Iggy Azalea

Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ə-ZAY-lee-ə), is an Australian model, businesswoman and former rapper. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a career in music. She earned recognition on YouTube with the music videos for her 2011 songs "Pussy" and "Two Times". She then self-released her debut mixtape Ignorant Art (2011) before signing with American rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records. Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014), peaked within the top five of several charts worldwide and later topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, making Azalea the first non-American female rapper to do so. Its preceding single, "Fancy" (featuring Charli XCX), achieved significant commercial success; it peaked atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Record of the Year at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Azalea was featured on Ariana Grande's 2014 single "Problem", which peaked at number two behind "Fancy". The two songs made Azalea the second musical act (aside from the Beatles) to rank at the top two spots simultaneously with their debut entries in the chart. The album spawned one further single, "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora), which peaked within the chart's top ten. After her debut album, Azalea several singles intended 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, signing with Island Records to release her fourth extended play Survive the Summer (2018). Further disagreements led Azalea to self-release her second album, In My Defense (2019), her follow-up EP, Wicked Lips (2019), and third album, The End of an Era (2021). In 2024, Azalea announced her retirement from music as posted on her social media and by Billboard. 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.