Iggy Azalea isn’t sure how much touring she’ll do in the future after announcing that she plans to pull back from releasing music after dropping her The End of an Era album Aug. 13. But what she does know is that her upcoming tour with Pitbull is going to be one hell of a going away party.
“It’s interesting and unexpected but at the same time it makes perfect f—ing sense,” the rapper tells Billboard about the all-bangers combo tour called I Don’t Know About You But I Feel Good that is slated to kick off on Friday (Aug. 20) at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkson, Mich. “His music is so high energy and so is mine, and the shows will be high energy from start to finish.”
Azalea’s Era is a return to what she says is her most natural lane, uptempo EDM guaranteed to get bodies moving. That’s why she’s looking forward to both sets filling the stage with a “crazy group of women dancing” for what she believes are simpatico audiences. “I have an extremely large Latin fan base and so does [Pitbull], and this tour made sense to me … I’m really excited about it.”
She also promises that there will be “no sad songs” or ballads at all, and assumes Pitbull will similarly keep things positive and ecstatic. “I wish I could be in the crowd watching the show,” she shares.
And while Azalea, 31, doesn’t currently plan to release another album, she’s been pouring a “lot of love” into the intense rehearsals for her set and suspects that it won’t be the last time we see her on stage.
But, with a 1-year-old child at home, this might be a “last hurrah” for her heavy touring days — the 32-date outing will keep her on the road through Oct. 13 — which is why she’s been approaching it as if she’s the headliner. “I want the best energy so I can have the best crowd and I can have the best time and it’s most enjoyable for me,” she says. “I want the best show and I don’t give a f— whether I’m on first or last, I give the same effort every time.”
The tour is kicking off amid a renewed swell of COVID-19 cases caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has caused a number of acts to cancel, postpone or re-think dates. As a mother of a young child, Azalea says the COVID concern is “always in the back of my mind,” as it should be in everyone’s. “It’s no joke. I’m vaccinated and I’m glad we’re touring outdoor amphitheaters and everyone on my crew has to be vaccinated,” she says, adding that everyone also has to be masked-up when they’re not on stage.
Due to the concern over the rising number of coronavirus cases, her son Onyx is not coming on the road because of her anxiety about him getting exposed to the more transmissible Delta variant, which has resulted in more children getting infected. “I have to make sure to have him in mind,” she says. “It will be difficult because I’ve never spent more than one night away from him. I feel so guilty every day, and everyone around me is like, ‘Don’t worry he’s not gonna remember this.’ But I’m like, ‘But I will remember it!'”
