“Walk a mile in these Louboutins…” I would if I could, but I’m just another poor college student.
“But they don’t wear these shits where I’m from.” Really? Same here!
“I’m not hating, I’m just telling you… I’m tryin’ let you know what the f*ck that I’ve been through.” And that, you have succeeded.
These are lyrics from the leading single of Iggy Azalea’s new album, The New Classic, “Work” – a catchy tune with an upbeat rhythm, as well as personal lyrics that describe Azalea’s struggle at a young age. This is one of my favorite songs from the album because anyone can relate to the idea of working hard in their journey towards success. The track is inspiring to me because I have been a fan of her ever since she was not as well-known, and I am proud to have watched her grow into this successful role model.
The New Classic has only been out for about two weeks, and it already has four singles: “Work,” “Change Your Life,” “Fancy,” and “Bounce.”
Azalea’s album is all I have been listening to, and I instantly bought tickets to one of her shows of The New Classic tour. Words cannot even describe how excited I am to not only see her perform for the first time, but to also hear these great songs from her album live.
“Black Widow,” a collaboration with singer Rita Ora, is another favorite song of mine from this album. Ora and Azalea’s powerful voices compliment each other in this song, and I hope this is not the last collaboration of the dynamic duo.
As of the content of “Black Widow,” it describes a complicating, yet passionate love-hate relationship by using the unique analogy of a black widow, with the lyrics “you used to be thirsty for me, /but now you wanna be set free /this is the web, the web that you weave, /so baby now rest in peace.”
It is no surprise that her most popular song at the moment, “Fancy,” is one of the singles of The New Classic. Although I hear it almost every single time I turn on the radio, the infectious lyrics and famous hook makes this song one of my guilty pleasures. “Fancy” is just so incredibly fun, and makes me want to dance and sing along on the top of my lungs.
However, I do believe “Change Your Life” is underrated and deserves more praise than “Fancy.” “Change Your Life” is Azalea’s second collaboration with rapper/mentor, T.I., and explores similar subjects to “Work.”
I admire how Azalea firmly believes in the idea of remembering where you came from, whether it is mentioning her home country Australia or how she grew up in Miami; my favorite verse from “Change Your Life” is “we spend our winters in the summer of Australia /eating crumpets with the sailors /on acres without the neighbors,” which makes it clear that Azalea is proud to represent Australia.
There are many other reasons I admire Azalea as both a person and an artist, which includes her skills for songwriting and clever lyrics. In “New B*tch,” the slam lyric “You well done, and b*tch I’m rare” ties with the infamous line from “Work,” “Valley girls giving bl*wjobs for Louboutins, /what you call that? /Head over heels.”
Although she is known for taking risks with producing explicit songs (i.e. “Pu$$y”), every song on this album displays nothing but confidence. Azalea goes beyond her comfort zone, making her a talented, one-of-a-kind artist.
If I was not already excited enough to see Azalea in concert on May 14, this album really does it for me! I would rate it a 4.5/5, and I highly encourage everyone to listen to her album. The New Classic is available in stores/iTunes now!
