NEW DELHI: Now you get tattoos that talk! And according to popular tattoo artist Lokesh Verma, this inking trend (formally known as soundwave tattoos) is rapidly growing. “Soundwave tattoos are very cool. These are more like a coded message which no one else can know; but whenever you feel like hearing the messages or voice of your special one, you can just scan the tattoo and playback,” says Delhi-based Verma, Founder, Devilz Tattooz. He adds that there haven’t been many inventions in the tattoo industry for many years except for the UV tattoos that were still not dynamic. “The idea is borrowed from the QR codes – containing data for a locator, identifier, or tracker that points to a website or application. Similarly, every soundwave is different, and that’s how the idea of a soundwave tattoo came by.”
A soundwave can range between five to 30 seconds. The client can simply record the audio and WhatsApp, or mail it to Verma. “We convert the audio to a soundwave, stencil it, paste it on the skin and ink it. We upload the sound and when you scan the tattoo on your phone it will play the sound,” adds the tattoo artist, who started tattoo making as a hobby and today owns one of the most reputed tattoo brands in India. He is quite popular amongst many celebrities and has a long list of clients, including Bollywood stars and cricketers like Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Tapsee Pannu, Swara Bhaskar, Remo D’Souza to name a few.
Talking about the trend, Verma says, “The trend of soundwave tattoo is really catching up with people, especially with Valentine’s day coming up. Couples don’t want to write their partner’s name or anything traditional and like the idea of the soundwave, something that is personal to them.” Verma has already encountered clients opting for the tattoo with the sound of their pet dog barking!
While there are many tattoo studios popping up in every corner of the city, Verma warns that it is not just the needle that one should be careful of. “Many times, small studios show you the new needle but even the tube in which the needle goes needs to be changed every time. Another aspect is that while working on the tattoo, many artists tend to touch their cellphones and other items but that might cause problems with your tattoo. The process of tattoo making is similar to surgery and except for the tattoo machine, nothing should be touched. To raise more awareness, we have videos on our website and social media handles,” adds Verma.
Verma, who opened his studio in GK1 in 2008 and in Gurugram in 2013 and taught many people how to make tattoos, says, “Today, we have 13 artists working as a team, learning from each other, and this is just the beginning of many more decades to come.”