Moving to the United States at age 16 to pursue a career in music, Amethyst Amelia Kelly, known as Iggy Azalea, shifted the landscape of hip-hop by becoming the first non-American female rapper to top the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with her debut studio album, The New Classic, in 2014.
Early Development and Migration
Born in 1990 in Sydney, Australia, Azalea spent her formative years in Mullumbimby. She began rapping at age 14 before deciding to leave her home country to immerse herself in the American hip-hop scene. After arriving in the United States in 2006, she lived in Miami, Houston, and Atlanta, eventually settling in Los Angeles in 2010. She operated for several years on visa waivers, returning to Australia quarterly until securing an O visa in 2013 and eventually achieving permanent residency status in 2018.
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Azalea gained initial traction through YouTube, where she uploaded self-produced music videos for tracks like Pussy and Two Times. These efforts led to the 2011 release of her mixtape Ignorant Art. After signing with Grand Hustle Records, her commercial breakthrough arrived with the 2014 album The New Classic. The single Fancy, featuring Charli XCX, climbed to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, while her collaboration on Ariana Grande’s Problem positioned her as the second act in history, after the Beatles, to hold the top two spots on the chart simultaneously with debut entries.
Career Transitions and Retirement
Following the success of her debut, Azalea encountered professional friction during the development of her planned second studio album, Digital Distortion, which was ultimately canceled. She later transitioned to Island Records to release the EP Survive the Summer in 2018. Subsequent contractual disputes led her to move toward independent releases for her later projects, including the albums In My Defense and The End of an Era. In 2024, she officially announced her retirement from the music industry.
Fast facts
- Born: 1990, Sydney, Australia
- Primary occupations: rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, model, businessperson
- Debut mixtape: Ignorant Art (2011)
- 2014 MTV Video Music Award: Best Pop Video
- 2014 American Music Award: Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album
- Primary language: English
- Worked in: Los Angeles
- Retirement announcement: 2024
Questions readers ask
What was the inspiration for the name Iggy Azalea?
The name is a combination of her childhood dog, Iggy, and the street where she grew up, Azalea Street.
Which major records did Iggy Azalea contribute to in 2014?
In 2014, she released the album The New Classic, and featured on the hit single Problem by Ariana Grande.
Achievements
- Instruments: voice
- Genres: pop rap, electronic music and hip-hop