Iggy Azalea

Iggy Azalea
Iggy Azalea in Sydney, Australia in August 2015
Born
Amethyst Amelia Kelly

(1990-06-07) 7 June 1990 (age 34)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • model
  • businesswoman
Years active2011–2024
Works
Children1
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Websiteiggyazalea.com
Signature

Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990),[4] known professionally as Iggy Azalea (/əˈzeɪliə/ ə-ZAY-lee-ə), is an Australian rapper, songwriter, model and businesswoman.[5] Born in Sydney, Australia, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognition after releasing the music videos for her songs "Pussy" and "Two Times" on YouTube. Shortly after releasing those two songs, she released her debut mixtape, Ignorant Art (2011), and subsequently signed a recording contract with American rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle label.

Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014), peaked among the top five on several charts worldwide and eventually topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, making Azalea the first non-American female rapper to reach the top of the chart.[6] The New Classic was preceded by Azalea's debut single "Work" and chart-topping single "Fancy" (featuring Charli XCX), which hit the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Azalea was featured on Ariana Grande's 2014 single "Problem", which peaked at number two behind "Fancy". With these hits, Azalea became the second musical act (aside from the Beatles) to rank at number one and number two simultaneously on the Hot 100 with their debut releases on the chart.[7][8][9] In addition, she achieved three top ten hits simultaneously on the Hot 100 with the aforementioned songs and the album's fifth single, "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora), which debuted later that year.[10]

After her debut album, Azalea released a slew of singles to build anticipation for her intended second album, Digital Distortion. However, a series of conflicts with her label, as well as personal conflicts, resulted in the project being cancelled. Consequently, Azalea switched labels, releasing the EP Survive the Summer (2018) under Island Records. Further disagreements led to Azalea becoming an independent artist and creating her own label, Bad Dreams, through a distribution deal with Empire. Her second album, In My Defense, was released in 2019, followed by another EP, Wicked Lips, that same year,[11] and a third studio album, The End of an Era, in 2021. In 2024, Azalea seemingly announced her retirement from music as posted on her social media and reported on by Billboard.[12]

Iggy Azalea is one of the best selling female rappers in the world, and her accolades include two American Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, a People's Choice Award, and four Teen Choice Awards, in addition to nominations for four Grammy Awards. Her YouTube channel together with other collaborators has accumulated 7 billion views, and 15 of her music videos have received over 100 million views on Vevo.

  1. ^ Marantz, Andrew (17 September 2014). "Iggy Azalea and 'Realness' in Hip-Hop". The New Yorker. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  2. ^ Rosenhal, Jeff (19 February 2015). "Iggy Azalea's History of Hip-Hop Controversy: A Timeline". Vulture. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  3. ^ Monroe, Jazz (12 May 2015). "Iggy Azalea's 10 best songs ranked". NME. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. ^ Lymangrover, Jason. "Iggy Azalea Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  5. ^ Eldridge, Stacey (27 August 2023). "'Embarrassing': Iggy Azalea kicked off Saudi Arabia stage mid-concert". skynews. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  6. ^ Ramirez, Rauly (8 May 2014). "John Legend and Iggy Azalea Hit No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Iggy Azalea Remains Atop Hot 100 With 'Fancy'; MAGIC!, Calvin Harris Hit Top 10". Billboard. 4 June 2014.
  8. ^ Trust, Gary (2 July 2014). "Iggy Azalea Claims Longest Hot 100 Reign for a Female Rapper With "Fancy"". Billboard. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015.
  9. ^ Trust, Gary (9 July 2014). "Iggy Azalea Tops Hot 100 For Seventh Week". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  10. ^ Trust, Gary (20 August 2014). "Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea Triple Up in Hot 100's Top 10, MAGIC! Still No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  11. ^ Celebretainment. "Iggy Azalea 'extremely excited' for EP". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  12. ^ Denis, Kyle (3 January 2024). "Iggy Azalea Seemingly Announces Music Retirement: 'I'm Not Going to Finish My Album'". Billboard. Retrieved 29 May 2024.