Iggy Azalea launches her own fragrance today, “Devil’s Advocate,” as a part of her latest line Parfum De Azalea.
“It’s representing that unabashed, unafraid, naughty side of yourself,” she said of the devilish figure illustrated on the sleek, dark bottle. Within the image, a pink, nude outline resembling Azalea is seen embracing a red, horned silhouette.
“It’s meant to be a mirrored image of that naughty, cheeky, almost the devil in your shoulder or that a part of me that claims, like, ‘Just do it, just go, just rejoice, exit together with your friends that night, double text the guy,’” the rapper went on. “It’s about embracing the duality of yourself.”
She’s passionate as she describes the concept for the fragrance, which has been a yr within the making. The concept, its marketing and packaging were developed prior to the scent itself.
“My approach was a bit unique in that way, and I didn’t realize that until I spoke to the perfumer,” she said, calling from Los Angeles. “I suppose I type of went backward, but for me, that made sense, because I desired to develop a world of escapism.”
The scent was inspired by her native country, Australia, which she left in her teens for the U.S. to pursue music. The smell reminds her of home.
“I actually desired to have Australian sandalwood be the highest note that runs throughout the scent,” she said. “I actually love that scent. I grew up with it. My mother would at all times have that in our house.”
The endeavor is a partnership with L.A.-based Merveilleux Beauty. After 11 years within the entertainment industry, as a four-time Grammy-nominee and multiplatinum artist, it’s Azalea’s first beauty release.
“The rationale why they were the proper partner for me was because they were willing to offer me ownership, initially, of my very own brand that no person else was really willing to offer me,” Azalea said. “But secondly, they really respected my creative vision and took a back seat…I even have total ownership and total control.”
Working remotely through the pandemic, she and the perfumer had many conversations over Zoom, specifically focused on emotions and what the scent would evoke.
“We talked about what it is precisely that I wanted people to feel, particularly once they sprayed this on them and the way it could represent them,” Azalea said.
She was her own guinea pig, wearing different variations of the scent for per week at a time to check it out. She wanted the smell to be memorable, but not too heavy.
“I used to be very specific about that type of thing,” she explained. “I really like to have scents that stay on, like say a sweater that you just leave at your boyfriend’s house, they usually smell it after and consider you. Or perhaps you laid in bed and your lover’s gone but you’ll be able to smell them in your pillow. I really like that type of sense of memory, but I don’t like whenever you walk into an elevator after anyone’s walked out and you’ll be able to smell their fragrance. To me, that’s overkill. I don’t wish to smell someone once they walk up, but when I give them an intimate hug, [it’s nice if] they’ve a subtle scent.”
The visual concept of “duality” can be reflected within the scent, she added: “Initially, it almost feels more masculine, more sensual and has a more woody, amber fragrance. After which because it sits on you, it feels more feminine, and also you get more of those softer top notes of floral….You get the really creamy orchids and more citrus smell.”
The unisex fragrance, priced at $57 for a 50-ml bottle, is accessible today direct-to-consumer at Parfumdeazalea.com.
Azalea is desperate to share it with the world — and her fans. On Instagram alone, she has 14.6 million followers. On YouTube, certainly one of her hottest hits, “Fancy,” has greater than a billion views.
She said bringing “Devil’s Advocate” to life has felt much like creating music: “Fragrance is so emotional, the identical way that even songwriting is. After I sit down, and I’m writing a song, I’m considering what I would like people to feel, even when it’s a celebration song and the emotion of happiness or chaos even sometimes. I even have never really associated that type of thing with beauty or a product before, because I just hadn’t had that inside experience or the flexibility to develop something, develop a conceptual idea and the universe of a product. I’ve enjoyed it a lot. I truthfully enjoyed it as much as making music.”
Azalea, who’s days away from celebrating her thirty first birthday, is on the brink of drop her third record this yr, “End of an Era.” It’s a retrospective, she revealed, that dives into her 20s. It’s divided into 4 segments with 4 songs in each: 20, 24, 28 and 30.
“The primary portion of my album is more heavily electronic and experimental sounding and type of reflects my mixtape days,” she said. “The twenty fourth section of the album is more sonically mainstream and pop-influenced…28 is a rather more urban, drum heavy sound…after which when it’s the ultimate section of the album, which is 30, those final songs really represent where I’m currently, as of immediately.”
The music videos, too, will reference her works through the years.
“It’s almost like a time capsule,” she added.