So, It Sounds Like Iggy Azalea Just Retired From Music

Another day, another surprising retirement notice. Over the past two years, Iggy Azalea has proven she’s been in the studio. After quietly releasing a few singles in 2021, she teased her new album, Hotter Than Hell, was on the horizon. Now, it seems she’s waving the flames off that release. On Jan. 3, the rapper announced she’s taking a break from music... again.

In a lengthy post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Azalea reflected on her decade-long career and the joy she’s experienced “seeing her ideas come to life.” “For a long time, I used music to deliver my big crazy ideas to the world,” she wrote. “I know a lot of people have this idea that I was ‘bullied away from music’ and that’s something I’ve always laughed at because I’d never be bullied out of anything! In fact, I’m too stubborn.”

Azalea’s words seem to allude to 2021’s The End of an Era, which was supposed to be her original retirement album. In July of that year, the rapper revealed she would be pursuing other passions outside of music after the album released. However, that wasn’t the only reason she wanted to leave the rap scene. That following month, she told Billboard she believed her music career was stuck in limbo, and she was proud to mark The End of an Era as her final album.

That contentment didn’t last long, though. In August 2022, one year after the album’s release, she returned to music again.

While Azalea seemed eager to give music another shot, it appears this recent sign-off might be permanent this time. In the Jan. 3 post, she confirmed she would no longer be completing her new album. She also noted that her love for “design and creative direction” has always come before songwriting, and she’s ready to prioritize that passion.

“[The album has] been paused for a few months while I was giving direction for a different project & in truth, I just haven’t felt the urge to go back to it,” the rapper wrote. “I feel really happy & passionate in my day to day life when my mind’s focused on that and I want to stick to what’s undeniably best for me.”

The “Pretty Girl” star ended the post on a hopeful note, apologizing to fans who were waiting on Hotter Than Hell’s release. “I know for some fans this probably makes you feel a little deflated – I’m sorry to let you down. But, it’s more important I don’t let myself down. I hope you’ll understand,” she wrote.

While details about the album were slim, it was already met with controversy. Hotter Than Hell was reportedly set to be executive-produced by Tory Lanez, who’s currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. Shortly before he was found guilty in August 2023, Azalea was named as one of many artists who wrote a letter of support to Lanez’s judge.

After days of backlash, Azalea reiterated her letter was not her way of supporting the rapper, but that she does “wish him well.”