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People caught up with pop star Rihanna a few days ago at a charity event for UNICEF and asked her about her new wrist tattoo.

“It’s tribal,” she said at the charity’s annual Snowflake Lighting Ceremony in New York’s Grand Army Plaza. “It represents strength and love.” Rihanna also revealed that she got the exotic-looking tat while in New Zealand for a recent tour date.

“It’s their traditional way of tattooing,” she said of the Maori-inspired geometric design. “I always wanted [one].” But even for a tattoo enthusiast like Rihanna, this particular method had one big drawback: “It hurt like hell!”

Her “friend” Chris Brown has the same tattoo. And they both have stars on their necks … just so you know. But they’re just friends though, so it’s all good!