Azealia Banks performs at Manchester Academy

Azealia Banks Calls Show In Australia Her 'Most Racist' Experience Ever!

Home / News / Azealia Banks Calls Show In Australia Her 'Most Racist' Experience Ever!

By Favour Adegoke on December 15, 2022 at 2:00 PM PST
Updated on December 15, 2022 at 11:43 PM PST

Singer, Azealia Banks, who is currently performing in Australia, had some choice words for the country following her previous experiences. The artist is known for her tumultuous past with Australian audiences having walked off two different shows after things were thrown at her on stage.

In Banks' latest incident, she was initially slated to perform in The Tivoli in Brisbane on Tuesday night as part of her most recent tour. Instead, she took to Instagram to inform her fans that she would not be on stage.

After retracting her words and issuing strict security measures during the show, the production company in charge of ticket sales announced that it had been canceled.

Read on to learn more.

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Azealia Banks Is 'Not Sorry'

Azealia Banks performing at Electric Brixton in London
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Hours before her Brisbane show was to start, Banks announced to her expectant fans that she had no intention of getting on stage to perform. In a video released on Instagram, the controversial artist recalled an incident that occurred in the city earlier, where things were thrown at her on stage.

Banks was initially set to perform in Melbourne and Brisbane earlier this week, but the shows were moved due to the artist's "visa issues." She was in Sydney on Sunday night for her performance, but her December 10 Melbourne show was once again canceled and rescheduled for Saturday.

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On Tuesday night, the artist was due in Brisbane at The Tivoli but canceled mere hours before the show. She said (via New York Post), "I'm so sorry, you guys, actually I'm not sorry. But listen, last time I was in Brisbane, and y'all threw s–t on the stage and damn near almost f–king hit me in the face with a f–king bottle of soda or whatever that s–t was."

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Azealia Banks Says Past Experience In Australia Was Demoralizing

Azealia Banks performs at Manchester Academy
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Banks described the experiences as the most "racist" and "demoralizing" thing to ever happen to her. "That was the most like racist, most f–king demoralizing experience of my f–king life, and right now, I'm on a really good track," she said.

The artist revealed that she was only interested in performing in Sydney and Melbourne and claimed there was an entirely different culture than she was used to in the country. Banks continued, "I am a beautiful black woman, and I am not going to get in front of some audience of white people for them to be throwing shit at me."

"I am so not sorry. I am not sorry at all. Brisbane, y'all are just going to have to take the L and smoke it," the "Luxury" artist added.

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Azealia Banks Says Australia Made Her 'Utterly Miserable'

American rapper Azealia Banks performs at O2 Academy, Brixton
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Despite her earlier comments about not performing, Banks posted another video hours later listing a number of added security measures for her protection. She also warned that if anything untoward happened, she would immediately leave the stage, a threat she had carried out previously.

"Any and everything that can be considered a [projectile] must be checked in at coat check. No keys, no coins, no hair brushes, no vape pens, no lighters. No drinks on the dance floor. The minute something stupid happens, I'm leaving," the artist warned.

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Banks called the Australian tour her last in the country because it made her feel "utterly miserable." She said, per The Guardian, "After this run, this will be my very last time touring Australia. This place makes me utterly miserable, and I'm too black and beautiful to have a bunch of white people in my face playing with me over their WEAK ASS CURRENCY."

The Show Got Canceled

Azealia Banks
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The Brisbane show was ultimately canceled after Point Productions, the production company responsible for bringing Banks to Australia, informed the ticket holders about the development. The company stated that the cancellation resulted from "unforeseen circumstances"; however, everyone who purchased a ticket would receive their funds back instantly.

The statement read, "Point Productions would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused; this has been well out of our control."

Banks has not had the best relationship with Australian concert crowds. In 2015, the artist said she had wasted her time performing at Splendour In The Grass festival. She also called the Australian crowd "violent and belligerent" and "terrible crowds to play for" in response to a tweet sent out by an Australian radio host congratulating her for a concluded performance.

One of Banks' most notable incidents in the country was in 2016 when she walked off stage 90 seconds into her performance after someone in the crowd threw a beer can at her.

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