Iggy Azalea launches her own fragrance today, “Devil’s Advocate,” as part of her new 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. In the image, a pink, nude outline resembling Azalea is seen embracing a red, horned silhouette.
“It’s meant to be a reflection of that naughty, cheeky, almost the devil on your shoulder or that part of me that says, like, ‘Just do it, just go, just have fun, go out with your friends that night, double text the guy,’” the rapper went on. “It’s about embracing the duality of yourself.”
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She’s passionate as she describes the concept for the fragrance, which has been a year in the making. The idea, its marketing and packaging were developed prior to the scent itself.
“My approach was a little 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 kind of went backward, but for me, that made sense, because I wanted 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 really wanted to have Australian sandalwood be the top note that runs throughout the scent,” she said. “I really love that scent. I grew up with it. My mother would always have that in our house.”
The endeavor is a partnership with L.A.-based Merveilleux Beauty. After 11 years in the entertainment industry, as a four-time Grammy-nominee and multiplatinum artist, it’s Azalea’s first beauty release.
“The reason why they were the right partner for me was because they were willing to give me ownership, first of all, of my own brand that nobody else was really willing to give me,” Azalea said. “But secondly, they really respected my creative vision and took a back seat…I 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 exactly that I wanted people to feel, particularly when they sprayed this on them and how it would represent them,” Azalea said.
She was her own guinea pig, wearing different variations of the scent for a week at a time to test it out. She wanted the smell to be memorable, but not too heavy.
“I was very specific about that kind of thing,” she explained. “I love to have scents that stay on, like say a sweater that you leave at your boyfriend’s house, and they smell it after and think of you. Or maybe you laid in bed and your lover’s gone but you can smell them on your pillow. I love that kind of sense of memory, but I don’t like when you walk into an elevator after somebody’s walked out and you can smell their fragrance. To me, that’s overkill. I don’t want to smell someone when they walk up, but if I give them an intimate hug, [it’s nice if] they have a subtle scent.”
The visual concept of “duality” is also reflected in the scent, she added: “Initially, it almost feels more masculine, more sensual and has a more woody, amber fragrance. And then as it sits on you, it feels more feminine, and 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 available today direct-to-consumer at Parfumdeazalea.com.