Iggy Azalea’s X Factor struggle: ‘It is pretty soul crushing, I just wish I could protect them all’

IGGY Azalea knows how soul destroying it can be as an international star so is determined to be more of a mentor in her role on The X Factor.

IGGY Azalea says being an international star can be soul destroying.

Arguably Australia’s biggest music export in decades, Azalea has sold millions of albums and equalled The Beatles record in holding the number one and two spots on America’s Billboard charts simultaneously with their first two chart entries for her hits Fancy and Problem.

But her rise to fame has come at a cost with her many successes paralleled by equally as noteworthy controversies.

Iggy says it can be a soul destroying industry. Picture: Channel 7

“It is pretty soul crushing,” Azalea said of industry pressure on singers, adding of her new job mentoring contestants on The X Factor: “I just wish I could protect them all. Some of their stories are so heartbreaking and you are like, ‘oh my god is this going to go on TV and live with you forever’.

Azalea knows just how tough it can be in the industry. picture: Channel 7.

“Some of those auditions, it is like, ‘this is already going to haunt you for a long time so I don’t need to make this any worse for you than it is already going to be’.

“I’ve tried to be nice but truthful because if you can be truthful but have compassion, the message might actually be listened to rather than being dismissed as that person is an a***hole.”

Adam Lambert, Azalea and Guy Sebastian on the X Factor panel. Azalea says telling contestants the truth is the key to helping them grow.

The four-time Grammy nominated artist, who grew up in Mullumbimby before moving to the US, said singers need thick skin to make it.

“I think everybody who is successful has been told no a thousand times, I get told no on a million things,” she said.

“Everything is always a negotiation with what you are doing. I don’t think anybody receives a yes every time and gets what they want 100 per cent. You’ve got to keep fighting for what you want and keep compromising.”

Azalea’s rise was parralleled by equal controversies which helped her grow a thick skin.

The X Factor kicked off last week with Azalea sitting on the judging panel alongside format veteran Guy Sebastian and fellow newcomer Adam Lambert.

She was initially reluctant to sign on to the series and feared how she will come across.

“I’ve discovered it is really hard to be mean to people,” she said.

“I don’t think I have been boring, I have been honest but I also don’t want to crush anyone’s soul.

“The no part is the hardest part and it is harder than I thought because it is easy to watch the auditions and dehumanise the person that you see on the screen but when they are in front of you and you feel their nervousness or whatever their emotion is, there is still going to be compassion for another human and that makes it really tough.”