Career Timeline of Iggy Azalea: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Iggy Azalea made an impact.
Iggy Azalea, born Amethyst Amelia Kelly, is an Australian rapper who gained fame in the United States. She moved to America at 16 to pursue her music career. Azalea garnered attention with her music videos for "Pussy" and "Two Times" on YouTube. She released her debut mixtape, Ignorant Art, in 2011 and later signed with T.I.'s Grand Hustle label. She is now retired from rapping.
2010: Move to Los Angeles
During the summer of 2010, Iggy Azalea moved to Los Angeles after being encouraged by someone from Interscope Records, who would later manage her briefly. It was around this time she created her stage name and began creating stop motion animated videos with freestyle raps.
December 2011: Announcement of Debut Album
In December 2011, Iggy Azalea announced that she would release her debut studio album, 'The New Classic', as soon as she signed a major record label deal.
2011: Release of 'Ignorant Art' Mixtape
In 2011, Iggy Azalea gained public recognition after releasing the music videos for her songs "Pussy" and "Two Times" on YouTube, shortly after which she released her debut mixtape, 'Ignorant Art', and then signed with T.I.'s Grand Hustle label.
March 2012: Signing with Grand Hustle Records
In March 2012, Iggy Azalea signed with T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records, along with rappers Chip and Trae tha Truth. On March 26, 2012, she posted "Murda Bizness", featuring T.I., on her YouTube account as the intended lead single for 'The New Classic'.
April 2012: Announcement of 'Glory' EP and SSENSE Collaboration
In April 2012, Iggy Azalea announced plans to release an EP entitled 'Glory' in May. She also starred in the world's first fully interactive shoppable music video for Canadian fashion retailer, SSENSE, alongside Diplo and FKi.
May 2012: Status as a 'Free Agent' and 'Beat Down' Release
In May 2012, it was confirmed that Iggy Azalea had not yet secured distribution for her deal with Grand Hustle Records, described by T.I. as a "free agent". She was also featured on Steve Aoki and Angger Dimas' track "Beat Down", released on May 31, 2012.
2012: Modeling Career Begins
In 2012, Iggy Azalea signed with Wilhelmina Models. She featured in ads for Dim Mak's fall/winter collection and was the face of Levi's "Go Forth" campaign. She also appeared in House of Holland's eyewear collection campaign.
February 2013: Radioactive Tour and 'Work' Premiere
In February 2013, Iggy Azalea was the opening act for Rita Ora's Radioactive Tour in the United Kingdom. She premiered her commercial debut single "Work" on BBC Radio 1Xtra on February 11, 2013, and on February 13, 2013, it was announced that she had signed a record deal with Mercury Records.
April 2013: Vevo LIFT Artist and Solo Record Deal
In April 2013, Vevo announced Iggy Azalea as its second LIFT artist of the year. On April 23, 2013, she announced that she had signed a solo record deal with Island Def Jam. On April 26, 2013, "Bounce" premiered on BBC Radio 1.
June 2013: Album Completion Confirmation
In June 2013, Iggy Azalea confirmed that her album was nearly finished and expected to be released in September 2013.
September 2013: Original Target Album Release Month
Iggy Azalea's album was expected to be released in September of 2013.
November 2013: Performance at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards
In November 2013, Iggy Azalea performed "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards.
December 2013: Leak of "Leave It"
In December 2013, an unfinished song by Iggy Azalea titled "Leave It" was leaked, initially alleged to be produced by DJ Mustard, but later revealed to be produced by the Invisible Men and the Arcade.
February 2014: Announcement of "Fancy"
In February 2014, Iggy Azalea announced the release of her new single "Fancy", featuring Charli XCX, which premiered on BBC Radio 1 Xtra on February 6, 2014. It was revealed "Fancy" was the song that had leaked titled "Leave It". On February 17, 2014, the song was serviced to urban contemporary radio in the United Kingdom.
March 2014: Delayed Release Date for 'The New Classic'
Iggy Azalea announced in October 2013 that her record label would not allow her to release 'The New Classic' until March 2014.
April 2014: Feature on "Problem"
In April 2014, Iggy Azalea was featured on Ariana Grande's single "Problem," which was released as the lead single from Grande's second studio album.
April 2014: Release of The New Classic
In April 2014, after delays, Iggy Azalea's album The New Classic was released, debuting at number-three on the Billboard 200 chart with 52,000 copies sold in the first week. It was the highest-charting female rap album since Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012) and the highest debut for a female rapper since Minaj's Pink Friday (2010).
May 2014: "Fancy" Reaches Number One
On May 28, 2014, Iggy Azalea's single "Fancy" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, making her the fourth solo female rapper to top the Hot 100. Her feature on "Problem" rose to number two on the Hot 100 on the same day, making Azalea the only artist since The Beatles to simultaneously rank at numbers one and two with their first two entries.
June 2014: Release of "Black Widow"
On June 24, 2014, Iggy Azalea's song "Black Widow", featuring Rita Ora, was serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio, as the fifth single from her debut album in the US. The song eventually peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
July 2014: Hosting House of Style
In July 2014, MTV announced Iggy Azalea as the host of the revived House of Style, where she interviewed various celebrities.
October 2014: Forever 21 Campaign
In October 2014, Iggy Azalea and her boyfriend Nick Young were announced as the new faces of Forever 21's 2014 holiday campaign.
October 25, 2014: Saturday Night Live Debut
On October 25, 2014, Iggy Azalea made her debut on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Jim Carrey, where she performed "Black Widow" with Rita Ora and "Beg for It" with MØ. The performance of "Beg for It" received negative feedback.
November 2014: Release of Reclassified
In November 2014, Iggy Azalea released Reclassified, a reissue of The New Classic, featuring five new songs, including "Trouble" featuring Jennifer Hudson and "Beg for It" featuring MØ.
November 2014: Number One on Maxim Hot 100
In November 2014, Iggy Azalea was placed at number one on the Maxim Hot 100 list in Australia due to her successful year.
December 2014: Announcement of The Great Escape Tour and Second Album
On December 10, 2014, Iggy Azalea announced plans for The Great Escape Tour in 2015 and a second studio album via her Twitter account, envisioning herself as "a musical escape artist for people".
2014: Success of 'The New Classic' and Featured on 'Problem'
In 2014, Iggy Azalea's debut album, 'The New Classic,' reached top positions worldwide and topped Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making her the first non-American female rapper to achieve this. She also had hits with "Fancy" and was featured on Ariana Grande's "Problem", achieving simultaneous top rankings on the Hot 100 chart. "Black Widow" also debuted that year.
January 2015: Work on Second Album Begins and People's Choice Award
In January 2015, Iggy Azalea started working on her second studio album. She also closed the 41st People's Choice Awards with "Beg for It" and won the award for Favorite Hip-Hop Artist.
February 2015: Shoe Collection Unveiled
In February 2015, Iggy Azalea partnered with Steve Madden, and their shoe collection was unveiled.
April 2015: Acting Debut in Furious 7
In April 2015, Iggy Azalea made her acting debut in the blockbuster action film Furious 7 as a "Girl race driver" and contributed to the film's soundtrack with Wiz Khalifa for the song "Go Hard or Go Home".
April 2015: Bonds Ambassador
In April 2015, Iggy Azalea signed on to be the 100th-birthday ambassador of Australian underwear and clothing company Bonds.
May 2015: Release of "Pretty Girls" and Billboard Music Awards
On May 4, 2015, Iggy Azalea released a duet with Britney Spears titled "Pretty Girls". They performed live for the first time on May 17 at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, where Azalea was nominated for 12 Billboard Awards and won 3: Top Rap Song, Top Rap Artist, and Top Streaming Artist.
October 2015: Announcement of Digital Distortion
In October 2015, Iggy Azalea revealed the initial title of her second album to be Digital Distortion.
2015: iHeartRadio and Billboard Music Awards Nominations
In 2015, Iggy Azalea led the iHeartRadio Music Awards nominations with five and received twelve nominations at the Billboard Music Awards. This signified her impact and recognition in the music industry during that year.
January 2016: Release of "Azillion" on SoundCloud
On January 9, 2016, Iggy Azalea released "Azillion", a buzz track off the album Digital Distortion, for free streaming on SoundCloud.
March 2016: Release of "Team" and Start of Production Company
On March 18, 2016, Iggy Azalea released "Team" along with a dance video. The song debuted and peaked at number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In March 2016, Azalea revealed she had started a production company.
June 2016: Joining The X Factor Australia as Judge
On June 12, 2016, Seven Network revealed that Iggy Azalea had signed on to be a judge replacing Chris Isaak on The X Factor Australia for its eighth season.
July 2016: Azalea Street Productions Signs Deal with NBCUniversal
In July 2016, Iggy Azalea announced that her company, Azalea Street Productions, had signed a deal to create original content for NBCUniversal.
September 2016: Delay of Album Release
In September 2016, Iggy Azalea delayed the release of her album to 2017, initially set for July 2016, due to the end of her relationship with Nick Young. She wanted to record new songs reflecting her mindset.
November 2016: Broadcast of The X Factor Australia season 8
The X Factor Australia season 8, where Iggy Azalea appeared as a judge, was broadcast from October to November 2016.
2016: Addressing Racial Controversy and Album Concept
In 2016, Iggy Azalea addressed the racial controversy surrounding her, citing sexism as a contributing factor to the criticism. She explained the concept of her then upcoming album, Digital Distortion, which would tackle the criticisms against her.
2016: GQ Australia Woman of the Year Award
In 2016, Iggy Azalea was presented with the Woman of the Year award by GQ Australia, recognizing her achievements and influence.
February 2017: Optioning of "Bad Girls Gone" for Film
In February 2017, Iggy Azalea's company, Azalea Street Productions, optioned the book Bad Girls Gone for a film that Azalea would produce, though the film did not materialize.
March 2017: Release of "Mo Bounce"
On March 24, 2017, Iggy Azalea released the single "Mo Bounce".
May 2017: Release of "Switch"
On May 19, 2017, Iggy Azalea released the single "Switch", featuring Brazilian singer Anitta. She promoted the track with a performance on the 2017 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards.
November 2017: Signing with New Label and Announcement of Surviving the Summer
On November 7, 2017, Iggy Azalea announced she was unable to release music until January 2018 due to signing with a new label. She also announced the new title of her second album, Surviving the Summer, and released four new tracks for free download.
January 2018: Announcement of "Savior"
In January 2018, Iggy Azalea announced the title of the lead single from Surviving the Summer, "Savior" featuring Quavo, which was released on February 2, 2018.
February 2018: Release of "Savior"
On February 2, 2018, Iggy Azalea released the song "Savior" featuring Quavo.
March 2018: Permanent Residence Approval in the United States
In March 2018, Iggy Azalea was approved for permanent residence in the United States.
March 2018: Performance of "Savior" on The Late Late Show with James Corden
On March 20, 2018, Iggy Azalea performed "Savior" on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
June 2018: Survive the Summer Announced as EP
On June 8, 2018, Iggy Azalea announced that Survive the Summer would be an EP due to a change in presidency at her record label, Island Records.
August 2018: Release of Survive the Summer
On August 3, 2018, Iggy Azalea released Survive the Summer, which debuted at number 144 on the Billboard 200.
November 2018: Departure from Island Records and Establishment of New Classic Records
On November 3, 2018, Iggy Azalea announced she had left Island Records. Two weeks later, she announced she had signed a $2.7 million distribution deal and would be an independent artist, establishing her own record label, New Classic Records. On November 20, 2018, she announced a partnership deal with Empire Distribution.
December 2018: Performance at Maracanã Stadium and Dancer's Seizure
On December 28, 2018, Iggy Azalea performed at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. During the performance, one of her dancers suffered a seizure onstage, and Azalea continued singing, sparking online criticism. She later explained that she kept singing because she thought the dancer had simply fallen.
2018: Monster Products Spokesperson
In 2018, Iggy Azalea was announced as Monster Products's new spokesperson and starred in their Super Bowl LII commercial.
2018: Release of 'Survive the Summer' EP
In 2018, following conflicts with her label and personal issues which led to the cancellation of 'Digital Distortion,' Iggy Azalea released the EP 'Survive the Summer' under Island Records.
January 2019: Renaming to Bad Dreams
In January 2019, Iggy Azalea renamed her record label Bad Dreams.
February 2019: Kream Certified Platinum
In February 2019, Iggy Azalea's song "Kream" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
February 2019: Completion of In My Defense
In early February 2019, Iggy Azalea announced that she had completed work on her second studio album, In My Defense, and planned to release it in the spring of that year.
March 2019: "Sally Walker" Release and Success
On February 27, 2019, Iggy Azalea announced that "Sally Walker" would be the first single off of the album. On the same day, her previous single, "Kream", was certified gold. At the end of March 2019, 14 days after Azalea's new single was released, "Sally Walker" had accumulated over 38 million views on YouTube and had debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart at number 62.
May 2019: Release of "Started"
On May 3, 2019, Iggy Azalea released the album's official second single, "Started", along with its official music video.
June 2019: Announcement of In My Defense Release Date
On June 24, 2019, Iggy Azalea announced via Twitter that her album In My Defense would be released on July 19, 2019. Pre-orders began on June 28, 2019.
July 2019: Release of In My Defense
Iggy Azalea's album In My Defense was released on July 19, 2019.
September 2019: Announcement of New Extended Play
On September 27, 2019, Iggy Azalea announced she would be releasing a new extended play. She also stated she planned to begin recording new material in September.
November 2019: Wicked Lips EP Release Date Announced
Iggy Azalea announced on her Twitter that she planned on releasing a new extended play on November 15, 2019 entitled Wicked Lips following the release of its lead single, "Lola".
2019: Releases of 'In My Defense' Album and 'Wicked Lips' EP
In 2019, Iggy Azalea released her second album, 'In My Defense', followed by the EP 'Wicked Lips' the same year after becoming an independent artist.
August 2020: Album Announcement and Single Release
In August 2020, Iggy Azalea announced her third studio album, "The End of an Era", and on August 20, 2020, she released "Dance Like Nobody's Watching" featuring Tinashe, as the original lead single.
April 2021: New Lead Single Release
In April 2021, Iggy Azalea released "Sip It" with Tyga as the new lead single for her album "The End of an Era", after scrapping the previous single due to underperformance.
June 2021: Album Release and Tour Announcement
In June 2021, Iggy Azalea tweeted that "The End of an Era" would be released in August of the same year. Also in June 2021, Pitbull announced his I Feel Good Tour with Iggy Azalea as an opening act.
July 2021: Hiatus Announcement
On July 15, 2021, Iggy Azalea announced that she would take a hiatus from music after the release of "The End of an Era".
2021: Release of 'The End of an Era' Album
In 2021, Iggy Azalea released her third studio album, 'The End of an Era'.
August 2022: Return to Music and Catalog Sale
On August 8, 2022, Iggy Azalea announced her return to musical activity. In 2022, she also sold her music catalog to Domain Capital in an eight-figure deal.
January 2023: OnlyFans Account Launch
In January 2023, Iggy Azalea opened an OnlyFans account to promote her fourth album, "Hotter Than Hell".
August 2023: Music Video Release
In August 2023, Iggy Azalea released a music video for her single "Money Come", directed by herself and Christian Breslauer.
January 2024: Album Abandonment and New Ventures
In early January 2024, Iggy Azalea announced she would not continue working on the album "Hotter Than Hell". Instead, she would focus on other creative projects. In 2024, Azalea launched $MOTHER, a memecoin on the Solana blockchain, Unreal Mobile, a non-contract telecommunication service, and crowdfunding platform "Dream Vault".
2024: Retirement Announcement
In 2024, Iggy Azalea announced her retirement from music.
Mentioned in this timeline
Basketball is a team sport played on a rectangular court...
Britney Spears dubbed the Princess of Pop is an American...
Ariana Grande-Butera is an American singer songwriter and actress widely...
Jim Carrey is a Canadian and American actor and comedian...
Playboi Carti born Jordan Terrell Carter is an influential American...
ASAP Rocky born Rakim Athelaston Mayers is an American rapper...
Trending
12 minutes ago Biden Criticizes Trump's Democracy Stance, Addresses Shutdown, and Attends Ben Nelson Gala.
5 months ago Lainey Wilson shares funeral song, discusses Hannah Montana past, and Carin Leon.
13 minutes ago Kylie Beck stuns at Miami game; Syracuse faces No. 18 Miami Hurricanes.
1 month ago Mark Gronowski Injured During Iowa vs. Indiana Game: Update on Iowa QB
1 hour ago Jesse Palmer Hints at Twists in 'Golden Bachelor' Finale, Mel's Fate Uncertain.
1 day ago UI student arrested for flipping Turning Point table, facing charges from prior incident.
Popular
Nancy Pelosi is a prominent American politician notably serving as...
Zohran Kwame Mamdani is an American politician currently serving as...
William Franklin Graham III commonly known as Franklin Graham is...
Chuck Schumer is the senior United States Senator from New...
Gavin Newsom is an American politician and businessman currently serving...
Nicholas J Fuentes is a far-right political commentator and activist...