Lady Patra
The New Classic is the debut studio album by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released on 21 April 2014 by Def Jam Recordings in a joint venture with Grand Hustle Records, alongside Virgin EMI Records. The album was produced by FKi 1st, The Invisible Men, The Messengers, and Stargate, alongside others. Co-producers Watch the Duck and musicians such as T.I., Charli XCX, Rita Ora, Mavado, and Wiley provided vocal features on the project. The album was recorded from 2012 to 2013 in numerous studios across the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and is her first overall project since her second mixtape TrapGold (2012). Primarily a hip-hop and pop, album, The New Classic also features elements of EDM, dance-pop and trap in its production.
The album produced five singles in total. "Work", "Bounce" (exclusive to the deluxe), and "Change Your Life" were released as the first three singles all of which attained commercial success on charts worldwide. The fourth single "Fancy" featuring British singer-songwriter Charli XCX was an international success, reaching the top five in Australia and the United Kingdom, and peaking at number one in New Zealand, the United States and Canada. The fifth single, "Black Widow" featuring British singer Rita Ora peaked at number 4 in the United Kingdom. It became Azalea's highest-charting single as a lead artist on that chart, and also peaked at number 3 in the United States, while receiving mixed reviews from music critics. A promotional single was also released for the album, "Impossible Is Nothing".
The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 52,000 copies in the United States. The New Classic was the highest-charting female rap album since Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012) and the highest chart entry for a female rapper's debut album since Minaj's Pink Friday (2010) entered at number two. The album also moved up to number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums, making Azalea the first non-American female rapper to reach the summit of these charts.
The New Classic won the Breakthrough Artist Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 2014 and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the 2014 American Music Awards. The album also garnered Azalea four Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Fancy" and Best Rap Album at the 57th Grammy Awards. The New Classic was later reissued in a repackaged version, titled Reclassified, which featured the singles "Beg for It" (featuring MØ) and "Trouble" (featuring Jennifer Hudson), alongside the promotional single "Iggy SZN". To promote the album, Azalea embarked on her first headlining concert tour, entitled The New Classic Tour. The Great Escape Tour was planned for Reclassified, but it was soon cancelled.
In August 2014, the album was certified Gold in Canada and in November 2014, it was also certified gold in Australia (Azalea's home country). In April 2016, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album was named the second most-streamed album of the year overall in the US, third in the UK and globally on commercial music streaming service Spotify in 2014. On the 2nd of February, 2015, it received a Platinum award from Universal Music Colombia. The New Classic also received a Platinum award from Universal Music Brazil, along with its repack Reclassified, on the 8th of November, 2015.
Workie Workie
- 2022-07-08T00:00:00.000000Z
Ambition
- 2013-09-09T00:00:00.000000Z
Summa Hot Shot
- 2013-08-08T00:00:00.000000Z
Similar Artists