Iggy Azalea, 33, was taken offstage abruptly in Saudi Arabia on Friday as the rapper made her debut performance in the country at the Gamers8 e-sports and gaming event held at Boulevard Riyadh City.
Dressed in a leather top body suit and waist hanging joggers, the “Work” singer had the crowd singing word for word.
With high hopes of delivering an unforgettable show, The “Pussy” artist had expressed her enthusiasm for headlining an all-women lineup, emphasizing her commitment to inspiring women worldwide through her music.
In her statement preceding the concert Iggy shared, “I am delighted to be making my debut performance in Saudi Arabia at Gamers8 and thrilled to be headlining an all-women lineup. Providing inspiration for women across the globe is hugely important to me, and something I am immensely proud to have done through my music. Performing live provides incredible opportunities to meet new people and experience new cultures, and I look forward so much to seeing all my fans in Riyadh on Friday for what will be an amazing night.”
However, despite the anticipation and excitement surrounding her performance, the concert took an unexpected turn. Authorities abruptly shut down the show, leaving Iggy Azalea and her fans disappointed.
Expressing her regret and gratitude to her Saudi Arabian audience, Iggy Azalea conveyed, “Saudi Arabia, please know, to everyone at the show tonight… I LOVE YOU!!! And I’m soooooo sorry I wasn’t allowed to finish my show 😭.”
She went on to clarify that the show’s abrupt end was not the fault of the event’s promoters. In a bid to mitigate any potential backlash, she urged her fans to show kindness to the organizers, describing them as “amazing people” who, like her, wanted the show to go on. The reason for the unexpected halt, she explained, was due to an unforeseen wardrobe malfunction: “It’s not the promoter who put on the show’s fault, so show them kindness because they are amazing people and we all wanted to continue but were not allowed by authorities because of my pants splitting 🤷♀️😭🥲.”
When a fan inquired why she didn’t simply change her pants to resume the show, Iggy Azalea disclosed that she did attempt to rectify the situation. However, a simple phrase uttered during her performance inadvertently escalated matters. She revealed, “I did, but I also said ‘Ladies make some noise, it’s a woman’s world!’ And apparently that sent the authorities over the edge. Lol. I’m cool; I just didn’t want the fans to be sad or angry at the show organizers because it wasn’t their control or mine; it was the police at the side of the stage.”
The unexpected turn of events left fans both sympathetic to Iggy Azalea and curious about the dynamics that led to the premature conclusion of what promised to be an extraordinary night of music and entertainment in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian authorities are yet to comment on the performance.
