‘The New Classic’ is Australian rapper Iggy Azalea’s debut album.
The 23-year-old, who spent last autumn opening for Beyonce’s world tour, has managed to make a name for herself on the US rap scene with her hyper-sexualised lyrics and provocative stage antics.
A white, middle-class female from an obscure outpost in New South Wales, Azalea says rap is everything she’s not and that’s why she’s attracted to it: “Rap’s always been the style of music that I was just in love with. It’s like bass heavy, it’s fun, it’s like rebellious and strong, masculine, I like all those things.”
“And it’s flashy, and I have chains and clothes (in the videos) – I didn’t have any of those things where I was from (Australia), so I really loved rap music because it was the complete opposite of my life, so for that reason, I was really drawn to it,” she said.
The single ‘Fancy’ featuring UK singer-songwriter Charli XCX has already become a hit, landing at number 1 on the iTunes Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Iggy Azalea is currently touring the US as part of the Hip Hop Outbreak tour. Her album ‘The New Classic’ is out now.
Dan + Shay rock the country music scene*
They’re the new hot thing on the US country music scene – Dan and Shay started out less than a year and a half ago, but the prolific pair who claim to write up to three songs a day, quickly made a name for themselves.
Launched on April 1, their album ‘Where It All Began’ started at number 1 on the Top Country Albums making them the first country duo ever to land their debut album on top.
So what’s the secret of their success?
“The process kind of changes. That’s something you can ask any songwriter. You don’t walk in there (the studio) and it’s like, step one: we do this. It just kind of happens. You feel the vibe of the room. Different writers are different. They will bring different things to the table. Dan and I both contribute. It’s definitely 50-50. There’s days that one of us will have a title and the other has a title. It definitely always changes,” says Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay.
‘Where It All Began’ has garnered generally positive reviews from music critics, who nevertheless point out that the album could do better in the lyrics department.
The duo will be joining country star Blake Shelton’s summer tour, Ten Times Crazier, in June.
