Iggy Azalea reveals X Factor secrets

Azalea, who is brutally honest on Twitter with fans and haters, announced she will be in Australia in late June to film auditions episodes over a week.

The rapper also revealed she then returns to Sydney for a month in November.

That would suggest the show will start with a few weeks of prerecorded audition episodes in October before going live in November, information Seven have yet to share with the public — or their rival networks.

Seven have rebooted The X Factor this year in a truncated version, partially due to scheduling conflicts around the Olympics and to curb viewer fatigue after falling ratings.
 

No biggie: Iggy Azalea tells fans her schedule for X Factor shooting.Source:Supplied

Azalea was the first new judge to be announced, and told fans on Twitter the short timeline was one of the reasons she signed up — meaning less clashes with her new album release and marriage plans.

In the past The Voice, Australia’s Got Talent and The X Factor have required international judges to commit to several months of being based in Sydney, first to film lengthy audition episodes, then for the weekly live shows.

The imported stars are housed in luxury accommodation in Sydney for the audition period, then flown back when the shows go live. They are also required for mentoring and publicity purposes between those live shows.

Azalea claimed on Twitter she had no idea who her new judges would be, stating “they haven’t even told me yet.”

However industry sources suggest most judges check who else is on the panel before they sign on, in case of pre-existing bad blood with another star or if the other judges se-lected might ruin their credibility.

Azalea also told fans this will be her longest stint home in Australia for a decade.

The NSW born rapper, who turned 26 last week, moved to the US as a teenager before scoring a deal with US label Interscope.

Since releasing her debut album The New Classic in 2014 Azalea has done minimal promotion in her home country.

She supported Beyonce in October 2013, later admitting the tour cost her “a humungous chunk” of money as she was signed to a US label who wanted her to focus on bigger markets.

“My label didn’t want me to go on this tour because they think that Australia doesn’t matter as a market for me,” Azalea said at the time. “So this whole tour I’ve had to pay for out of my own pocket to come here.”

The rapper was busy promoting her music in the US and UK when Fancy, a No. 1 hit in the US, reached No. 5 in Australia. She did not attend the ARIA Awards in 2014 whe-re she won Breakthrough Artist — she also did not prerecord a thank you message as another homegrown absentee winner that year, Sia Furler, did.

Homeward bound: Azalea is planning on home-cooked meals in November.Source:Supplied

Her last public visit home was to promote Bonds underwear in August 2015 whe-re the media found her a refreshingly honest interviewee.

Her X Factor commitments have pushed back Azalea’s second album, Digital Distortion, to a tentative release date in early July.

The album’s first single, Team, stalled at No. 40 in Australia and No. 42 in the US, presumably forcing a rethink of the release. Azalea cancelled a US tour last year to work on her album, which is reported to include songs with dance producer Zedd.

“I just have an immense pressure to get this album RIGHT,” she tweeted this weekend. “I’ve needed time to focus.”

Old school: Iggy in 2013 ahead of supporting Beyonce in Australia.Source:Supplied

Channel 7 have yet to announce who the remaining judges will be, with host Luke Jacobz now based in LA and not expected to return.

Dannii Minogue has bowed out f-rom TV work this year to focus on motherhood and relaunching her music career, while 2015 judges Chris Isaak and James Blunt are not expected to return after friction on and off set last year.

Guy Sebastian could be enticed to return as he could piggyback promotion of a new album off the choice TV role, or Seven could go for a clean sweep of all new judges.

This year’s five week period of work required in Australia could see them aim high for more high profile international judges.

The network is expected to drip-feed announcing the other judges over the coming weeks.

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