celebrity

‘Australia is cancelling Azealia Banks when we really owe her an apology.’

For the first time in a long time, Azealia Banks is making national headlines.

Not for keeping her cat's skull or criticising Kanye West's anti-Semitism, but for telling Australians she will never perform in this country again. 

"After this run, this will be my very last time touring Australia," she said in an Instagram video this week.

"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."

Watch: Tony Armstrong on racism in Australia. Post continues after video.


Video via Ten.

Banks had three tour dates lined up in Melbourne, then Sydney and lastly Brisbane. However, due to visa issues, dates had to be reshuffled and so far, she's only performed in Sydney. 

Whilst the show at the Enmore Theatre on Sunday night went off without a hitch, she took to Instagram on Tuesday night to share that she was not going ahead with the concert in Brisbane because of her previously bad experience. 

"Last time I was in Brisbane and ya’ll 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," she said in a video.

ADVERTISEMENT

"That was the most racist, most demoralising experience of my f**king life and right now I’m on a really good track."

She added: "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."

Last time she was in Australia was 2013 for the Listen Out Festival. She walked off stage after 90 seconds in Melbourne when a bottle was thrown at her. Later in Sydney, she left her 50-minute headline set, 15 minutes in, when a can of beer was thrown at her.

And now, in 2022, Banks is finally responding to the treatment she received. 

Of course, the feedback from fans, the public and the media was swift. 

Entertainment reporter Peter Ford called her out during The Morning Show on Thursday, saying: "She has no evidence to actually back up what she is saying, but I think she might be on some strong cough medicine, not enjoying the visit at all." 

He later said during a radio segment on 3AW: "She gives no example at all of why she's experienced racism. Because we are a racist country, apparently. And she tells her millions of followers around that, and that's a really bad look for us.

"It would be okay if she'd cite an example of it but she doesn't do that at all... As soon as she's gone, the better."

ADVERTISEMENT

Listen to No Filter with Mia Freedman. Post continues after audio.


It's an interesting conundrum to be a black woman, say you've experienced racism in a predominantly white country and then be criticised for lack of "example". As if having metal thrown at your head isn't indication enough. 

Banks is not the perfect victim. She's criticised Rihanna, she's torn down Beyoncé. She's been banned from performing in other countries. She's been transphobic (she previously said there "are trans women and there are women") and she's been homophobic (Banks makes no apologies for using the word f***** in her life).

And still, when a black woman tells us we are racist, there is no apology. 

It's the same treatment we've given Indigenous women, men and children. Australian history has proven it. So has the fact it took our Australian Prime Minister almost 40 years to apologise to the Stolen Generation.

Every time we've been given the option to learn from our mistakes, we prove that we have no desire to learn. We prove that we're okay to remain the same. 

But in 2022, it's just not good enough anymore.  

The next time a black woman tells us to check ourselves, we should.

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.

Want to get the most out of your day? Take our survey now to go in the running to win a $50 gift voucher!