"Started" is a song recorded by

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

rapper

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ), is an Australian rapper. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. She earned public recognition ...

for her second studio album ''

In My Defense ''In My Defense'' is the second studio album by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released independently on 19 July 2019, by Azalea's label Bad Dreams Records and Empire Distribution serving as the follow-up to ''The New Classic'' (2014). Th ...

''. The song was written by Azalea alongside Ronny Wright and produced by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

record producer J. White Did It. It was released by Bad Dreams and

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

on 3 May 2019 as the second single from the album. An accompanying music video for the track, directed by

Colin Tilley Colin Tilley (born June 27, 1988) is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos. Tilley directed, pr ...

, was shot the prior month in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and also premiered that day.

Composition

"Started" is a

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

song, with a length of three minutes and six seconds. It was written by Azalea and Ronny Wright and produced by J. White Did It, who had also produced Azalea's previous single " Sally Walker". The track finds Azalea boasting, "I started from the bottom and now I'm rich... You started out hating, now you love my drip." It is described as an unapologetic "brag-heavy cut ..club banger about making your way to success after having nothing" and was noted to borrowing and twisting the

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

line "

started from the bottom "Started from the Bottom" is a song by Canadian hip hop recording artist Drake, released as the first single from his third studio album ''Nothing Was the Same''. The song was written by Drake, Michael Coleman, and Noah "40" Shebib, and it was p ...

," by adding "and now I'm rich".

Music video

Background and release

A music video for the track was shot in April 2019 in a

mansion in

. It was directed by

, who also directed the music videos for Azalea's previous singles, "

Savior Savior or saviour may refer to: *A person who helps people achieve salvation, or saves them from something Religion * Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine or nineteen years * Maitreya * Messiah, a saviour or li ...

", "

Kream Kream (stylised as KREAM) is a Norwegian DJ and record producer duo consisting of brothers Daniel and Markus Slettebakken, from Bergen. Career 2016 – 2019 In 2017 KREAM signed with Atlantic Records / Big Beat Records and released the ...

" and " Sally Walker". Azalea said she considered it her best yet by tweeting, "Started is the best video I've ever made." After changing her Twitter layout and unveiling the cover artwork, Azalea followed up her announcement tweet with: "Imagine NOT knowing an

Anna Nicole Smith Vickie Lynn Marshall (née Hogan; November 28, 1967 – February 8, 2007), known professionally as Anna Nicole Smith, was an American model, actress, and television personality. Smith started her career as a ''Playboy'' magazine centerfold in M ...

quote when you see one. Can’t relate," and implied the visuals would reference Smith. She then regularly shared more stills from the video on social media, with the presence of a "

sugar daddy Sugar dating or sugaring is an interpersonal relationship where one person receives money or gifts in exchange for intimacy or companionship. The provider (called a sugar daddy or sugar mommy) is typically older and wealthier, while the recipi ...

" and flaunting a lavish lifestyle suggesting the main themes to be wealth and gold digging. She also posted pictures on set of the visuals with drag queen

Trixie Mattel Brian Michael Firkus (born August 23, 1989), better known by the stage name Trixie Mattel, is an American drag queen, television personality, makeup entrepreneur, DJ and singer-songwriter originally from Silver Cliff, Wisconsin, Silver Cliff, Ma ...

and tweeted: "I wrote a scene just for her in sallywalker but she was on tour so I HAD to write her into the story for started when I found out she’d be in town." Azalea confirmed the video would be dropping on the same day.

Synopsis

The video, which includes an appearance from

in a skit, as well as

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, sometimes known as Vanessa Vanjie, Miss Vanjie, or simply Vanjie, is the stage name of José Luis Cancel, an American drag performer known for competing on the tenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and placing fifth on th ...

(who previously made an appearance in the video for " Sally Walker"), features Azalea playing a

sugar baby Sugar dating or sugaring is an interpersonal relationship where one person receives money or gifts in exchange for intimacy or companionship. The provider (called a sugar daddy or sugar mommy) is typically older and wealthier, while the recipi ...

after it opens with her marriage to an older man in a wheelchair, who uses an

oxygen mask An oxygen mask is a mask that provides a method to transfer breathing gas, breathing oxygen gas from a storage tank to the lungs. Oxygen masks may cover only the nose and mouth (oral nasal mask) or the entire face (full-face mask). They may be ma ...

. Azalea is seen in a short white gown and donning many different looks throughout, including a diamond wig during a pool scene and a suit made out of hundred-dollar bills. Halfway through the video, Azalea starts to grow tired of him until another version of herself and Mattel appear in an

infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of di ...

for Die Slow Cake Co., a poison cake mix to kill a sugar daddy, with the

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meanings that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

: "If your name's in his will and you want your bread/ Call 1-833-DADDYS-DEAD." She then attempts to suffocate him with a cushion on their bed and he eventually dies during a feast. Azalea is left to enjoy her new life on her own by redecorating, with the help of Mateo, and hosting a lavish party afterwards to celebrate her wealth. In the context of the video, the song's lyrics reference how the sugar baby character's many naysayers believed she would not become rich, and has managed to prove them wrong.

Credits

– Primary artist

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Iggy Azalea 2019 singles 2019 songs Iggy Azalea songs Music videos directed by Colin Tilley Song recordings produced by J. White Did It Songs written by Iggy Azalea Empire Distribution singles Australian hip-hop songs