Ink is permanent, but relationships? Not so much. Just ask Zach Bryan and Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia. When they split in October 2024, the internet didn't just pick sides—it started looking for the receipts. And most of those receipts were written in skin.
The Zach Bryan Brianna tattoo situation is a messy masterclass in why you should maybe wait more than a week to get a face tattooed on your body. Honestly, it’s also a lesson in how a single phrase can be "stolen" and turned into a chart-topping hit, only to be thrown back in someone's face a year later.
The Tattoo That Started a War: "How Lucky Are We"
If you’ve seen the phrase "How lucky are we" all over TikTok, you’re looking at the epicenter of the drama.
Most people think this was a cute couple thing. It wasn't. Brianna actually got this tattoo on the back of her arm with a group of friends in Las Vegas about four years ago—long before she ever met Zach. It was a "drunk in Vegas" moment that she cherished as her own thing.
Then came Zach.
After they started dating in mid-2023, the phrase migrated from Brianna’s arm into Zach’s songwriting. He used it as a core lyric in his 2024 hit song "28." To make things even more "entangled," Zach eventually got a matching version of the tattoo.
"That was my thing. That is my tattoo. Now we're matching, okay? Don't get it removed. It's okay. This is mine." — Brianna LaPaglia, TikTok (Nov. 2024)
Kinda wild, right? He took a phrase from her personal life, turned it into a stadium anthem, and then fans started getting the tattoo to support him. After the breakup, Brianna had to go on a mini-press tour just to remind everyone that she had the ink first.
The $12 Million Face Tattoo
Here’s where it gets really intense. Most celebrity couples get initials or a small symbol. Zach went much bigger.
According to Brianna, Zach got a tattoo of her face on his arm less than a week after they started dating. She later characterized this as a "red flag" and a "love bomb."
When the relationship imploded, things turned sour fast. Brianna alleged on the BFFs podcast that Zach’s team offered her a massive $12 million non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to keep quiet about the relationship. She turned it down.
She also claimed he was emotionally abusive and tried to control what she wore and who she hung out with. While Zach has largely stayed quiet about these specific allegations, his music is doing the talking now.
Taking a Blade to the Skin: The 2026 Diss Track
Fast forward to January 2026. Zach Bryan just dropped his sixth studio album, With Heaven on Top. He’s now married to Samantha Leonard, but he clearly hasn't forgotten the ink from his past.
The track "Skin" is a certified burner. In it, he doesn't just mention the tattoos; he describes a literal "cleansing" of them.
- "I'm taking a blade to my old tattoos": A pretty direct reference to the ink he got for Brianna.
- "I'm draining the blood between me and you": High drama, very Zach Bryan.
- "Do you still talk sh*t on all your friends?": This line is likely a jab at the public fallout between Brianna and her long-time co-host, Grace O'Malley.
Basically, Zach is using the album to signal that he is "draining" the relationship out of his system. It's a stone-cold response to Brianna’s public accusations of abuse. He even asks in the song, "How do tattoos take to your skin?"—questioning the permanence of the image she presents to the world.
Why Nobody is Getting Lasered (Yet)
You’d think after a split this toxic, the first stop would be a laser removal clinic. Not necessarily.
Brianna has been very vocal about keeping her "How lucky are we" ink. To her, it represents her friends and her life before the "Zach Bryan era." She’s essentially reclaiming it.
On the other side, Zach’s lyrics suggest he’s ready to cover up or "blade" off his reminders of her. Since he’s now married to Samantha Leonard, having an ex-girlfriend's face on your bicep is... awkward, to say the least.
What This Means for Fans
If you’re one of the thousands of people who got a "How lucky are we" tattoo during the height of their romance, you’re probably feeling a bit of "tattoo regret" right now.
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But here’s the reality:
- Context Matters: Tattoos are markers of a time in your life. Even if the relationship ended badly, the feeling you had when you got the ink was real.
- Reclaiming the Meaning: Do what Brianna did. If the phrase means something to you outside of the celebrity drama, keep it.
- Cover-ups are an Option: If looking at the ink makes you feel gross, modern tattoo artists are wizards. You don't have to live with a "red flag" on your arm forever.
The Zach Bryan Brianna tattoo saga is a reminder that while songs can be deleted from a playlist, skin has a much longer memory. If you're planning on getting matching ink with a partner you've known for a week? Maybe just buy a t-shirt instead.
Next Steps for Your Own Ink
If you are dealing with a "breakup tattoo" of your own, don't rush into a laser appointment. Take a few months to see if you can re-contextualize the meaning. If you can't, look for artists who specialize in heavy illustrative cover-ups, as lyrics and faces require dense work to hide. If you're a fan of the music but want to avoid the drama, stick to tattoos of specific landscapes or objects mentioned in the songs rather than phrases tied to specific people.