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Athletes aren’t the only ones willing to take money from Saudi Arabia to help launder their global image, as rapper Iggy Azalea had to be whisked off stage during a recent concert in the Middle Eastern nation after suffering from a wardrobe malfunction.
In videos posted to Twitter, the 33-year-old Australian can be seen looking off-stage for advice after a rip appears up her left leg. Given the strict laws in Saudi Arabia, Azalea canceled the concert as a result.
the moment iggy azalea’s pants split. pic.twitter.com/SOKBbddbZK
— IGGY AZALEA DAILY (@IADaily) August 26, 2023
I was at the Iggy Azalea show in Riyadh and she had wardrobe malfunction and they had to stop the show.
It was lowkey iconic. pic.twitter.com/l27SyEVXt0
— Cowboy Mo Carter (@LumpyMo) August 25, 2023
In the aftermath, Azalea took to both Instagram and Twitter to share apologies, although they’ve both since been deleted.
“Saudi Arabia was probably the worst possible place to have my pants split and unfortunately, I wasn’t permitted to end the show. BUT silver lining, the promoters were amazingly kind to me & the PEOPLE who came were the absolute most supportive,” Azalea said on IG to her over 18 million followers.
“Saudi Arabia… I’m soooooo sorry I wasn’t allowed to finish my show. 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. I love you guys. This was not what I intended for the show, but it’s a memory I’ll have forever and ultimately showed me how kind, loving, and supportive people can be while you’re having such an embarrassing moment,” she said on Twitter.
According to the official Visit Saudi Arabia, while tourists aren’t expected or required to follow the same attire laws as locals, “it’s highly recommended that you dress modestly.” Furthermore, the country’s official dress code for women states that they must “cover as much flesh as possible to avoid drawing unwelcome attention.”
In addition to the issues with her wardrobe, Azalea also said that despite changing her pants, she was not allowed to return to the stage because of a comment she made that “sent the authorities over the edge.”
“I also said, ‘Ladies make some noise, it’s a woman’s world. I’m cool I just didn’t want the fans to be sad or angry at the show organizers cause it wasn’t their control or mine it was the police at the side of stage.”
Azalea, who last released a studio album titled “The End of an Era” back in 2021, recently dropped a music video for her new song “Money Come”, which you can find below.