Iggy Azalea has said she was not permitted to continue her Saudi Arabia concert after expressing her pro-women views and ultimately, having a wardrobe malfunction.
While Azalea did change her outfit and was prepared to go back on stage, she believed that her female-empowering statements were also a cause of the cancellation. “I also said ‘Ladies make some noise, it’s a woman’s world!’ And apparently that sent the authorities over the edge. Lol,” she answered to a fan on Twitter. The rapper continued, “I’m cool I just didn’t want the fans to be sad or angry at the show organizers cause it wasn’t their control or mine it was the police at the side of stage.”
Rapper and model Iggy Azalea is known for being outspoken with her message and her wardrobe, which meant she was taking a risk performing in the female-conservative country of Saudi Arabia this past Friday. That risk didn't go over well, as her concert was canceled by local authorities following an untimely pants split. Fan videos captured Azalea beginning to kneel while rapping when her vinyl pants started splitting on her left leg. It was clearly an accident, as the rapper herself was shocked and got help from her team.
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According to Saudi Arabia’s 2019 public decorum regulation, women, “must always dress modestly, covering their knees and shoulders.” Saudi women are required to wear the all-black, head-to-toe covering abaya, and though visitors are given some leeway, they are still told to “cover as much flesh as possible to avoid drawing unwelcome attention.” In Azalea’s case, the whole tour complied with the laws - all her backup dancers were in full black, turtleneck and long sleeve bodysuits. She herself was wearing a turtleneck with long sleeves and pants, though they were tight enough to split when kneeling down. This made her immediately in violation of the country’s law, whether accidental or not.
“Saudi Arabia… Wasssssss…. probably the worst possible place to have my pants split,” she acknowledged in an Instagram story, “& unfortunately, I wasn’t permitted to end the show. BUT silver lining, the promoters were amazingly kind to me & the PEOPLE who came were the absolute most supportive.”
It’s unclear if Azalea will be allowed to perform in Saudi Arabia again, or will reschedule the show to make up for the enforced cancellation. That being said, she is clearly not letting the situation get to her. “Can’t stop us!!!!!” she posted on Twitter, with short clips from the concert and her new song “Money Come” in the background. No shame in her game!
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