Ice Spice may be one of music’s boldest voices, but even the 25-year-old rapper has mentors outside the studio.

In a recent interview with NYLON, Ice Spice discussed the perks and pressures of fame, being an overnight sensation and how she deals with haters.

Born as Isis Gaston in 2000, the Bronx-raised singer quickly made a name for herself in hip-hop and rap. She first grabbed attention with her breakout single “Munch (Feelin’ U)” in August 2022, which went viral on TikTok. Since the start of her career, Ice Spice has won several prestigious awards, including the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in 2023, the People’s Choice Award for New Artist of the Year and the iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Hip-Hop Artist in 2024. She was also nominated for several Grammy Awards for her song “Barbie World” with Nicki Minaj and for her collaboration with Taylor Swift on the remix of “Karma.”

Swift and Ice Spice’s friendship and partnership began with that remix. When it dropped in May 2023, the 35-year-old singer invited Ice Spice to join her onstage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during one of her stops at the Eras Tour.

Since then, the two have kept a close friendship. The duo was seen sitting next to each other at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, as well as at the 2024 and 2025 Super Bowls, where Swift was cheering on her partner, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

“The thing about Taylor is that she keeps it so real. Not even kidding, but one of the biggest things that I always think about that Taylor said is ‘As long as you keep making music, everything’s going to be fine,'” she recalled. “Whenever I’m feeling doubtful or not as confident, having writer’s block, no matter what it is, things like that really, really stand out to me. She said that to me a few years ago, and it still stood with me.”

Ice Spice mentioned that every time she and the “Blank Space” singer hang out, they aren’t always talking about music or their careers.

“Every time we hang out, she’s not just giving me advice, you know what I mean? We’re talking about the food we’re eating or whatever’s going on in the moment,” Ice Spice added.

After releasing her debut album Y2K! in 2024 — after a string of singles, EPs and collaborations — Ice Spice is now stepping into a new era. Last Friday, she joined rapper Latto for a remix of “Gyatt,” and two days later, the duo appeared together at the VMAs to present the Push Performance of the Year award. In June, the rapper added a verse to the remix of girl group KATSEYE’s hit “Gnarly.”

Ice Spice has also been branching into acting. The “Bikini Bottom” singer appears briefly in Spike Lee‘s Highest 2 Lowest, and has a scene alongside Denzel Washington. She also voices one of the characters in the upcoming The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, which will hit theaters in December.

Her new single “Baddie Baddie,” which was teased on her Instagram two weeks ago and samples M.I.A’s 2012 hit song “Bad Girls,” is expected to come out soon.

Related: Taylor Swift Recounts The Life-Changing Call From Her Mother About Reclaiming Her Music

This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.