Iggy Azalea has opened up about how her management team encouraged her to complete a two-week “mental retreat,” in preparation for a comeback.
Azalea admitted in a new interview with Billboard that, after signing with a new record label and management team, she was asked to visit an Arizona institution to address her general mental health before working on any new material.
“They were like, ‘We think you’re really talented and you can go to the studio and make hits all day, but we don’t know if, you know, someone says something about you and you have a reaction it could ruin a branding deal,’” she recalled. “‘We need you to go and speak to these people and make sure that you’re mentally prepared to come out with new music.’ I didn’t want to go there — I didn’t like the idea of being sent away somewhere. I was pissed.”
Azalea has been no stranger to controversy. The Australian rapper has been booed offstage, fought with fellow rappers on Twitter, and feuded with the press. In 2015, Azalea cancelled a planned 21-show arena tour before it even began, telling fans she had a “creative change of heart.”
After spending two weeks with professionals, the rapper said she has changed.
“I’ve never really sat down and had an honest conversation with professional people,” she added in her conversation with Billboard. “It was good to say something to somebody who could give me the tools and information on how to make my life manageable when I’m feeling those things.
"So it was really useful — I’m glad that I went.”