Ice Spice reflects on VMAs win, talks texting Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj for ‘Variety”s The New York Issue

Ice Spice reflects on her steadily rising career for Variety‘s The New York Issue. In it, she recalls the drastic difference between attending last year’s VMAs and the 2023 show, which took place earlier this month.

“I couldn’t see nothing,” she says of the view from her nosebleed seats at the 2022 event. “I just remember thinking, ‘I can’t wait to be part of that.’” This go-round, she sat next to “Karma” remix collaborator Taylor Swift and won the award for Best New Artist.

“I was trying to hold my tears back,” Ice says of the moment. “It was so hard. But I’m just so grateful, so blessed, so excited.”

She adds of the Moon Person trophy, “I’m going to keep it in my studio for inspiration.” 

Ice Spice’s quick rise to fame has come with detractors; according to the rapper, they have said things like, “Oh, I’ve never seen anything happen so quickly. She needs to be studied” or “She’s a plant.”

The rumors once bothered her, but now, she says, “I just let people believe whatever they want to believe, to be honest.”

“I’m at a point where I understand that just comes with this lifestyle,” she adds.

That lifestyle consists of “working out, eating healthy [and] sleeping” to ensure she makes the best music. It also occasionally includes text conversations with Taylor and “Barbie World” collaborator Nicki Minaj.

“Sometimes I just wake up and I’m like, ‘I’ma text Taylor’ or ‘I’ma text Nicki.’ And then they be answering and I’m like, ‘Wow, that really makes me feel like that girl, for real,’” she says. “Them supporting me and just encouraging me gives me all the motivation I need.”

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