Ice Spice opens up about adjusting to fame: ‘I gotta be hiding a little bit’

The 23-year-old rapper became a viral sensation with her hits ‘Munch (Feelin’ U)’ and ‘In Ha Mood’

Ice Spice has opened up about how her life has changed since she was catapulted to fame last year.

The 23-year-old rapper, whose real name is Isis Naija Gaston, said that becoming such a recognisable figure means she can no longer do things like walk around her local Target store.

In a new interview with the Guardian, published on Friday (7 July), Ice said: “I’ll be thinking that I’m low-key, but then people start to notice – and once one person notices, people start to form a crowd and then I be [sic] getting a little overwhelmed.”

Following the release of her viral hit song “Munch” last August, Ice became an even bigger name in the music industry and among fans. The song went on to become a TikTok sensation, with hundreds of thousands of videos of people rapping along.

The rapper said: “As time goes on, people are more and more excited. That’s the biggest thing to adjust to in real life – not being able to be outside as myself as much.

“I more gotta be, like, [sic] hiding a little bit.”

However, she revealed that she didn’t expect to be recognisable outside the US and was “shocked” when she was mobbed by fans in Italy.

Asked if fans only notice her on the street in New York or everywhere, Ice said: “I haven’t been everywhere yet. I was shocked when it happened in Italy. I didn’t expect people to recognise me.”

Elsewhere in her interview, Ice spoke about the artists she has connected with and found friends and confidantes in.

Ice Spice attends The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 (Getty Images)

She said she considers Nicki Minaj a mentor. The duo recently released their collaborative track “Princess Diana” for the forthcoming Barbie movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, and other stars.

Ice praised Minaj and said: “She be telling me to learn from her mistakes – just watching her in general, if you pay close enough attention, you gonna see what you should do.

“I love to talk to her about things that I can’t talk about publicly – it just means so much to be able to have somebody like her.”

Ice also praised Taylor Swift, with whom she made a remix for Swift’s song “Karma” and has performed alongside her on three nights of the pop superstar’s Eras tour in New Jersey.

Speaking about Swift, Ice said: “She’s so sweet – I was so obsessed with how humble she was and willing to work. She gives me so much advice – we talk all the time and she’s so funny.”

However, Ice would not comment on the controversy surrounding Swift collaborating with her in the remix amid rumours that the “Never Ever Getting Back Together” singer was in a relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy.

Healy faced backlash after he mocked Ice while appearing on The Adam Friedland Show podcast in February. He claimed that he tried to message Ice on Instagram and later, he, Friedland and Nick Mullen made jokes about her heritage and mocked Japanese, Hawaiian and Scottish people.

The singer later issued an apology to Ice for his comments during a concert in New Zealand. Ice has not responded publicly to Healy’s apology.