Iggy Azalea was laughed at when she first revealed her rapping dream.
The 25-year-old Aussie is one of the hottest music stars on the planet thanks to the success of her album The New Classic, featuring hit tracks Work, Fancy and Change Your Life.
She may be a fully-fledged rapper now, but not everyone thought she could achieve her goal.
"I got laughed at a lot," she giggled on the Today show on Wednesday.
"My mum was like, 'Why can't you just go to uni?' but that is what I wanted to do. I think I just thought if I could go somewhere else, maybe they would think it was less funny than everyone around me in Mullumbimby."
As well as her larger-than-life dreams making her stand out from the crowds, Iggy - whose real name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly - admits her fashion sense also got her noticed, as people thought she looked "stupid".
Shortly before she turned 16, the blonde beauty jetted out to America for a holiday with a friend, but it ended up being a permanent stay. She was keen to think of a catchy stage name and turned to real-life figures for inspiration.
"My dog that I had growing up was called Iggy, and I thought he was so awesome that when he passed away, I got a necklace made with his name on it and people would always ask me if that was my name," she laughed.
"And when I had to choose a rap name, I automatically wanted that as my name because I already had the jewellery for it..."
The Azalea part came from the street her mother Tanya lives on and Iggy thought putting the two together made a "feminine and flowery" title.
"I wanted something to let people know I am a lady," she smiled.
