Iggy Azalea hit #1 with “Fancy”

Fancy Iggy Azalea with Charli XCX

Writer(s): Amethyst Kelly/ Charlotte Aitchison/ George Astasio/ Jason Pebworth/ Jon Shave/ Kurtis McKenzie (see lyrics here) Released: February 17, 2014 First Charted: March 22, 2014 Peak: 17 US, 13 RR, 21 A40, 113 RB, 5 UK, 11 CN, 5 AU, 9 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 0.6 UK, 9.1 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1160.93 video, 711.89 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Fancy” was the fourth single from Australian rapper Iggy Azalea’s debut album – and the one which made her a star. It topped the charts in the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand and went top ten in Australia, the United Kingdom, and other countries. The “electro hop” song was written by Azalea (real name Amethyst Kelly) and Charli XCX (real name Charlotte Aitchison) with the production teams known as “The Invisible Men” and “The Arcade.” When the song hit #1 in the U.S., Azalea was also a guest rapper on Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” the #2 hit. This made Azlaea only the sixth artist in history to hold down the top two slots and only the third female artist – after Ashanti and Mariah Carey – to have her first two Hot 100 hits in the top five simultaneously. Only Azalea and the Beatles had the distinction of having their first two Hot 100 singles at #1 and #2 simulatenously. WK The song also topped MTV and iTunes’ lists of best songs of 2014. WK MTV Buzzworthy’s Brad Stern said of the song, “Not since Fergie’s ‘Glamourous’ has there been such a spectactularly sass-filled ode to the glam life.” WK Idolator’s Mike Wass called it a “swag-drenched hip hop/pop delight” and Hip Hop DX’s Janice Llamoca said it was “a hip hop-slash-pop party anthem.” WK Hip Hop Wired’s Chris Tomas said Charli XCX “provides a very potent chorus that women will be chanting in their clubs, cars, and the like.” WK Not all reviews were glowing; About.com’s Bill Lamb said the song felt a “bit too recycled” and that the lyrics had been done better by Stefani nearly a decade earlier on “Luxurious.” WK The video was directed by Director X and featured Azalea and Charli XCX in the roles of Beverly Hills’ socialites Cher and Tai from the 1995 American comedy film Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone. Both the movie and the video used Los Angeles’ Grant High School as a filming location and outfits in the video were designed to match the film’s clothing with slight updates. The Huffington Post’s Chanel Parks offered props to Iggy for her “music video homage to our favorite movie of all time” WK and Paste magazine’s Taalur Ramsey praised the video as a combination of “a quintessential 90s culture moment with [Iggy’s] hip-hop vibes.” WK Entertainment Weekly named it the best video of 2014. WK Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Iggy Azalea DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Charli XCX SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Last updated 4/1/2024.