Hailing from Vancouver, B.C., Kyra Torres brought her artistry and six years of experience to the global stage of Ink Master Season 17.
While Kyra grew up watching the show, she admits the reality of the competition floor—with its constant anxiety, adrenaline, and intense pressures—was surreal, challenging her to quickly shed her imposter syndrome.
In this interview with The TV Watercooler, she discusses how receiving the coveted “Tattoo of the Day” in the first elimination challenge was a massive confidence boost, followed immediately by the mental hurdles of a subsequent flash challenge.
Kyra also shares the “breath of fresh air” provided by her Canadian connection with fellow contestant Luka Lajoie, the invaluable mentorship she received from her veteran competitors, and why she encourages every aspiring artist to embrace the “audacity” to compete on the show.
How familiar were you with Ink Master before this experience? How much did you know about it? And how did that perspective of the series shift once you were standing on the competition floor?
Honestly, I’ve been watching it since growing up and to be honest, it was pretty surreal when you’re on it!
It literally does feel like you are kind of stepping into what you’re used to, but you see all the behind-the-scenes stuff and you’re like “Oh, wow – all of this is pretty fake.”
When you were on the floor, did it seem smaller or bigger?
It felt bigger! And I think my favourite part was seeing how many people were behind the scenes.
Taking the leap onto Ink Master is a major professional move. What was the defining factor or ultimate goal that convinced you this was the right time to put your artistry to the test on a global stage?
I don’t think you’ll ever feel prepared! I was competing against people who had been tattooing for 20 years!
You don’t really get to decide when it’s the right time, you kind of just have to see how you do when you get there.
How long have you been tattooing? Can you speak a bit about what made you want to become a tattoo artist?
I’ve been tattooing for six years now. Honestly, I find that in life, I kind of just want to do what I enjoy!
I never thought I’d be a tattoo artist, but I did enjoy art. I kept that ball rolling and I wondered, “What can I do next?”
I tried tattooing and I fell in love with it. Honestly, I’m so happy that I found this happy accident.
With another artist, Luka Lajoie, hailing from Canada (Montreal), did that shared national identity create an immediate sense of camaraderie or alliance in the competition, or were you focused purely on your individual game?
Honestly, Luka was a breath of fresh air! I was so happy to have another Canadian on the show, because I was like, “Man, I’m so scared of America already!”
But Luka is so funny. He really made me feel at home. He’s like everything I want to be in my [own] career and in [my] future. He has a lot more years over me. It was awesome to compete with him.
I would always make jokes, and I’d call him my Canadian French Fry!
In such a high-calibre group, who among your fellow competitors truly pushed the boundaries of your own creative process, and what specific element of their work left a lasting impression on you?
I would probably say that Matt, Luka, Isnard, Seth, and Keahi were probably the biggest inspirations to me.
They all had their own individual advice that they would give me and this was the best situation for me with my six years of tattooing, to be able to pick the brains of the people around me and they genuinely wanted to help me get better.
I was really thankful for that. They all gave great advice on how to treat our clients and how to keep going in the tattoo game.
I’m a lot more new school when it comes to being in the industry and we have social media and other tools, whereas they’ve been through it [without] all of that. So, that was really awesome!
Was there a particular flash challenge or elimination tattoo that, regardless of the outcome, became a substantial moment for your own artistic growth?
For those who’ve watched, I would say the first elimination tattoo, where I got “Tattoo of the Day,” was probably the most mind-blowing thing. Like, it was the first “Tattoo of the Day” out of the gate!
I never thought I was going to get it. It kind of showed me that, “Hey, I have what it takes to compete!” And all the other artists were telling me how I did a good job. I had imposter syndrome, so that helped me build my confidence to see what works, and what tattooing should be.
And then after that, it was my lowest point, which is when I had the flash challenge which almost got me sent home! It was kind of crazy how you can go one challenge one way and then another challenge in a different way. Sometimes you’re not the most well-rounded, and sometimes you are. That’s where I started to see my flaws, but then also my strengths. So, that was really cool.
Looking back and without spoiling much, what was the most technically or mentally demanding challenge of the season, and how did you navigate the pressure and time constraints to execute your vision?
There was a moment where I was going through a lot, mentally. I think people don’t realize the emotional toll [it takes]. All I can say [without spoiling] is that it felt like a constant anxiety attack, mixed with adrenaline!
Like, you’re excited but you’re worried, so you never really have a moment to yourself. There was a very challenging part that I had to go through and I had to drop my ego to give this canvas the best tattoo that I could possibly do in my career.
Without revealing too much, it was a crazy moment!
I’m excited to see it! For an aspiring contestant considering being in the next season of Ink Master, what’s the single most critical piece of advice you would offer them to mentally and professionally prepare for the intensity of the show?
I would say, make sure you are like a sponge in this industry! And this is coming from someone who deals with imposter syndrome; all of this felt like a fever dream to me. I thought this couldn’t possibly happen to me, and it did!
I feel like a walking billboard of someone who has to have the audacity to do anything! When it comes to life, literally do things just to do it. I feel like half of life is to just experience fun and interesting things, and this was probably the coolest side quest of my life!
So, if you get chosen to go on Ink Master, go for it! Who cares what people say online and all that stuff, you should just have fun with it!
With that mindset, is there another reality show that intrigues you?
Oh, man… Am I built for any other reality show? I think I would probably like to do Survivor!
For those looking to get tattooed by you or simply view your work, what is the best way and location to find your studio in Vancouver?
Currently, we have a beautiful little studio in Surrey, B.C. We’re called Ink House Tattoo (on Instagram at @inkhousetattoobc; and Kyra’s handle is @kyrainks), and we’re actually in the middle of expanding.
We’re going to move a little over to a different city, Langley, B.C. We’re expanding. We’re growing! I’m trying my best to keep that studio feel alive in the Vancouver area.
So yeah, that’s the next thing for us. I’m really excited. I love my team, and everything I do is for them.
New episodes of Ink Master stream each Wednesday on Paramount+.
