Lady GaGa has unveiled a new prison-style tattoo.

The 'Applause' singer paid a trip to Brazilian tattoo artist Daniel Tucci during her recent trip to Rio De Janeiro where she opted to get the word ''Rio'' etched onto the nape of her neck.

In a picture posted to Twitter, the 27-year-old singer is seen scrapping up her shaved hairstyle onto the top of her head to reveal the inking, which a fan had designed for her.

Daniel - who owns King Seven Tattoo parlour in Copacabana - said: ''Gaga came to me and said she wanted a tattoo that looked like something done in a prison - edgy, grey, I suppose a bit scary.''

''She wanted a design that a fan had given her, the word 'Rio' where the letter 'I' was the Christ.

''She told me she wanted it to look like a prison tattoo, not a nice design, a bit shadowy. 'Like something done in prison,' was the term she used.

''She didn't want it to look really sharp but more like an amateur tattoo. It's on the back of her neck, just below the hairline - she got her hair especially shaped to show the design.''

''She was laughing with her friend and listening to music all through the inking. She never flinched with the pain.''

While Gaga was keen to add to her collection of tattoos, she reportedly had to seek permission from her boyfriend Taylor Kinney - who she has been dating for two years - before getting the new design.

Daniel added: ''Before getting the tattoo done, she didn't make a move before she called Taylor.

''She asked him if he was OK with what she was doing and when she hung up she said, 'I love my boyfriend so much, he is the right guy for me. He never has a problem with anything I do and I always ask him first ... but I can do whatever I want and he will never complain.' She said he was very cool about the tattoo.''

This week Gaga, 27, revealed the artwork and tracklisting for her new album 'ARTPOP'. The hotly anticipated LP contains a collaboration with R. Kelly, 'Do What U Want'.