Iggy Azalea is an Australian rapper and model born on June 7, 1990. She’s earned numerous awards including American Music Awards Billboard Music Awards and Grammy nominations. Azalea is famous for her music videos with her YouTube channel amassing 3.4 billion views and 15 of her videos surpassing 100 million views on Vevo.
At just 16, Azalea moved to the US to pursue a music career. She gained attention for her songs “Pussy” and “Two Times” on YouTube followed by her debut mixtape “Ignorant Art” (2011). Later she signed with T.I.’s Grand Hustle label and released her first studio album “The New Classic” (2014) which reached the top five on global charts. Despite mixed reviews, it topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums marking her as the first non-American female rapper to achieve this.
Her debut single “Work” and the smash hit “Fancy” featuring Charli XCX helped Azalea gain prominence earning Grammy nominations. She also featured on Ariana Grande’s “Problem” which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 alongside “Fancy”. This success made her only the second act besides the Beatles to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously with debut hits.
Following her debut, Iggy Azalea released singles teasing her second album Digital Distortion but conflicts with her label and personal issues led to its cancellation. She then moved to Island Records releasing the EP “Survive the Summer” (2018). After further disagreements, Azalea became an independent artist and launched her label “Bad Dreams” through Empire. Her second album “In My Defense” came out in 2019 followed by the EP “Wicked Lips” and her third studio album “The End of an Era” in 2021.
In 2024, Azalea hinted at retiring from music as noted on social media and reported by Billboard.
| Full Name | Amethyst Amelia Kelly |
| Date of Birth | June 7, 1990 |
| Place of Birth | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Model |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Partners | ASAP Rocky Nick Young Playboi Carti |
| Children | Onyx Kelly |
| Net Worth | $25 million |
Iggy Azalea’s Early Life and Education
Amethyst Amelia Kelly known as Iggy Azalea born in Sydney and raised in Mullumbimby New South Wales had a creative upbringing. Her father Brendan Kelly was an artist while her mother Tanya worked cleaning holiday homes and hotels. Amethyst grew up in a unique home her father built with mud bricks on a large piece of land. She has two siblings Mathias and Emerald Kelly. Amethyst credits her father for introducing her to art which greatly influenced her from a young age.
She started rapping at just 14 years old and even formed a group with local girls envisioning a career like TLC. However, she disbanded the group due to their lack of commitment as she took her aspirations seriously.
In pursuit of her dream of moving to America, she left high school early. She worked alongside her mother cleaning hotels to save money. Amethyst didn’t enjoy school much except for art class and felt lonely there. She faced teasing for her unconventional outfits and had few friends.
Iggy Azalea finally traveled to the US in 2006 just before turning 16 initially saying she was going on holiday. However, she decided to stay explaining to her parents that she felt like an outsider in Australia and was drawn to America’s hip-hop scene. She earned her GED after arriving and stayed in the US for six years on a visa waiver working illegally until she obtained a five-year O visa in 2013. In 2018, she became a permanent US resident. Her journey reflects her determination and love for hip-hop culture.
Career
When she first came to the United States in 2006, Iggy Azalea stayed in Miami, Florida, and later moved briefly to Houston, Texas. After that, she settled in Atlanta, Georgia for a few years. There she worked with Backbone a member of the rap group Dungeon Family. During this time she met FKi and Natalie Sims who would become her future collaborators.
Despite facing criticism about her rapping skills Azalea was resilient due to her upbringing where she often dealt with being laughed at. In 2010, someone from Interscope Records encouraged her to move to Los Angeles. She later adopted her stage name combining her childhood dog’s name Iggy with the street she grew up on Azalea Street where her family still lives today. She also began creating stop-motion animated videos with freestyle rap feeling like she had found her true style.
Iggy Azalea released her first full-length project a mixtape called “Ignorant Art” on September 27, 2011. The mixtape aimed to challenge old ideas and featured guest appearances from artists like YG Joe Moses and Problem. Her music video for the song “My World” released in November 2011 gained attention online thanks in part to a cameo by actor Tiny Lister. Azalea described the video as a mix of ’90s big-budget style with a modern twist.
In December 2011, Azalea announced plans for her debut studio album The New Classic once she signed with a major record label. She was featured on the cover of XXL’s “Top 10 Freshman List” in early 2012 alongside other rising rappers. Later that year she signed with T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records and released the single “Murda Bizness.” She followed up with an EP titled Glory in July 2012.
Azalea’s journey continued with performance tours and collaborations leading up to the release of her debut album which faced delays but eventually came out in April 2014 as The New Classic. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart marking a significant milestone for female rap artists. Azalea’s singles from the album including “Fancy” and “Black Widow” further solidified her presence in the music industry.
Looking ahead Azalea planned a second studio album and announced a tour titled The Great Escape Tour reflecting on her musical journey and future aspirations.
Iggy Azalea started working on her second album in January 2015. She released a duet with Britney Spears called “Pretty Girls” in May 2015. Her tour “The Great Escape” Tour got canceled and she planned a new one for 2016 alongside her upcoming album.
Later she changed her creative direction and took a break to rethink her music style and visuals. In June, she scrapped six months of work to start fresh. At the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2015 she performed “Cool for the Summer” with Demi Lovato.
In October 2015, Iggy Azalea announced her second album would be called “Digital Distortion”. She released a track from it called “Azillion” for free streaming in January 2016. The lead single “Team” came out in March 2016 along with a dance video and later a music video.
In March 2016, she launched a production company and acquired the rights to adapt books and TV shows. In July 2016, her company signed a deal with NBCUniversal. In February 2017, she planned a film production for the book Bad Girls Gone but it didn’t materialize.
In June 2016, Azalea became a judge on “The X Factor Australia”. She postponed her album’s release to 2017 due to personal changes including ending her engagement. She released singles “Mo Bounce” and “Switch” in 2017.
By November 2017, Iggy Azalea was held back from releasing music until January 2018 due to a new record label. Her album’s title changed to Surviving the Summer and she released new tracks as a mixtape named 4 My Ratz.
In early 2018, she announced the single “Savior” featuring Quavo for Surviving the Summer. She later clarified that the album would be an EP due to label changes. Additional tracks like “Tokyo Snow Trip” and “Kream” were released in July 2018.
In November 2018, Iggy Azalea left Island Records and founded her label initially called “New Classic Records”. She signed a distribution deal and renamed her label “Bad Dreams” in January 2019.
In early 2019, Azalea completed her second album “In My Defense” and released “Sally Walker” as the lead single. She released the album in July 2019 and followed up with an extended play “Wicked Lips” in December 2019.
Azalea announced her third studio album “The End of an Era” in the summer of 2020. After releasing several singles she took a hiatus from music in July 2021 but resumed activity in August 2022. However, in 2024, she appeared to retire from music again.
Net Worth
Iggy Azalea has an estimated net worth of $25 Million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The main source of Iggy Azalea’s net worth comes from her music career. She earns money from selling her music, doing concerts, and from endorsements with brands.
Personal life
In March 2015, Iggy Azalea spoke openly to Vogue about her decision to undergo breast augmentation revealing “I decided to get bigger boobs! I’d wanted it my whole life.” She explained that she was tired of padding her stage costumes and wanted to feel comfortable in lingerie without extra support. Initially, she kept her surgery private to avoid influencing other girls negatively but eventually decided to be more open about it.
Later in August 2015, she discussed getting a nose job with Seventeen magazine saying “Your perception of yourself can change over time so it’s important to wait and be sure.” She described plastic surgery as an emotional journey acknowledging changes she made to parts of herself she didn’t like while learning to accept others she couldn’t change. She emphasized the importance of understanding that perfection isn’t achievable.
In March 2018, Iggy Azalea received permanent residency status in the United States.
In August 2023, Azalea wrote a letter to court, in support of Tory Lanez ahead of his sentencing for a shooting incident involving Megan Thee Stallion. She expressed her belief in Lanez’s character and shared that she had never seen him behave disrespectfully toward women.
Regarding her relationships, Azalea started dating rapper ASAP Rocky in late 2011 following their meeting through a record producer. They confirmed their relationship publicly in early 2012. She even got a tattoo related to his music on her fingers but they broke up in mid-2012 leading her to later remove the tattoo.
In November 2013, Iggy Azalea began dating Nick Young a basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers. They got engaged in June 2015 but ended their relationship in June 2016 after a video surfaced showing Young admitting to infidelity.
In late 2018, Iggy Azalea began dating rapper Playboi Carti with whom she had a son in June 2020. However, they split up later in the year and Azalea announced she was raising their son alone. She revealed that Carti had cheated on her and missed their son’s birth later refusing to sign the birth certificate.
Controversy
Iggy Azalea claims she has some Aboriginal ancestry saying her family arrived in Australia with the First Fleet and has been there for over 100 years. She believes many Australians have Aboriginal heritage because of how long families have lived there. She also mentioned a specific eye condition in her family that she associates with Aboriginal people.
In 2012, Iggy Azalea faced criticism for her song “D.R.U.G.S” where she changed a lyric to reference slavery which led her to apologize online calling it a thoughtless thing to say. Critics accused her of insensitivity toward racial issues and cultural appropriation, especially in her use of Southern Black musical styles which some saw as exploiting Black culture.
Linguistics professor David Crystal noted Azalea’s accent changes when she raps suggesting it might be unintentionally influenced by American rap styles rather than her Australian roots. Azalea defended herself explaining her exposure to American media growing up made adopting an American accent normal for her.
In 2021, after releasing a music video Azalea was accused of “blackfishing” or imitating a Black woman’s appearance. She denied these claims stating she had used the same makeup for years and that accusations against her were unfounded.
Regarding racism, Azalea acknowledged the impact of race relations in the US but argued against being dismissed because of it emphasizing her hard work and dedication to her music. She expressed a desire for her music to provide an escape from social issues though she acknowledged the importance of diverse voices in the music industry.
Azalea’s career has been marked by controversy with her second album addressing criticism against her highlighting the challenges of navigating public perception in an era where digital media distorts truth and identity. She found support among fellow rappers who admired her work despite the controversies surrounding her.
Awards
Iggy Azalea has been recognized with many important music awards. She was the first female rapper outside the US to be featured on XXL’s “Top 10 Freshman List”. In 2014 she won two American Music Awards in the Rap/Hip-Hop categories and received four more nominations.
She also won an MTV Video Music Award for her collaboration with Ariana Grande and got seven more nominations making her the most nominated artist at those awards. Iggy Azalea has also won three Teen Choice Awards and one MTV Europe Music Award. She received the 2014 ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist and the 2015 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Hip-Hop Artist.
In November 2014, Iggy Azalea was ranked number one on Australia’s Maxim Hot 100 list because she had a very successful year. She also ranked 46th on the 2014 AMID Power 50 a list of influential figures in the Australasian music scene.
At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, she received four nominations including Best New Artist and Record of the Year for “Fancy”. Iggy Azalea was honored at the 9th Annual Billboard Women in Music as a top-charting artist. She was also named number-one on Billboard Year-End’s Top New Artists chart in late 2014.
In 2015, Iggy Azalea led the nominations at the iHeartRadio Music Awards with five nods and received twelve nominations at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. In 2016, GQ Australia awarded her the Woman of the Year. Most recently in 2020, Rolling Stone Australia included Iggy Azalea in their “50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time” list ranking her at number 50.
