Iggy Azalea has officially postponed her world tour. The Australian rapper’s record company Def Jam Recordings made the announcement Tuesday, one day after TheWrap exclusively reported that the tour was in jeopardy of being pushed back.
“To accommodate for creative team availability and tour productions, it was determined that the tour will not be ready this spring,” a spokesperson from Def Jam Recordings told Billboard. “It’s important to Iggy that she delivers the show she envisaged to share with her fans and that requires more time in development.”
But insiders say there is more to the story. The singer is increasingly unresponsive to her management and refuses to engage in promotional activities, multiple individuals with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
The Grammy-nominated entertainer has become disengaged from her core team, one individual with knowledge of the situation said, and will not commit to press opportunities crucial in selling the massive effort.
The cancellation has also raised scheduling concerns for up-and-coming R&B singer Tinashe, who is slated as an opening act along with Nick Jonas, according to another insider.
Reps for Iggy’s tour producer AEG Live have not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment. Representatives from Sony Music, on behalf of Tinashe, declined to comment on the matter.
A Friday post on the Grammy winner’s Instagram page said, “Until further notice Iggy’s Instagram will be run by management. Iggy is taking a break from social media.”
“The Great Escape Tour” has dates set in 24 cities from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to Los Angeles’ Staples Center, venues that accommodate upwards of 18,000 ticket holders.
Besides openers Jonas and Tinashe, the tour counts among its stars creative director Jamie King, who has staged concerts for Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Super Bowl halftime spectacles for the likes of Bruno Mars.
“It’s my first arena tour. And I’d like it to not be my last arena tour,” Azalea told the February issue of GQ magazine.
“I want everything to be right … at the moment, I’m just trying to work on the initial stage design and making a stage that I feel like can engage with many people in an arena that big. So I’m doing something maybe not very traditional, and I’m working on that,” she told the publication.
Tour or not, Azalea has committed to performing at the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards alongside acts like Sam Smith, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Aldean, Jamie Foxx and Meghan Trainor.