Ice Spice Issues Apology After Backlash from Australian Festival

Ice Spice wrapped up 2024 on a somewhat disappointing note. She was one of the main acts at Australia’s Wildlands Festival on New Year’s Eve, where she was scheduled to perform for 30 minutes. However, by the time she got on stage, she had already lost 25 minutes of her set. Although the festival organizers granted her an additional minute, she ultimately managed to perform just two songs in a brief six-minute window.

“At 11:01 PM – they allowed her an extra minute – the microphone was turned off, and you could hear the crowd collectively exhale,” journalist and podcaster Brenton Larney shared with The Guardian. “They had been waiting for quite some time, and they only got two songs?

“It felt a bit absurd, and it was quite disrespectful how she left the stage. She was laughing, and when they attempted to present her with birthday flowers, she simply brushed them aside,” he remarked, observing that it appeared the artist “wasn’t interested in being there.”

Festival organizers later released a statement explaining, “We recognize that Ice Spice’s late arrival led to some disappointment. With a packed festival lineup, we must adhere strictly to set times. We had a firm curfew of 12:30 and needed to ensure that Chase & Status could perform on schedule for everyone to enjoy the NYE Countdown!”

Recently, Ice Spice spoke about the incident during her performance in Perth, Australia, on January 4th. She took a moment to connect with the audience, saying, “I’m sorry guys, I hope you can forgive me. It was my birthday, and it takes a while to look like a Barbie.” She then went on to perform her collaboration with Nicki Minaj, “Barbie World.”

This comes on the heels of Ice releasing new music on Y2K!: I’m Just A Girl (Deluxe).