about — a little rebellious, a little impulsive, but full of genuine emotion and connection.

It’s not uncommon to find rockstars with ink all over their body. Marz23 is no different. Boasting two full sleeves, more on his torso and legs, and even one on his face, the singer-rapper has quite a few tattoos to talk about. When asked how many he’s accumulated, he says, “I can’t tell you. That’s a hard question.”

His tattoo journey started when he was 19. Together with his sister, he went to Taipei’s Shilin Night Market to get their first tattoos together. “Our parents would kill us if we got a tattoo,” he reminisced, “so we were just like, ‘What if we get it together and we will be fine?‘ And that was it, we got our first tattoo in the night market.”

For his first piece of ink, Marz23 chose a flash of a guitar covering his left bicep. “For the people who are really into rock music or play an instrument, I think it’s really normal to get a tattoo of a guitar or bass or something,” he said. Initially, it was black and white, but a few days later, he went back and added red to the guitar body.

As expected, their parents were not too happy about it. “If I got one tattoo, my father wouldn’t talk to me for like, one week. If I got another tattoo, he wouldn’t talk to me for another week,” he laughed. His parents’ displeasure didn’t stop him from getting more, though. “My mom would say ‘Hey, you’ve gotten enough, don’t get more,’ and I would go, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ but y’know. It’s okay, she’ll be fine.”

Despite the struggle to get them, he ended up regretting his first and second tattoos the most. His second tattoo shows an eagle carrying a motorcycle wheel, with the words “RIDE OR DIE” above it. His friend did the piece and designed it based on their love for biker culture. However… “This is really terrible,” he joked. “Now, my friend’s really good, but at that time, this was his first tattoo. He hadn’t practised yet.” We all start somewhere, right?

That wasn’t the only time his body became a canvas for someone still learning. On his knee, you’ll find a small piece that says “STAY EMO.” During his shoot in L.A. for Waste My Time, he met a tattoo artist who offered her services. When she returned to do it, she revealed she had just started her career as a tattoo artist and was super nervous. She downed an entire bottle of vodka and got drunk before doing the tattoo. “This is a terrible tattoo, but for us, this is a good memory,” he said. “It’s so dumb, but rock and roll.”

Not all his tattoos are so impulsive. One of his favourites is a chocolate chip cookie on his right forearm. While he might not seem like the type, Marz23 used to run an online shop where he sold his home-baked cookies. For those who want to try his baking, unfortunately, he doesn’t sell his cookies anymore. However, he still carries a reminder of it on his body.

Gracing the right side of his hairline is “0731,” which Marz23 considers his most important tattoo. They commemorate the release date of his song, Fail With You, which is perhaps one of his most emotional songs. “Sometimes we feel lost, we feel like breaking into pieces, we feel like no one’s going to appreciate what you did, and nobody cares what you do,” he explained.

He continued, “For me, I think we can celebrate ourselves, like, ‘Hey, you made it through everything.’ You’re the best, and you can focus on what you love. Just keep being yourself.” The song and tattoo serve as a reminder to himself of that hope and comfort, pushing him to continue taking on the world.

In the future, we might see a new piece of ink that will be just as important to Marz23. “I might get a tattoo about my son,” he said. “I’m still thinking about it, but maybe I’ll get something about him.”

Director/Editor: Ryan Putranto
Interviewer/Producer: Johanna Muliani

Special thanks to Monster Energy and Eaton Hotel Hong Kong.