Machine Gun Kelly Covers His Upper Body With Blackout Tattoo
Machine Gun Kelly is kiss, kissing his stage name goodbye.
The “Bloody Valentine” singer, whose birth name is Colson Baker, changed his professional moniker to mgk more than a decade after his musical debut.
As of Feb. 29, his artist profiles on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and YouTube read mgk to reflect the change. Likewise, his name on X—formerly known as Twitter—was switched to the initials MGK, though his @machinegunkelly handle remained the same.
The name change comes more than a year after comedy act Chad and JT petitioned to have “machine gun” from the musician’s alias as to not “glorify machine guns.” As seen in a September 2022 YouTube video, the duo asked MGK to make the switch at a concert using a large sign, prompting him to ask the audience, “What do you think?”
Though separate fan footage showed MGK—who shares the Machine Gun Kelly nickname with famed Prohibition era gangster George Kelly Barnes—shrugging off the request at the time, the 33-year-old seemingly changed his tune last November. While attending the 2023 GQ Men of the Year event with his fiancée Megan Fox, MGK asked attendees to call him by a new name.
“I have a question,” he told photographers on the red carpet, as seen in video circulating on social media, “instead of ‘Machine Gun,’ can you just hit me with the ‘Machine’ from now on?”
He also posted a screenshot of the interaction on X, writing alongside a talking head emoji, “‘machine.'”
Romain Maurice/Getty Images
However, a name change isn’t the only transformation MGK has undergone in recent months. Earlier in February, the rapper revealed that he had covered up most of his tattoos with black ink, debuting the final results in a shirtless photo.
Explaining how the design—large, black geometric blocks that covered most of his arms and chest—took 44 needles to achieve, MGK wrote on Instagram Story that the change is “for spiritual purposes only.”
He later hinted at the reasoning behind the cover-up on his track “Don’t Let Me Go,” rapping, “Just like I wish they would understand me one time / I had a breakdown and tatted my entire body except one line.”
But he isn’t the only celeb to perform under a stage name. Keep reading to find out the real names of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Belcalis Almanzar
Cardi B took on the name Bacardi after family and friends started calling her sister Hennessy. Later on she shortened the name to something that suited her quite a bit more.
Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Rachel Meghan Markle
Before she became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was briefly known as Rachel.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Stagecoach
Eilleen Regina Edwards
Shania Twain shared the origin story of her stage name during an appearance on Apple Music’s Home Now Radio: “In short, I was born, Eilleen Regina Edwards, and then I was adopted and I became Eilleen Regina Twain. Then I became a professional singer and I needed a stage name that sounded a little less like my grandmother’s name, because I’m named after my grandmother, both my grandmothers, Eilleen and Regina. I think, in my mind, I was just not really wanting to be called my grandmother’s name onstage, so I decided to change it to Shania Twain. I met somebody with the name Shania, thought it was beautiful, and Shania Twain was born.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Jelena Noura Hadid
Oddly enough, Gigi Hadid got her stage name in school when the teacher would confuse her and a girl named Helena. Since her mom called her “gigi” as a term of endearment at home, she told the teacher to just call her Gigi and it simply stuck.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Mark Vincent
If you’re looking for an explosive action-star name, how about Vin Diesel instead?
Chelsea Lauren/REX/Shutterstock
Destiny Hope Cyrus
Miley Cyrus’ bright smile is what inspired her childhood nickname, Smiley. Eventually the name was shortened to Miley and it stuck.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Peter Gene Hernandez
Apparently the singer looked more like a Bruno than a Peter, so one day his dad started calling him Bruno. Ever since, he has been known as Bruno Mars.
Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for Live Nation
Stefani Germanotta
Before the meat dresses and chart-topping music, Lady Gaga was just an everyday girl from New York.
Rich Fury/Getty Images
Daniel Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis confirmed on Today that he was named Daniel after his father, but following some confusion, his mom started using his middle name Jason to avoid confusion.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Emily Stone
Emma Stone ended adopting this stage name after finding out that the Screen Actors Guild already had a member registered under her birthname.
Jim Smeal/REX/Shutterstock
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon
Turns out Reese isn’t even Reese Witherspoon’s middle name. The actress chose the moniker in honor of her mother, whose maiden name is Reese.
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant
Every artist has an alter ego, and Lana Del Rey just happens to be the persona of choice for the singer.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Christopher Edwin Breaux
In 2014, Frank Ocean legally changed his name because, why not?
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
Elizabeth Stamatina Fey
A little known fact about 30 Rock’s Tina Fey is that she is actually named Elizabeth. The comedian made a not so subtle tribute to her birth name by naming her character Liz Lemon.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Calvin Broadus
This pioneer of West Coast rap would later go on to be known as Snoop Dogg.
Lester Cohen/Getty Images for NARAS
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor
Turns out the “Royals” singer is really into learning about the aristocracy, hence the reason why she chose the name Lorde, but with a feminine ‘e.’
Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images
Enrique Morales
Before he started shaking his bonbon for the masses, music superstar Ricky Martin went by this everyday name.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Amethyst Kelly
It’s hard to believe that Iggy Azalea was born Amethyst Kelly!
Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock
Adam Richard Wiles
Fans were confused when Taylor Swift thanked then-boyfriend Adam in an acceptance speech, which lead people to the discovery that Calvin Harris is simply a stage name. The DJ told Shortlist magazine he chose the name because his first single was more soulful and wanted something a bit more “racially ambiguous.”
Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
Jennifer Anastassakis
Before she became a household name, this was what erstwhile Friend Jennifer Aniston answered to.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Alicia Augello Cook
Alicia Keys didn’t always have such a musical name.
Mike Coppola/WireImage
Thomas Mapother IV
Before he became arguably the biggest movie star in the world, Tom Cruise went by this name.
Kevin Lee/Getty Images
Natalie Hershlag
Back when she was born in 1980, this was how the future bigtime actress Natalie Portman greeted the world.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Amanda Lee Rogers
Before she became a big-time TV star and married Ellen DeGeneres, this was the name Portia de Rossi answered to.
Jim Dyson/Redferns
Reginald Dwight
Guess music superstar Elton John didn’t think his original name would be a hit with audiences.
Jeff Vespa/WireImage
Nicole Camilla Escovedo
Check former Paris Hilton BFF Nicole Richie’s birth certificate and this is the name you’ll see.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Paul Hewson
All it took was a nickname from some high school friends, and U2 frontman Bono’s famous moniker was born.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Tara Patrick
We agree. Carmen Electra is much more effective when it comes to selling a sexy Baywatch persona.
Paul A. Hebert/WireImage
Eric Bishop
True, Jamie Foxx just seems more fitting for an Oscar-winning Hollywood party guy.
Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images
Demetria Gene Guynes
Before she’d starred in dozens of huge Hollywood movies and married two Tinseltown A-listers, this was the name Demi Moore went by.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Eonline.com – https://www.eonline.com/news/1396250/proof-machine-gun-kelly-is-changing-his-stage-name-after-over-a-decade
