Iggy Azalea is a groundbreaking Australian rapper who defied all odds to become one of the most successful female artists in hip-hop history. Born Amethyst Amelia Kelly, this blonde firecracker from a tiny Australian town moved to America at just 16 years old with nothing but a dream and relentless determination.
Her journey from cleaning hotel rooms to topping the Billboard Hot 100 is a testament to her grit, talent, and ability to navigate an industry that wasn’t ready for someone like her. Today, she’s retired from music but left an undeniable mark on pop culture.
Table of Contents
Quick Bio
| Full Name | Amethyst Amelia Kelly |
|---|---|
| Stage Name | Iggy Azalea |
| Born | June 7, 1990 |
| Birthplace | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Hometown | Mullumbimby, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian (US Permanent Resident) |
| Occupation | Rapper, Songwriter, Model, Businesswoman (Retired from music) |
| Years Active | 2011–2024 (music) |
| Genres | Hip hop, Trap, Pop rap, Southern hip hop |
| Labels | Grand Hustle, Def Jam, Island, Mercury, Bad Dreams (own label) |
| Notable Awards | 2 American Music Awards, 3 Billboard Music Awards, MTV VMA, People’s Choice Award |
| Children | 1 son (Onyx, born 2020) |
| Height | 5’10” (178 cm) |
Early Life: Growing Up Down Under
Humble Beginnings in Mullumbimby
Amethyst Amelia Kelly was born on June 7, 1990, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. However, she spent most of her childhood in Mullumbimby, a small town in New South Wales with a population of just 3,000 people. This tiny rural community was worlds away from the glamorous hip-hop scene she would eventually dominate.
Iggy’s father, Brendan Kelly, was a painter and comic artist who created children’s books. Her mother, Tanya, worked tirelessly cleaning holiday houses and hotels to support the family. The Kellys weren’t wealthy—far from it. Brendan built their family home by hand using mud bricks, surrounded by 12 acres of land. Iggy has two siblings, Mathias and Emerald Kelly, and the family lived a simple, grounded life.
Discovering Hip-Hop
At age 11, everything changed for young Amethyst. She heard Tupac Shakur’s posthumous track “Baby Don’t Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)” with Outlawz, and it struck something deep within her. “It was the song that made me fall in love with music,” she later told Vogue magazine. The powerful lyrics and raw emotion of Tupac’s music opened up a whole new world.
Growing up in rural Australia, Iggy felt like an outsider. Hip-hop became her escape, her connection to something bigger. By age 14, she was writing her own raps and practicing constantly. She became obsessed with Tupac, covering her bedroom walls with every picture of him she could find. Other early influences included Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, TLC, and female rappers like Lil’ Kim and Trina.
The Girl Group That Almost Was
Before going solo, teenage Iggy tried forming a girl group with two other girls from her neighborhood. She envisioned it as a TLC-style group where she’d be the rapper, like Left Eye. However, the other girls weren’t as serious about music as she was. “I take everything I do serious. I’m too competitive,” Iggy explained. The group disbanded quickly, but it taught her an important lesson: she needed to pursue this dream on her own terms.
School Struggles and Big Dreams
School was torture for young Iggy. She hated everything about it except art class. She felt isolated, had no friends, and was teased for her homemade outfits. The other kids didn’t understand her passion for American hip-hop. This social rejection only fueled her desire to escape to America, where hip-hop was born.
At 15, Iggy made a life-changing decision: she dropped out of high school. She worked alongside her mother, cleaning hotel rooms and holiday houses, saving every dollar she earned. Her parents thought she was saving for a vacation. They had no idea their teenage daughter was planning to leave Australia for good.
The American Dream Begins
The Bold Move at 16
In 2006, just before her 16th birthday, Iggy told her parents she was going to America for a two-week holiday with a friend. She flew to Miami on July 4th to visit Derek, an online friend from the Bahamas she’d been sharing her music with. They’d bonded over hip-hop, and Derek had become her closest confidant—someone who understood her dreams.
When Derek picked her up from the airport, something clicked. Being in America, the birthplace of hip-hop, felt like home in a way Australia never had. “I was drawn to America because I felt like an outsider in my own country,” she later explained. “I was in love with hip hop, and America is the birthplace of that.”
A few weeks into her “vacation,” Iggy called her parents with shocking news: she wasn’t coming home. Her mother was crying, begging her to be safe. “I was thinking, ‘I’m going by myself. I’m fucking crazy!'” Iggy recalled. But she was determined.
Surviving Without Papers
For the next six years, Iggy lived in America on a visa waiver, working illegally. Every three months, she’d fly back to Australia just long enough to renew her visa, then return to the States. It wasn’t until February 2013 that she was granted a five-year O visa (for individuals with extraordinary ability). Later, in March 2018, she finally received her green card, becoming a permanent U.S. resident.
Learning Southern Rap in Atlanta
Iggy’s American journey took her from Miami to Houston, but she eventually settled in Atlanta, Georgia. This was crucial to her development as an artist. Atlanta was the heart of Southern hip-hop and trap music. She worked with Backbone, a member of the legendary rap collective Dungeon Family, and met future collaborators FKi and Natalie Sims.
Living in Atlanta, Iggy absorbed the Southern rap style—the drawl, the flow, the attitude. People initially laughed at her raps. “They thought my raps sucked,” she admitted. But having been bullied her whole life in Australia, she’d developed thick skin. She kept practicing, kept improving, and slowly earned respect.
The Birth of “Iggy Azalea”
During her time in Los Angeles in 2010, Iggy created her stage name. “Iggy” came from her childhood dog’s name, and “Azalea” from Azalea Street in Mullumbimby, where her family still lives. The name was both a tribute to her roots and a fresh identity for her new life.
She also started creating stop-motion animated videos with freestyle raps, experimenting with her sound and visual style. Someone from Interscope Records noticed her talent and encouraged her move to Los Angeles. Interscope managed her briefly, but the relationship didn’t develop into a record deal—yet.
Breaking Into the Industry
Ignorant Art: The Breakthrough Mixtape
On September 27, 2011, Iggy released her first full-length project: a mixtape called Ignorant Art. The provocative title was intentional. “I made it with the intent to make people question and redefine old ideals,” she explained. The mixtape featured collaborations with YG, Joe Moses, Chevy Jones, and Problem.
Two songs from the mixtape changed everything. The music videos for “Pussy” and “Two Times” went viral on YouTube, racking up millions of views. Her raw, unapologetic style caught attention. In November 2011, she dropped the video for “My World,” featuring a cameo from wrestler-turned-actor Tiny Lister. The video’s over-the-top, ’90s-style aesthetic perfectly captured Iggy’s artistic vision.
XXL Freshman Class of 2012
In early 2012, Iggy made history. She was featured on the cover of XXL magazine’s annual “Top 10 Freshmen List”—the first female non-American rapper ever to make the prestigious list. She appeared alongside French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly, Danny Brown, Hopsin, and Roscoe Dash.
This recognition was huge. XXL’s Freshmen Class was the ultimate co-sign in hip-hop. It meant the industry was taking her seriously. However, it also sparked controversy, particularly from rapper Azealia Banks, who questioned why a white Australian woman was being celebrated in hip-hop. This was just the beginning of the cultural debates that would follow Iggy throughout her career.
T.I. and Grand Hustle Records
Rapper T.I. reached out to Iggy about executive producing her debut album. After a phone call, he signed her to his Grand Hustle Records label on March 1, 2012, alongside Chip and Trae tha Truth. This was a major validation—T.I. was one of hip-hop’s most respected figures.
On March 26, 2012, Iggy released “Murda Bizness,” the intended lead single for her debut album The New Classic. Produced by Bei Maejor and featuring a verse from T.I., the song showcased a more polished sound.
Glory EP and Building Momentum
In April 2012, Iggy announced plans for an EP titled Glory. She also signed with Wilhelmina Models and became the face of Levi’s “Go Forth” campaign. Fashion and music were merging perfectly for her brand.
Glory was released on July 30, 2012, featuring “Murda Bizness” and “Millionaire Misfits.” The EP showed her versatility, touching on hardcore rap while experimenting with electronic dance music influences.
TrapGold and Rising Fame
On October 11, 2012, Iggy dropped her second mixtape, TrapGold, entirely produced by Diplo and FKi. This project leaned heavily into trap music, the Southern hip-hop subgenre that was exploding in popularity.
That same month, Iggy made her U.S. national television debut at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards, performing in a cypher with T.I., B.o.B, and other Grand Hustle artists. She also joined Rita Ora’s Ora Tour, performing across North America, then headlined her own European tour.
The New Classic Era: Chart Domination
The Long Road to Album Release
Iggy’s debut album The New Classic had a complicated journey. Originally scheduled for June 2012, it kept getting delayed. Label politics, distribution deals, and timing issues pushed the release back repeatedly. At one point, Iggy couldn’t release the album in October 2013 because she was touring with Beyoncé on the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in Australia.
Finally, on February 13, 2013, she signed a record deal with Mercury Records in the UK. On April 23, 2013, she signed with Island Def Jam in the US. Her career was about to explode.
“Work” and “Bounce”
The lead single “Work” premiered on BBC Radio 1Xtra on February 11, 2013. The song, with its infectious beat and motivational lyrics about her journey from Australia to America, resonated with listeners. The music video, directed by Jonas & François and released on March 13, paid homage to the 1994 film Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
The second single, “Bounce,” premiered on April 26, 2013. Its Bollywood-inspired music video showcased Iggy’s love of cinema and visual storytelling. In April 2013, Vevo announced Iggy as its second LIFT artist, filming live performances, fashion pieces, and behind-the-scenes content.
“Change Your Life”
The third single, “Change Your Life,” featuring T.I., premiered on August 19, 2013, on BBC Radio 1Xtra. The song’s music video, inspired by the 1995 film Showgirls, continued Iggy’s tradition of referencing cult classic movies.
Making History on the Charts
“Fancy” Takes Over the World
In February 2014, Iggy announced a new single: “Fancy,” featuring British singer-songwriter Charli XCX. The song premiered on BBC Radio 1 Xtra on February 6, 2014, and was serviced to urban contemporary radio in the UK on February 17.
The music video, inspired by the 1995 film Clueless, dropped on March 4, 2014. It perfectly captured the movie’s aesthetic—pink outfits, high school drama, and Valley Girl vibes. The video went viral instantly, and the song began its historic climb up the charts.
The New Classic Finally Arrives
On April 21, 2014, The New Classic was released. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 52,000 copies. It was the highest-charting female rap album since Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in 2012.
The album blended trap, dubstep, EDM, and pop influences. Critics noted its radio-friendly production and Iggy’s confident delivery. It eventually topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making Iggy the first non-American female rapper to achieve this feat.
Beatles-Level Chart Domination
On May 28, 2014, music history was made. “Fancy” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Simultaneously, “Problem” by Ariana Grande (featuring Iggy) sat at number two. Iggy became only the second act since the Beatles in 1964 to occupy the top two positions on the Hot 100 with their first two chart entries.
Think about that: a blonde Australian rapper with a Southern drawl achieved something only the Beatles had done in 50 years. “Fancy” also topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the Dance Club Play chart. The song stayed at number one for seven consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one single by a female rapper.
Iggy also became the fourth solo female rapper ever to top the Hot 100, joining Lauryn Hill, Lil’ Kim, and Shawnna. By August 2014, she had three songs in the Hot 100’s top 10 simultaneously: “Fancy,” “Problem,” and “Black Widow” (featuring Rita Ora).
“Black Widow” and More Collaborations
Released on June 24, 2014, “Black Widow” featuring Rita Ora became another massive hit, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The Kill Bill-inspired music video showcased Iggy as an assassin seeking revenge.
She also appeared on Jennifer Lopez’s “Booty” remix and collaborated on Lopez’s track “Acting Like That.” The “Booty” music video became one of the most-viewed YouTube videos in 24 hours, generating over 16 million views.
Reclassified and Awards Season
In November 2014, Iggy released Reclassified, a reissue of The New Classic featuring five new songs. New singles included “Trouble” (featuring Jennifer Hudson) and “Beg for It” (featuring MØ).
On October 25, 2014, she made her Saturday Night Live debut, performing “Black Widow” with Rita Ora and “Beg for It” with MØ. The MØ performance received mixed reviews, with critics focusing on MØ’s nervous execution.
Award nominations poured in. Iggy received four Grammy nominations for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (for “Fancy”), and Best Rap Album. At the 2014 American Music Awards, she won two trophies in the Rap/Hip-Hop categories. She also won three Billboard Music Awards, including Top Rap Artist, from 12 nominations.
Later Albums and Career Evolution
The Great Escape That Never Was
In December 2014, Iggy announced The Great Escape Tour for 2015 and teased her second album. She started working on it in January 2015, initially calling it Digital Distortion. The title reflected her experiences with media scrutiny and online criticism.
In April 2015, she made her acting debut in Furious 7, playing a race driver and contributing “Go Hard or Go Home” with Wiz Khalifa to the soundtrack.
“Pretty Girls” with Britney Spears
On May 4, 2015, Iggy released “Pretty Girls,” a duet with Britney Spears. The ’80s-inspired music video referenced Earth Girls Are Easy. Despite massive hype, the song underperformed commercially, debuting and peaking at number 29 in the US.
At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, Iggy and Britney performed the song together. Iggy won three awards: Top Rap Song, Top Rap Artist, and Top Streaming Artist.
In May 2015, The Great Escape Tour was canceled. Iggy explained she wanted to take a break and rework her creative direction. She scrapped six months of work on her album to start fresh.
Digital Distortion Era
Singles began rolling out: “Team” (March 18, 2016), “Mo Bounce” (March 24, 2017), and “Switch” featuring Brazilian singer Anitta (May 19, 2017). However, label conflicts with Def Jam derailed the album.
In 2016, Iggy also became a judge on The X Factor Australia’s eighth season, replacing Chris Isaak. She spent much of 2016 dealing with personal turmoil following her breakup with fiancé Nick Young.
Survive the Summer EP
In November 2017, Iggy announced she’d left Def Jam and changed her album title to Surviving the Summer. She released four new tracks via WeTransfer as a free download, dubbed the “4 My Ratz” mixtape by media.
On February 2, 2018, she released “Savior” featuring Quavo as the lead single. On July 5, 2018, she dropped “Tokyo Snow Trip” and “Kream” featuring Tyga. “Kream” became a hit, debuting at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning Platinum certification.
Survive the Summer was released as an EP on August 3, 2018, debuting at number 144 on the Billboard 200.
Independence and Bad Dreams Records
On November 3, 2018, Iggy announced she’d left Island Records and established her own label, initially called New Classic Records, later renamed Bad Dreams. On November 20, she signed a $2.7 million distribution deal with Empire Distribution. She owned all her masters moving forward—a huge achievement for any artist.
In My Defense and Wicked Lips
In February 2019, Iggy announced her second studio album, In My Defense. The lead single “Sally Walker” dropped on February 27, 2019, accumulating over 38 million YouTube views in two weeks and debuting at number 62 on the Hot 100.
The second single, “Started,” was released on May 3, 2019. In My Defense came out on July 19, 2019. Later that year, on December 2, she released the Wicked Lips EP, featuring collaborations with Noah Cyrus and Pabllo Vittar.
The End of an Era
In summer 2020, Iggy announced her third studio album, The End of an Era. The original lead single, “Dance Like Nobody’s Watching” with Tinashe (released August 20, 2020), underperformed and was scrapped from the album.
The new lead single, “Sip It” featuring Tyga, dropped in April 2021. The album was released in August 2021. In June 2021, Iggy joined Pitbull’s I Feel Good Tour as an opening act.
On July 15, 2021, Iggy announced she would take a hiatus from music after the album’s release.
Brief Return and Final Projects
In August 2022, Iggy announced she was resuming musical activity. In August 2023, she released “Money Come” with a self-directed music video alongside Christian Breslauer.
In 2022, Iggy sold her music catalog to Domain Capital in an eight-figure deal, including her share of music and future revenue from master recordings. She also announced a fourth album produced by Tory Lanez, but the project was shelved after Lanez’s conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion.
Personal Life and Relationships
A$AP Rocky (2011-2012)
In late 2011, Iggy began dating American rapper A$AP Rocky after meeting through producer Chase N. Cashe. She confirmed the relationship in a January 2012 Vibe interview. So committed was she that Iggy tattooed “Live. Love. A$AP” (the title of Rocky’s mixtape) on her fingers.
They split in July 2012. Years later, Iggy had the tattoo removed after crossing out “A$AP” for a while.
Nick Young (2013-2016)
In November 2013, Iggy began dating Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Nick Young. They quickly became a power couple, featuring together in the March 2014 issue of GQ magazine. They lived together in Tarzana, California, and on June 1, 2015, announced their engagement.
However, on June 19, 2016, Iggy announced they’d split after a video leaked online showing Nick bragging about cheating on her. The public breakup was humiliating and contributed to her decision to delay her album.
French Montana (2016)
Briefly in 2016, Iggy dated Moroccan rapper French Montana, but the relationship was short-lived.
Playboi Carti and Motherhood (2018-2020)
In late 2018, Iggy began dating rapper Playboi Carti. They kept the relationship relatively private. The couple reportedly split in December 2019.
On June 10, 2020, Iggy shocked fans by announcing she’d secretly given birth to a son named Onyx. “I have a son,” she wrote on Instagram. “I kept waiting for the right time to say something, but it feels like the more time passes, the more I realize I’m always going to feel anxious to share news that giant with the world.”
In October 2020, she revealed she was raising Onyx as a single mother: “I’m raising my son alone & I’m not in a relationship.” In December, she disclosed that Carti had cheated on her and missed their son’s birth, refusing to sign the birth certificate.
In a July 2024 interview, Iggy stated she was “very much the only parent” to Onyx, handling all childcare responsibilities.
Health Challenges
Iggy has been open about health struggles, including a chronic wound on her leg following an infection. She’s discussed this challenge while promoting her various business ventures.
Plastic Surgery Transparency
In March 2015, Iggy revealed to Vogue that she’d undergone breast augmentation four months earlier. “I’d thought about it my entire life,” she explained. Initially hesitant to discuss it publicly, she decided transparency was better than “secret-keeping.”
In August 2015, she confirmed to Seventeen magazine that she’d also had rhinoplasty (nose job). “Plastic surgery is an emotional journey,” she said. “It’s important to remember you can’t change everything. You can never be perfect.”
Controversies and Criticism
Cultural Appropriation Debate
Iggy’s career has been marked by intense debate about cultural appropriation and her place in hip-hop as a white Australian woman rapping with a Southern African American accent.
In 2012, her song “D.R.U.G.S” (a remix of Kendrick Lamar’s “Look Out for Detox”) caused controversy for lyrics referencing slavery: “When the relay starts, I’m a runaway slave / Master.” She apologized online, calling it “a tacky and careless thing to say.”
Critics, including writer Brittney Cooper in Salon, accused Iggy of appropriating “sonic Southern Blackness, particularly the sonic Blackness of Southern Black women.” Her accent while rapping has been compared to blackface and criticized as “wilful ignorance” of racial dynamics.
Rapper Azealia Banks became one of her most vocal critics, sparking multiple Twitter feuds about Iggy’s legitimacy in hip-hop and her understanding of Black culture.
Iggy’s Response
Iggy has defended herself on multiple fronts. Linguistics professor David Crystal analyzed her accent, suggesting she might unconsciously accommodate the American rapping style. He noted barely any traces of her Australian accent in her speaking voice: “She has developed a mixed accent (like so many people have these days) as a result of her traveling around.”
Iggy explained: “Do you not like me because I rap with an American accent and I’m not American? Well, that’s valid on some level because that’s your opinion and I can’t change that. But I’m not trying to sound black—I just grew up in a country where on TV and in music and film, everyone was American or any Australian person in them put on an American accent.”
She’s also pointed to sexism in the criticism, noting that women in rap face harsher scrutiny than men. In 2016, she said: “Many people think I still live in that bubble and that I don’t understand that the United States is set up in a way that doesn’t benefit minorities. I’ve lived here for 10 years now, and I don’t want it to be that way either.”
The planned Digital Distortion album was meant to address these controversies: “Some of [the criticisms] were fair and some of them, I think, were unfair. I just think it’s interesting that we live in this age of digital distortion where we’re all distorting each other.”
Blackfishing Allegations (2021)
In 2021, after releasing the “Iam the Stripclub” music video, Twitter commentators accused Iggy of blackfishing—trying to appear Black through makeup, tanning, or styling. Iggy called the allegations “ridiculous and baseless,” noting she’d worn the same Armani foundation for three years “in every video since ‘Sally Walker.'”
Her makeup artist Eros J. Gomez defended her on Twitter, clarifying she used the same foundation throughout the video.
Aboriginal Ancestry Claims
Iggy has claimed partial Aboriginal Australian ancestry, stating: “My family came to Australia on the First Fleet. My family’s been in that country for a long time, over 100 years. If your family’s lived in Australia for a long time, everyone has a little bit of Aboriginal blood. I know my family does because we have an eye condition that only Aborigine people have.”
This claim has not been verified and has sparked its own controversy.
Business Ventures Beyond Music
Fashion and Modeling
After initially resisting modeling suggestions, Iggy signed with Wilhelmina Models in 2012. She became the face of Levi’s “Go Forth” campaign and appeared in House of Holland’s eyewear collection campaign.
In July 2014, MTV announced Iggy would host the revived House of Style, where she interviewed Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora, Dennis Rodman, and Jeremy Scott. In 2015, she partnered with Steve Madden for a shoe collection. In October 2014, she and Nick Young became faces of Forever 21’s holiday campaign.
In April 2015, Iggy signed as the 100th-birthday ambassador for Australian underwear and clothing company Bonds. In 2018, she became Monster Products’ spokesperson, starring in their Super Bowl LII commercial.
Azalea Street Productions
In March 2016, Iggy revealed she’d started a production company, buying rights to several books and Australian TV shows she wanted to adapt. In July 2016, Azalea Street Productions signed a deal with NBCUniversal to create original content focusing on social justice and empowering young women.
In February 2017, the company optioned the book Bad Girls Gone for a film Iggy would produce, though the project never materialized.
OnlyFans Success
In January 2023, Iggy opened an OnlyFans account to promote her fourth album, Hotter Than Hell. However, the content strategy pivoted. Her OnlyFans became extremely lucrative, with reports suggesting she earned millions from the platform through exclusive content and fan engagement.
Cryptocurrency and $MOTHER
In 2024, Iggy made headlines by launching $MOTHER, a memecoin on the Solana blockchain. The cryptocurrency became one of her most successful business ventures, attracting both crypto enthusiasts and her fanbase. She actively promoted it on social media and educated fans about cryptocurrency.
Unreal Mobile and Dream Vault
Iggy launched Unreal Mobile, a non-contract telecommunication service aimed at providing affordable phone plans. She also created Dream Vault, a crowdfunding platform designed to help creators fund their projects.
These business ventures show Iggy’s entrepreneurial spirit and desire to build sustainable income streams beyond music.
Style, Influences, and Legacy
Musical Style and Evolution
Iggy’s music blends multiple genres: Southern hip-hop, trap, electronic dance music, electro-hop, and pop. Her debut EP Glory touched on hardcore rap while experimenting with EDM. Songs like “Fancy” and “Team” have been classified as electro-hop.
Her rap style is heavily influenced by the Southern artists she grew up listening to and the time she spent in Atlanta. The Southern drawl, trap beats, and confident delivery became her signature sound.
Cinematic Music Videos
Iggy is known for cinema-quality music videos that pay homage to cult films:
- “Work” (2013) – Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
- “Change Your Life” (2013) – Showgirls (1995)
- “Fancy” (2014) – Clueless (1995)
- “Black Widow” (2014) – Kill Bill (2003)
- “Pretty Girls” (2015) – Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)
- “Trouble” (2015) – 1980s cop comedies
- “Bounce” (2013) – Bollywood films
- “Fuck It Up” (2019) – Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
She’s directed some of her own videos, stating: “For me, visuals are as important as the music. I just love escapism and giving people something to escape to. To me, that’s what art is.”
Fashion Influences
Iggy’s fashion sense draws from diverse icons: Grace Kelly, Lil’ Kim, Gwen Stefani, Fran Drescher, Eve, Trina, Fergie, Christina Aguilera, and the Spice Girls (particularly Mel B and Victoria Beckham).
Musical Influences
Tupac Shakur remains her primary influence, with Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, TLC, Lil’ Kim, and Trina shaping her artistic identity.
Impact and Recognition
Iggy broke barriers as the first non-American female rapper on XXL’s Freshmen List and the first to top the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Her YouTube channel, including collaborations, accumulated 7 billion views. Fifteen of her music videos surpassed 100 million views on Vevo.
She’s one of the best-selling female rappers globally. 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 2014, she was named number one on Billboard Year-End’s Top New Artists chart. In 2020, Rolling Stone Australia listed her at number 50 in “50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time.”
Retirement and Current Projects
Stepping Away from Music
In January 2024, Iggy announced she would not finish her fourth album, Hotter Than Hell. “I’m not going to finish my album,” she stated on social media. She explained she felt “more passionately about design and creative direction than songwriting.”
She clarified she wasn’t “bullied away from music” but simply wanted to pursue other creative interests. This marked her official retirement from music, though she left the door open for occasional releases.
Current Focus
Post-retirement, Iggy has focused on:
- $MOTHER cryptocurrency: Actively managing and promoting her memecoin
- OnlyFans: Continuing her successful content platform
- Unreal Mobile: Expanding her telecom business
- Dream Vault: Supporting creators through crowdfunding
- Motherhood: Raising her son Onyx as a single parent
Legacy in Hip-Hop
Whether loved or criticized, Iggy Azalea undeniably impacted hip-hop. She opened doors for future international artists in American rap. Her commercial success—topping charts, earning Grammy nominations, making history alongside the Beatles—cannot be denied.
She sparked important conversations about race, cultural appropriation, and authenticity in hip-hop. These debates continue today, shaping how we think about genre boundaries and cultural exchange.
For fans, Iggy represented determination, authenticity (in her own way), and the power of following your dreams against all odds. Her journey from a mud-brick house in rural Australia to global stardom is genuinely inspirational.
Frequently Asked Questions About Iggy Azalea
What is Iggy Azalea real name?
Iggy Azalea’s real name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly. She was born on June 7, 1990, in Sydney, Australia. She created her stage name by combining “Iggy” (her childhood dog’s name) with “Azalea” (the street her family lived on in Mullumbimby, Australia).
How old was Iggy Azalea when she moved to America?
Iggy Azalea moved to the United States just before turning 16 years old in 2006. She told her parents she was going on a two-week vacation to Miami but decided to stay permanently. She lived illegally on visa waivers for six years, returning to Australia every three months to renew her visa until she received her O visa in 2013 and green card in 2018.
What was Iggy Azalea’s biggest hit song?
Iggy Azalea’s biggest hit was “Fancy” featuring Charli XCX, released in 2014. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for seven consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one single by a female rapper at the time. The Clueless-inspired music video became a cultural phenomenon with hundreds of millions of views.
Is Iggy Azalea still making music?
No, Iggy Azalea officially retired from music in January 2024. She announced she wouldn’t finish her fourth album, Hotter Than Hell, stating she felt “more passionately about design and creative direction than songwriting.” She now focuses on business ventures including her $MOTHER cryptocurrency, OnlyFans content, Unreal Mobile telecom service, and raising her son Onyx.
Does Iggy Azalea have any children?
Yes, Iggy Azalea has one son named Onyx, born in June 2020. His father is rapper Playboi Carti, though Iggy has stated she raises Onyx as a single mother and is “very much the only parent.” She kept her pregnancy private and announced the birth on Instagram, expressing she wanted to protect his privacy while acknowledging he’s “not a secret.”
Final Thoughts
Iggy Azalea’s story is complex, controversial, and ultimately fascinating. From Amethyst Kelly to Iggy Azalea to successful businesswoman and mother, she’s lived many lives. She conquered the music industry, faced intense criticism, adapted, evolved, and ultimately chose her own path out of the spotlight.
Her music catalog remains popular, her business ventures continue thriving, and her influence on pop culture persists. Love her or hate her, you can’t ignore what she accomplished.
