As it tops Billboard's Hot 100 for the seventh week in a row, Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" is set to be one of the longest female runs this decade. That, and its general ubiquitousness, pretty much cement "Fancy" as our Song of the Summer, and (as Vulture wrote earlier this week) we deserve better.
Let's talk about the terrible reality of "Fancy": a minstrel show that is approximately as authentic as a knock-off Coach bag. Azalea herself is basically a master class in appropriation and the enduring profitability of picking and choosing from other cultures. But there are plenty of thinkpieces on the subject, should you need more information about that.
Anyway, the entire reason you are still even listening to this song is because of its super catchy hook. Really, just stop it right now. Don't even try to pretend it's about the rap. It's about that sugary, get-stuck-in-your-head refrain. You know "I'm so fanceeeee"? That's what you sing along to. It's about time you were formally introduced to the lady responsible for all of that catchiness: Charlotte Aitchison aka Charli XCX.
Maybe you saw her name pop up on that knock-off "Clueless" music video. If her voice sounds familiar, it's because she's also largely responsible for the addictiveness of Icona Pop's "I Love It." Yeah, that was her! Her voice has been stuck in our collective head for going on two solid years now, and she doesn't even get to be a household name? Not very fancy, you guys.
Some brief background: She's British, the aforementioned Icona Pop song was her first major hit and she came up with the "Fancy" refrain pretty much off the cuff. "I just went and did my thing," she told the New York Times, "which is just shouting into a microphone for 20 minutes, and it just came together."
As a gift to you, from miss Charli XCX, allow us to introduce some of the sticky goodness of natural talent, when it is not confined to a mere hook.
Here's her latest solo single, "SuperLove" ...
... Two videos from her critically acclaimed "True Romance" (2013) ...
... One off the excellent "The Fault In Our Stars" soundtrack ...
... And a playlist of her debut album "14" (2008), if you want to get really into it.
You're welcome. Now, seriously, stop listening to "Fancy."