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Azealia Amanda Banks (born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Raised in Harlem, New York, Banks pursued an interest in musical theatre at a young age, studying at the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts before dropping out to focus on her musical career. In late 2008, she adopted the pseudonym "Miss Bank$" and began releasing her music through MySpace, eventually being signed to XL Recordings at age 17.
Later signing to Interscope and Polydor Records, Banks rose in notability in 2011 when she topped NME's "Cool List" for the year. On December 5, 2011, the BBC announced that Banks had been nominated for the Sound of 2012, where she ultimately finished third. Her debut single, "212" featuring Lazy Jay, was released on December 6, 2011, later becoming part of her critically acclaimed EP 1991. She released her mixtape Fantasea in July 2012 and digitally released "Yung Rapunxel" as the first single from her upcoming debut studio album Broke with Expensive Taste on April 16, 2013.
Azealia Amanda Banks was born on May 31, 1991. Her mother raised her and two older sisters in Harlem, after their father died of pancreatic cancer when she was two years old. Following her father's death, Banks says that her mother "became really abusive – physically and verbally. Like she would hit me and my sisters with baseball bats, bang our heads up against walls, and she would always tell me I was ugly. I remember once she threw out all the food in the fridge, just so we wouldn’t have anything to eat." Due to escalating violence, Banks moved out of her mother's home at age 14 to live with her older sister.
At a young age Banks became interested in musical theater, acting and singing. Aged ten, she began performing in off-Broadway musicals with the Tada! Youth Theater in Lower Manhattan. She had lead roles in three productions (Rabbit Sense, Sleepover, and Heroes) in addition to performing as a soloist. Banks was trained in the performing arts at LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. At the age of sixteen, Banks starred in a production of the comedy-noir musical City of Angels, where she was found by an agent and sent on auditions for TBS, Nickelodeon, and Law & Order, all without success. It was at this point that Banks decided to quit acting, citing the large amount of competition and overall sense of unfulfillment as reasons for leaving. Because of this, Banks began writing rap and R&B songs as a creative outlet. She never finished high school, instead choosing to follow her dream of becoming a recording artist.
Under the moniker 'Miss Bank$', she released her debut recording "Gimme a Chance" onto the internet on November 9, 2008. The recording was accompanied by "Seventeen", a track produced by American DJ Diplo which sampled the Ladytron song of the same name. Later that year, Banks signed a development deal with record label XL Recordings and began working with producer Richard Russell; leaving the label later that year due to conflicting ideas.
Following her departure from XL Recordings, Banks left behind the 'Miss Bank$' moniker and formally became Azealia Banks, which preceded a move to Montreal. Using YouTube as a portal, Banks uploaded several demo tracks—including "L8R" and a cover of "Slow Hands" by Interpol. After her Canadian visa expired, Banks returned to New York, where she sold key chains at a Manhattan jazz club and danced at a Queens strip club to make ends meet. "That's when I was really depressed," Banks says, "I don't have a manager, I don't have a boyfriend, I don't have any friends, I don't have any money. Here I am working at the strip club, trying not to say the wrong thing and get into fights with these girls who don't give a shit." In September 2011, Banks released her debut single "212" as a free digital download from her website, which was subsequently released officially on December 6, 2011, as the lead single from her EP 1991. The track attained European chart success, peaking at number seventeen in the Netherlands, number twelve in the United Kingdom and at number seven in Ireland.
Though unsigned at the time, Banks began working with British producer Paul Epworth on a debut studio album. It was announced in December 2011 that Banks would feature on "Shady Love", a track from American band Scissor Sisters' fourth studio album Magic Hour, though the feature would remain uncredited. An accompanying music video was released in January 2012 following its radio première from Annie Mac (BBC Radio 1) on January 4, though the release of the single was cancelled for unconfirmed reasons. Banks released the track "NEEDSUMLUV (SXLND)" on the Internet on January 16, 2012, coinciding with what would have been the thirty-third birthday of the late singer Aaliyah, who is sampled on the track. A week later saw the emergence of a second track entitled "Bambi", which having been produced by Paul Epworth, had been selected as the soundtrack for a Mugler fashion show in Paris. It was then in February that Banks revealed the tentative title of her upcoming debut album, Broke with Expensive Taste.
In May 2012, Banks announced plans to release a mixtape – originally titled Fantastic – entitled Fantasea. Preceding its release was the track "Jumanji," released online on May 11. A second track from the mixtape, "Aquababe," was made available online on June 13, while the third, "Nathan" – featuring rapper Styles P – was made available online on June 30. Fantasea was released via Banks' Twitter account on July 11, and was succeeded by the unveiling of Banks' online radio project, 'Kunt.FM' the following week. Banks' first extended play, 1991, was released in the United Kingdom on May 28 and in the United States the following day. The four-track play, of which "212" featured, was not eligible for the UK Albums Chart, but the title track charted at number seventy nine on the UK Singles Chart and number one hundred and thirty-three on the Billboard 200. Having originally announced in January 2012 that filming for the "Liquorice" music video had begun in Paris with stylist Nicola Formichetti, Banks proceeded to re-shoot the video with British photographer Rankin joining her as the video's director. The final edition was released online on June 14.
Banks was scheduled to release her second single "Esta Noche" on September 25, 2012, but was then pushed back to an undisclosed date due to disputes between Banks and producer Munchi. The next month, it was confirmed that Banks had worked with Lady Gaga on two tracks entitled "Ratchet" and "Red Flame." Banks also revealed that she collaborated with Kanye West on G.O.O.D. Music's compilation album, Cruel Summer, but further clarified that, ultimately, her contributions did not make the final edition of the album. It is unknown if this collaboration will see future release. Banks released a new song on December 31, 2012, called "BBD," set to appear on her upcoming album Broke with Expensive Taste, although it was later announced that the song had been cut from the final edition. The song had been originally planned for release on November 28, but was pushed back for sample clearance. The beat contains a sample of "Trap Shit V9" by UZ.
Early in 2012, Banks revealed that her first album would be called Broke with Expensive Taste. Spending most of 2012 writing and recording the album, she revealed that the album " FIVE years in the making," and that she had "written ALL new material" for the album, "except for '212.'" Banks initially announced that the album's lead single would be a track titled "Miss Amor," and that it would be accompanied by a B-side titled "Miss Camaraderie," both produced by Lone. However, these plans were changed and she revealed on January 28, 2013, that the first official single from the album would be a song called "Yung Rapunxel." On February 28, 2013, she confirmed that the single would be released the next month on March 26, but this was later delayed to April 16. However, on March 11, 2013, Banks released the entirety of "Yung Rapunxel" on SoundCloud. On March 1, 2013, Banks released a cover of The Strokes' 2001 song "Barely Legal" during an interview on New Zealand radio station George FM. It is unknown if this track will appear on Broke with Expensive Taste.
On March 14, 2013, Banks revealed on Twitter that there will be 13 tracks on the standard edition of Broke with Expensive Taste and 17 tracks on the deluxe edition, later clarifying on June 23, 2013 that there would be only 16 tracks due to "BBD" being cut from the final edition. In May, she revealed that the next single from Broke with Expensive Taste would be "ATM Jam," featuring Pharrell. The next month, on June 26, 2013, Banks announced via Twitter that she will be debuting "ATM Jam" in a June 30 performance at the 2013 Glastonbury Festival, although the official release date is still unknown In addition to her original announcement of "ATM Jam" as a single, Banks confirmed another track on Broke with Expensive Taste entitled "Black Cherry." On June 23, 2013, Banks again took to Twitter where she revealed that the album was currently "80%" complete and a collaboration with British electronic music duo Disclosure was in the works. She also revealed that the album will include four collaborations, factoring in her hit song "212" with producer Lazy Jay, in addition to confirming another album track entitled "Soda." There is no current information on when "ATM Jam" or Broke with Expensive Taste will be released.
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