Lana Del Rey's tattoos help her feel less lonely.

The 'Born To Die' singer has revealed she recently got 'Nina & Billie' inked across her chest because having the names of her jazz influences and favourite authors on her body makes her feel connected to people during the loneliest times of her life.

She said: ''I've been touring for the last three years and it gets lonely. That's the reason I really only have script on my body; I've got Nabokov and Whitman and things like that. I just like the idea of carrying someone with me on the road.

''So I'm bringing Nina [Simone] and Billie [Holiday] on the road. I like doing good luck scripture stuff every year that stays with me. Because you're alone a lot.''

The sultry star's videos 'West Coast' and 'Shades Of Cool' even feature her tattoo artist Mark Mahoney, and Lana, 27, admits she owes everything to him and thinks of him as the ideal man.

She said while appearing on France Inter radio station's 'Laura Leishman Project' show: ''He's the biggest inspiration in my life. He's my tattoo artist, he did Biggie and Tupac in the 90s. For me, moving to LA and not knowing anyone, just knowing he worked up the street on Sunset Boulevard made me feel a lot less lonely.

''When I met him he was very cool, giving, and serene and kind. And that's definitely the quality of person I'm looking for.''