7 Reasons You Don’t Mess With Iggy Azalea
Today is Iggy Azalea’s 24th birthday, and this fancy lady has a lot to celebrate. The Australian artist is an iTunes hit and constantly playing on the radio, and given how long she’s been singing, it’s great to see her explode in popularity in the months leading up to her birthday. We’re not even halfway through 2014 yet, but this is most definitely Azalea’s year, and I hope the coming years treat her just as well. Azalea gave me “Fancy” and “Problem” to dance to every morning before work, so as my birthday gift to her, here is a list of reasons she’s way too tough and awesome to mess with. Don’t even try, she always comes out ahead.
7. She’s the first musician since The Beatles to have the top two songs on the Billboard Hot 100
First thing’s first, she’s the realest. Last week, “Fancy” earned the number one slot with “Problem,” featuring Azalea, holding second place. This is a woman who gets results, and I have no doubt she’ll stay on the charts for a long time.
6. She challenged those who tried to bring down her achievements
You don’t need to be famous to know the world is full of negative people, and Azalea got a taste of this when others tried to cheapen her major accolade by cracking jokes. She responded with a series of honest tweets:
I applaud Azalea’s impressive work and ability to speak openly about her emotions. Don’t let the noise get you down, fancy lady!
5. She’s not afraid to point out inaccuracies about her life
The other day, she tweeted about a Daily Mail article, “That was a sweet article the daily mail wrote about where I’m from but that’s not the home my father built or the one I grew up in.” Good to know!
4. When the media criticizes her, she fights back
Earlier this year, Lorde came to Azalea’s defense after Complex magazine gave Azalea a less-than-favorable album rating. It hadn’t been long since Azalea had graced the cover of the publication, and Lorde found the contrast confusing, “Bugs me how publications like complex will profile interesting artists in order to sell copies/get clicks and then s–t on their records? It happens to me all the time — pitchfork and that ilk being like ‘can we interview you?’ after totally taking the piss out of me in a review. Have a stance on an artist and stick to it. Don’t act like you respect them then throw them under the bus.” Azalea chimed in with her own series of tweets:
3. She dropped out of high school to pursue her dream
As a teenager, Azalea flew from Australia to LA with no plans to return to her home country. She knew she had to be in the states to have a career in rap music, and now she finally has it. “No money, no family, 16 in the middle of Miami,” is her mantra, but the big decision she made ended up being the best one ever.
2. She used to be in a band
In Australia, Azalea was part of a girl group in her neighborhood, but she eventually walked away as she felt she was more serious than the others, “I take everything I do serious. I’m too competitive.” And now she’s shining on her own!
1. When she felt out of place, she actually did something about it
It’s common for teens to feel like they’re trapped in a terrible town or city. Azalea felt she didn’t connect with Australia, so rather than complain about it forever, she took the huge risk of relocating to the U.S. at 16, “I was drawn to America because I felt like an outsider in my own country, I was in love with hip hop, and America is the birthplace of that, so I figured the closer I was to the music, the happier I’d be. I was right.”
