Who is Iggy Azalea?
Iggy Azalea is an Australian rapper, born Amethyst Amelia Kelly in Sydney in 1990 and raised in Mullumbimby in northern New South Wales. Her 2014 hit Fancy, featuring Charli XCX, topped the US Billboard Hot 100.
Azalea grew up in Mullumbimby, near Byron Bay, and moved to the United States at 16 to pursue a career in hip hop. She built a following through mixtapes and music videos.
Her debut album, The New Classic, released in 2014, included Fancy and Black Widow. Fancy spent seven weeks at number one in the United States.
Records and controversy
In 2014, Azalea joined the Beatles as the only acts to hold the top two spots on the Hot 100 with their first two chart entries, as Fancy and Problem with Ariana Grande sat at numbers one and two.
She received four Grammy nominations, but her career also attracted criticism about cultural appropriation in hip hop and her use of an American-style accent when rapping.
Azalea released further albums and later announced a step back from music to focus on other ventures. Her stage name combines the name of her childhood dog, Iggy, with the street she grew up on, Azalea Street.
Did You Know?
Fancy won the Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Song in 2015.