The artist, whose real name is Colson Baker, will now go by a shorter alias.
It's a time of transformation for the artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly. The star, whose birth name is Colson Baker, has officially changed his stage name across streaming platforms with the release of his latest single.
Now performing under the alias mgk, the 33-year-old "Bloody Valentine" singer also recent underwent a major physical change as he debuted a new blackout tattoo that spans across the entirety of his shoulders and most of his arms. The look covers up many of the singer's existing tattoos.
"For spiritual purposes only," he captioned an Instagram photo, thanking tattoo artist ROXX.
The star's verified Instagram handle remains @machinegunkelly at the time of this publication.
Last week, mgk dropped his newest song, "Don't Let Me Go."
In the lyrics and the subsequent music video, mgk doesn't hold back about his struggles, even alluding to suicidal thoughts.
He also references his recent bold body art, rapping, "I had a breakdown and tatted my entire body except one line."
In one of the new song's more heartbreaking lyrics, the artist raps about the miscarriage he and Megan Fox experienced in 2021.
"How do I live with the fact that my hand wasn't on her stomach when we lost the baby/ I don't got no one to turn to 'cause everyone's dead in my life that was tryin' to raise me," he raps.
Back in November, fans called for mgk to consider altering his stage name so as not to "glorify machine guns." At the time, he appeared to be trying out simply "Machine" as an option.
When he stepped out for the GQ Men of the Year party at the time, he asked photographers on the red carpet, "Instead of Machine Gun can you just call me Machine from now on? Just Machine."
More recently, a source told ET that Fox and mgk are currently working through the highs and lows of their relationship.
"Megan and Machine Gun Kelly have their ups and downs, as most couples do," the source revealed last month. "They love so hard that sometimes things can be intense, but ultimately, they do their best to hear one another and better themselves. They both want a happy, loving, supportive, and honest relationship."
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