Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the "
Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation. She has pushed the boundaries of artistic expression in mainstream music, while continuing to maintain control over every aspect of her career.
Her works, which incorporate social, political,
sexual, and
religious
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
themes, have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. A prominent
cultural figure crossing both the 20th and 21st centuries, Madonna remains one of the most "well-documented figures of the
modern age",
with a broad amount of
scholarly reviews and
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...
works on her, as well as an academic mini subdiscipline devoted to her named
Madonna studies.
At 20 years old, Madonna moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in the rock bands
Breakfast Club and Emmy, she rose to solo stardom with her debut studio album, ''
Madonna'' (1983). She followed it with a series of successful
albums, including all-time
bestsellers ''
Like a Virgin'' (1984), ''
True Blue'' (1986) and ''
The Immaculate Collection'' (1990) as well as universally acclaimed
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
winning albums ''
Ray of Light'' (1998) and ''
Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005). Madonna has amassed many chart-topping
singles throughout her career, including "
Like a Virgin", "
La Isla Bonita", "
Like a Prayer", "
Vogue", "
Take a Bow
Take a Bow may refer to:
* Bowing, a social gesture
* "Take a Bow" (Leona Lewis song)
* "Take a Bow" (Madonna song)
* "Take a Bow" (Rihanna song)
* ''Take a Bow'' (TV series), a British children's television series
* ''Take a Bow'', a 2010 al ...
", "
Frozen
Frozen may refer to:
* the result of freezing
* a paralysis response in extreme cases of fear
Films
* ''Frozen'' (1997 film), a film by Wang Xiaoshuai
* ''Frozen'' (2005 film), a film by Juliet McKoen
* ''Frozen'' (2007 film), a film by Sh ...
", "
Music
Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...
", "
Hung Up", and "
4 Minutes
"4 Minutes" is a song by American singer Madonna from her eleventh studio album ''Hard Candy'' (2008), featuring vocals by American singer Justin Timberlake and American producer Timbaland. It was released as the lead single from the album on ...
".
Madonna's popularity was enhanced by
roles in films such as ''
Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), ''
Dick Tracy'' (1990), ''
A League of Their Own'' (1992), and ''
Evita'' (1996). While ''Evita'' won her a
Golden Globe Award for
Best Actress, many of her other films were not as well received. As a businesswoman, Madonna founded the company
Maverick in 1992. It included Maverick Records, one of the most successful
artist-run labels in history. Her other ventures include
fashion brands,
written works,
health clubs, and filmmaking. She contributes to
various charities, having founded the
Ray of Light Foundation in 1998 and
Raising Malawi in 2006.
With sales of over 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is the
best-selling female recording artist of all time. She is the
most successful solo artist in the history of the U.S.
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and has achieved the
most number-one singles by a woman in
Australia,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Madonna has been awarded with seven
Grammy Awards, two
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
, five
Billboard Music Awards
The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of t ...
, and twenty
MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...
. With a revenue of over U.S. $1.5 billion from her concert tickets, she remains the
highest-grossing female touring artist worldwide. ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' has named Madonna the annual
top-earning female musician a record 11 times across four decades (1980s–2010s). She was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, her first year of eligibility. Madonna was ranked as the
greatest woman in music by
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
, and as the greatest
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
artist ever by
MTV and ''
Billboard''. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' also listed her among its
greatest artists and
greatest songwriters of all time.
Life and career
1958–1978: Early life
Madonna Louise Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958, in
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city and county seat of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and it is the principal city of the Bay City Metrop ...
, to Catholic parents Madonna Louise (
née Fortin) and Silvio Anthony "Tony" Ciccone.
Her father's parents were Italian emigrants from
Pacentro while her mother was of
French-Canadian descent. Tony Ciccone worked as an engineer designer for
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automot ...
and
General Motors. Since Madonna had the same name as her mother, family members called her "Little Nonnie". Her mother died of
breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...
on December 1, 1963. She later adopted
Veronica as a
confirmation name when getting
confirmed in the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in 1966. Madonna was raised in the Detroit suburbs of
Pontiac and Avon Township (now
Rochester Hills), alongside her two older brothers, Anthony and Martin, and three younger siblings, Paula,
Christopher, and Melanie.
In 1966, Tony married the family's housekeeper Joan Gustafson. They had two children, Jennifer and Mario.
Madonna resented her father for getting remarried and began rebelling against him, which strained their relationship for many years afterward.
Madonna attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Catholic Elementary Schools, and West Middle School. She was known for her high
grade point average and achieved notoriety for her unconventional behavior. Madonna would perform cartwheels and handstands in the hallways between classes, dangle by her knees from the
monkey bars during recess, and pull up her skirt during class—all so that the boys could see her underwear.
She later admitted to seeing herself in her youth as a "lonely girl who was searching for something. I wasn't rebellious in a certain way. I cared about being good at something. I didn't shave my underarms and I didn't wear make-up like normal girls do. But I studied and I got good grades... I wanted to be somebody."
Madonna's father put her in classical
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...
lessons, but she later convinced him to allow her to take
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...
lessons. Christopher Flynn, her ballet teacher, persuaded her to pursue a career in dance. Madonna later attended
Rochester Adams High School and became a straight-A student as well as a member of its cheerleading squad. After graduating, she received a dance scholarship to the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
and studied over the summer at the
American Dance Festival in
Durham, North Carolina.
In 1978, Madonna dropped out of college and relocated to New York City. She said of her move to New York, "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done." Madonna soon found an apartment in the
Alphabet City neighborhood of the
East Village and had little money while working at
Dunkin' Donuts and with
modern dance troupes, taking classes at the
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and eventually performing with
Pearl Lang Dance Theater.
She also studied dance under the tutelage of
Martha Graham, the noted American dancer and choreographer. Madonna started to work as a backup dancer for other established artists. One night, while returning from a rehearsal, a pair of men held her at knifepoint and forced her to perform
fellatio. She later found the incident to be "a taste of my weakness, it showed me that I still could not save myself in spite of all the strong-girl show. I could never forget it."
1979–1983: Career beginnings, rock bands, and ''Madonna''
In 1979, Madonna became romantically involved with musician
Dan Gilroy.
Shortly after meeting him, she successfully auditioned to perform in Paris with French disco artist
Patrick Hernandez as his backup singer and dancer.
During her three months with Hernandez's troupe, she also traveled to Tunisia before returning to New York in August 1979.
Madonna moved into an abandoned synagogue where Gilroy lived and rehearsed in
Corona, Queens.
Together they formed her first band, the
Breakfast Club, for which Madonna sang and played drums and guitar. While with the band, Madonna briefly worked as a coat-check girl at the
Russian Tea Room, and she made her acting debut in the low-budget indie film ''
A Certain Sacrifice'', which was not released until 1985. In 1980, Madonna left the Breakfast Club with drummer
Stephen Bray
Stephen Pate Bray (born December 23, 1956) is an American songwriter, drummer, and record producer. He is best known for his collaborations with Madonna, being a member of the band Breakfast Club, and for winning the 2017 Grammy Award for the ...
, who was her boyfriend in Michigan, and they formed the band Emmy and the Emmys. They rekindled their romance and moved into
the Music Building in Manhattan.
The two began writing songs together and they recorded a four-song demo tape in November 1980, but soon after, Madonna decided to promote herself as a solo artist.
In March 1981, Camille Barbone, who ran Gotham Records in the Music Building, signed Madonna to a contract with Gotham and worked as her manager until February 1982. Madonna frequented nightclubs to get disc jockeys to play her demo. DJ
Mark Kamins at
Danceteria took an interest in her music and they began dating. Kamins arranged a meeting with Madonna and
Seymour Stein, the president of
Sire Records, a subsidiary of
Warner Bros. Records. Madonna signed a deal for a total of three singles, with an option for an album.
Kamins produced her debut single, "
Everybody
Everybody may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Everybody'' (Chris Janson album) or the title song, 2017
* ''Everybody'' (Gods Child album), 1994
* ''Everybody'' (Hear'Say album), 2001
* ''Everybody'' (Ingrid Michaelson album) or the title song, 2009
* ...
", which was released in October 1982. In December 1982, Madonna performed the song live for the first time at Danceteria. She made her first television appearance performing "Everybody" on ''
Dancin' On Air'' in January 1983. In February 1983, she promoted the single with nightclub performances in the United Kingdom. Her second single, "
Burning Up", was released in March 1983. Both singles reached number three on ''
Billboard'' magazine's
Hot Dance Club Songs
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as ...
chart. During this period, Madonna was in a relationship with artist
Jean-Michel Basquiat and living at his loft in
SoHo. Basquiat introduced her to art curator
Diego Cortez, who had managed some punk bands and co-founded the
Mudd Club.
Madonna invited Cortez to be her manager, but he declined.
Following the success of the singles, Warner hired
Reggie Lucas to produce her self-titled debut album, ''
Madonna''. However, Madonna was dissatisfied with the completed tracks and disagreed with Lucas' production techniques, so she decided to seek additional help.
She asked
John "Jellybean" Benitez
John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters. ...
, the
resident DJ at Fun House, to help finish the album's production and a romance ensued. Benitez remixed most of the tracks and produced "
Holiday", which was her first international top-ten song. The album was released in July 1983, and peaked at number eight on the
''Billboard'' 200. It yielded two top-ten singles on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, "
Borderline" and "
Lucky Star Lucky Star, The Lucky Star or Lucky Starr may refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Anime and manga
* ''Lucky Star'' (manga), a manga, anime, and video game series
* "Lucky Star", one of the Angel Frames from the anime and manga series ''Galaxy ...
".
In the fall of 1983, Madonna's new manager,
Feddy DeMann, secured a meeting for her with film producer
Jon Peters, who asked her to play the part of a club singer in the romantic drama ''
Vision Quest.''
1984–1987: ''Like a Virgin'', first marriage, ''True Blue'', and ''Who's That Girl''
In January 1984, Madonna gained more exposure by performing on ''
American Bandstand'' and ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...
''. Her image, performances, and music videos influenced young girls and women. Madonna's style became one of the female
fashion trends of the 1980s. Created by stylist and jewelry designer
Maripol, the look consisted of lace tops, skirts over
capri pants,
fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the
crucifix, bracelets, and bleached hair. Madonna's popularity continued to rise globally with the release of her second studio album, ''
Like a Virgin'', in November 1984. It became her first number-one album in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, the UK, and the US.
''Like a Virgin'' became the first album by a female to sell over five million copies in the U.S. It was later
certified diamond
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
in by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA), and has sold over 21 million copies worldwide.
The album's
title track served as its first single, and topped the Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks. It attracted the attention of conservative organizations who complained that the song and its accompanying video promoted premarital sex and undermined family values, and moralists sought to have the song and video banned. Madonna received huge media coverage for her performance of "Like a Virgin" at the first
1984 MTV Video Music Awards. Wearing a wedding dress and white gloves, Madonna appeared on stage atop a giant wedding cake and then rolled around suggestively on the floor. MTV retrospectively considered it one of the "most iconic" pop performances of all time. The second single, "
Material Girl", reached number two on the Hot 100.
While filming the single's music video, Madonna started dating actor
Sean Penn. They married on her birthday in 1985.
Madonna entered mainstream films in February 1985, beginning with her cameo in ''Vision Quest''. The soundtrack contained two new singles, her U.S. number-one single, "
Crazy for You", and another track "
Gambler".
She also played the title role in the 1985 comedy ''
Desperately Seeking Susan'', a film which introduced the song "
Into the Groove", her first number-one single in the UK.
Her popularity caused the film to be perceived as a Madonna vehicle, despite how she was not billed as a
lead actress.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' film critic
Vincent Canby named it one of the ten best films of 1985.
Beginning in April 1985, Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in North America,
the Virgin Tour, with the
Beastie Boys as her opening act. The tour saw the peak of
Madonna wannabe phenomenon, with many female attendees dressing like her. At that time, she released two more hits, "
Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inc ...
" and "
Dress You Up", making all four singles from the album peak inside the top five on the Hot 100 chart. In July, ''
Penthouse'' and ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'' magazines published a number of nude photos of Madonna, taken when she moonlighted as an
art model in 1978. She had posed for the photographs because she needed money at the time, and was paid as little as $25 a session. The publication of the photos caused a media uproar, but Madonna remained "unapologetic and defiant".
The photographs were ultimately sold for up to $100,000. She referred to these events at the 1985 outdoor
Live Aid charity concert, saying that she would not take her jacket off because "
he mediamight hold it against me ten years from now."
In June 1986, Madonna released her third studio album, ''
True Blue'', which was inspired by and dedicated to her husband Penn. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' was impressed with the effort, writing that the album "sound
as if it comes from the heart". Five singles were released—"
Live to Tell", "
Papa Don't Preach
"Papa Don't Preach" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Madonna for her third studio album ''True Blue (Madonna album), True Blue'' (1986). The song was written by Brian Elliot with additional lyrics by Madonna, who produced it alo ...
", "
True Blue", "
Open Your Heart", and "
La Isla Bonita"—all of which reached number one in the U.S. or the UK.
The album topped the charts in 28 countries worldwide, an unprecedented achievement at the time, and remains Madonna's best-selling studio album, with sales of 25 million copies. ''True Blue'' was featured in the 1992 edition of ''
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' as the best-selling album by a woman of all time.
Madonna starred in the critically panned film ''
Shanghai Surprise'' in 1986, for which she received her first
Golden Raspberry Award for
Worst Actress. She made her theatrical debut in a production of
David Rabe's ''Goose and Tom-Tom''; the film and play both co-starred Penn. The next year, Madonna was featured in the film ''
Who's That Girl''. She contributed four songs to its soundtrack, including the
title track and "
Causing a Commotion
"Causing a Commotion" is a song by American singer Madonna from the soundtrack album to the 1987 film ''Who's That Girl''. It was released as the album's second single on August 25, 1987 by Sire Records. Its Silver Screen Single Mix later appear ...
".
Madonna embarked on the
Who's That Girl World Tour in June 1987, which continued until September.
It broke several attendance records, including over 130,000 people in a show near Paris, which was then a record for
the highest-attended female concert of all time.
Later that year, she released a remix album of past hits, ''
You Can Dance'', which reached number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
After a tumultuous two years' marriage, Madonna filed for divorce from Penn on December 4, 1987, but withdrew the petition a few weeks later.
1988–1991: ''Like a Prayer'', ''Dick Tracy'', and ''Truth or Dare''
She made her
Broadway debut in the production of ''
Speed-the-Plow'' at the
Royale Theatre from May to August 1988. According to the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...
, Madonna filed an assault report against Penn after an alleged incident at their Malibu home during the New Year's weekend.
Madonna filed for divorce on January 5, 1989, and the following week she reportedly asked that no criminal charges be pressed.
In January 1989, Madonna signed an endorsement deal with soft-drink manufacturer
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
. In one Pepsi commercial, she debuted "
Like a Prayer", the lead single and title track from her
fourth studio album. The music video featured
Catholic symbols
Christian symbolism is the use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork or events, by Christianity. It invests objects or actions with an inner meaning expressing Christian ideas.
The symbolism of the early Church was characterized by bei ...
such as
stigmata and
cross burning, and a dream of making love to a saint, leading the
Vatican to condemn the video. Religious groups sought to ban the commercial and boycott Pepsi products. Pepsi revoked the commercial and canceled her sponsorship contract.
"Like a Prayer" topped the charts in many countries, becoming her seventh number-one on the Hot 100.
Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the album ''Like a Prayer'' with
Patrick Leonard,
Stephen Bray
Stephen Pate Bray (born December 23, 1956) is an American songwriter, drummer, and record producer. He is best known for his collaborations with Madonna, being a member of the band Breakfast Club, and for winning the 2017 Grammy Award for the ...
, and
Prince
A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...
. Music critic
J. D. Considine from ''Rolling Stone'' praised it "as close to art as pop music gets ... proof not only that Madonna should be taken seriously as an artist but that hers is one of the most compelling voices of the Eighties."
''Like a Prayer'' peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold 15 million copies worldwide.
Other successful singles from the album were "
Express Yourself" and "
Cherish", both peaked at number two in the US, as well as the UK top-five "
Dear Jessie" and the U.S. top-ten "
Keep It Together".
By the end of the 1980s, Madonna was named as the "Artist of the Decade" by MTV, ''Billboard'' and ''
Musician'' magazine.
Madonna starred as
Breathless Mahoney in the film
''Dick Tracy'' (1990), with
Warren Beatty playing the title role. The film went to
number one on the U.S. box office for two weeks and Madonna received a
Saturn Award
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...
nomination for
Best Actress. To accompany the film, she released the soundtrack album, ''
I'm Breathless'', which included songs inspired by the film's 1930s setting. It also featured the U.S. number-one song "
Vogue" and "
Sooner or Later". While shooting the film, Madonna began a relationship with Beatty, which dissolved shortly after the premiere.
In April 1990, Madonna began her
Blond Ambition World Tour, which ended in August. ''Rolling Stone'' called it an "elaborately choreographed, sexually provocative extravaganza" and proclaimed it "the best tour of 1990". The tour generated strong negative reaction from religious groups for her performance of "Like a Virgin", during which two male dancers caressed her body before she simulated masturbation.
In response, Madonna said, "The tour in no way hurts anybody's sentiments. It's for open minds and gets them to see sexuality in a different way. Their own and others".
The live recording of the tour won Madonna her first
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
, in the category of
Best Long Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs. ...
.
''
The Immaculate Collection'', Madonna's first greatest-hits
compilation album, was released in November 1990. It included two new songs, "
Justify My Love" and "
Rescue Me".
The album was certified diamond by RIAA and sold over 30 million copies worldwide, becoming the
best-selling compilation album by a solo artist in history.
"Justify My Love" reached number one in the U.S. becoming her ninth number-one on the Hot 100.
Her then-boyfriend model
Tony Ward co-starred in the music video, which featured scenes of
sadomasochism,
bondage
Bondage may refer to:
Restraints
*Physical restraints
**Bondage (BDSM), use of restraint for erotic stimulation
***Self-bondage, use of restraints on oneself for erotic pleasure
Social and economic practices
*Serfdom, feudal enslavement of peasan ...
, same-sex kissing, and brief nudity. The video was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and was banned from the network.
Her first documentary film, ''
Truth or Dare'' (known as ''In Bed with Madonna'' outside North America), was released in May 1991. Chronicling her Blond Ambition World Tour, it became the highest-grossing documentary of all time (surpassed eleven years later by
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism.
Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ...
's ''
Bowling for Columbine'').
1992–1997: Maverick, ''Erotica'', ''Sex'', ''Bedtime Stories'', ''Evita'', and motherhood
In 1992, Madonna starred in ''
A League of Their Own'' as Mae Mordabito, a baseball player on an all-women's team. It reached
number one on the box-office and became the tenth-highest-grossing film of the year in the U.S. She recorded the film's theme song, "
This Used to Be My Playground", which became her tenth number-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the most by any female artist at the time.
In April, Madonna founded her own entertainment company,
Maverick, consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and associated music publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing and merchandising divisions.
The deal was a joint venture with
Time Warner and paid Madonna an advance of $60 million. It gave her 20% royalties from the music proceedings, the highest rate in the industry at the time, equaled only by
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's royalty rate established a year earlier with
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
.
Her company later went on to become one of the most successful
artist-run labels in history, producing multi-platinum artists such as
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with two ...
and
Michelle Branch
Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums: ''The Spirit Room'' and ''Hotel Paper.'' She won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Coll ...
.
Later that year, Madonna co-sponsored the first museum retrospective for her former boyfriend Jean-Michel Basquiat at the
Whitney Museum of American Art.
In October 1992, Madonna simultaneously released her fifth studio album, ''
Erotica'', and her
coffee table book, ''
Sex''. Consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images, photographed by
Steven Meisel, the book received strong negative reaction from the media and the general public, but sold 1.5 million copies at $50 each in a matter of days.
The widespread backlash overshadowed ''Erotica'', which ended up as her lowest selling album at the time.
Despite positive reviews, it became her first studio album since her debut album not to score any chart-topper in the U.S. The album entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at number two and yielded the Hot 100 top-ten hits "
Erotica" and "
Deeper and Deeper".
Madonna continued her provocative imagery in the 1993
erotic thriller, ''
Body of Evidence'', a film which contained scenes of
sadomasochism and
bondage
Bondage may refer to:
Restraints
*Physical restraints
**Bondage (BDSM), use of restraint for erotic stimulation
***Self-bondage, use of restraints on oneself for erotic pleasure
Social and economic practices
*Serfdom, feudal enslavement of peasan ...
. It was poorly received by critics. She also starred in the film ''
Dangerous Game'', which was released straight to video in North America. ''The New York Times'' described the film as "angry and painful, and the pain feels real."
In September 1993, Madonna embarked on
the Girlie Show, in which she dressed as a whip-cracking
dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers. In Puerto Rico she rubbed the island's flag between her legs on stage, resulting in outrage among the audience.
In March 1994,
she appeared as a guest on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman'', using profanity that required censorship on television, and handing Letterman a pair of her panties and asking him to smell it. The releases of her sexually explicit book, album and film, and the aggressive appearance on Letterman all made critics question Madonna as a sexual renegade. Critics and fans reacted negatively, who commented that "she had gone too far" and that her career was over. Around this time, Madonna briefly dated basketball player
Dennis Rodman and rapper
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
.
Biographer
J. Randy Taraborrelli
John Randall Anthony Taraborrelli is an American journalist and celebrity biographer. Taraborrelli is known for biographies of contemporary entertainers and political figures such as Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Mado ...
described her ballad "
I'll Remember
"I'll Remember" is a song by American singer Madonna for the 1994 film ''With Honors (film), With Honors''. It was released by Maverick (company), Maverick and Warner Bros. Records on March 8, 1994, as the lead single from the With Honors (fil ...
" (1994) as an attempt to tone down her provocative image. The song was recorded for
Alek Keshishian's 1994 film ''
With Honors''. She made a subdued appearance with Letterman at an awards show and appeared on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' after realizing that she needed to change her musical direction in order to sustain her popularity.
With her sixth studio album, ''
Bedtime Stories
A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockma ...
'' (1994), Madonna employed a softer image to try to improve the public perception.
The album debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and generated two U.S. top-five hits, "
Secret" and "
Take a Bow
Take a Bow may refer to:
* Bowing, a social gesture
* "Take a Bow" (Leona Lewis song)
* "Take a Bow" (Madonna song)
* "Take a Bow" (Rihanna song)
* ''Take a Bow'' (TV series), a British children's television series
* ''Take a Bow'', a 2010 al ...
", the latter topping the Hot 100 for seven weeks, the longest period of any Madonna single. ''
Something to Remember'', a collection of ballads, was released in November 1995. The album featured three new songs: "
You'll See", "
One More Chance", and a cover of
Marvin Gaye's "
I Want You".
An enthusiastic collector of
modern art
Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...
, Madonna sponsored the first major retrospective of
Tina Modotti's work at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1995. The following year, she sponsored an exhibition of Basquiat's paintings at the
Serpentine Gallery
The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Central London. Recently rebranded to just Serpentine, the organisation is split across Serpentine South, previously known as the Serpentine Gallery ...
in London. The following year, she sponsored artist
Cindy Sherman
Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters.
Her breakthrough work is often co ...
's retrospective at the
MoMA in New York.
In February 1996, Madonna began filming the musical ''
Evita'' in Argentina. For a long time, Madonna had desired to play Argentine political leader
Eva Perón and wrote to director
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...
to explain why she would be perfect for the part. After securing the
title role, she received vocal coaching and learned about the history of Argentina and Perón. During filming Madonna became ill several times, after finding out that she was pregnant, and from the intense emotional effort required with the scenes. Upon ''Evita''s release in December 1996, Madonna's performance received praise from film critics.
Zach Conner of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
'' magazine remarked, "It's a relief to say that ''Evita'' is pretty damn fine, well cast and handsomely visualized. Madonna once again confounds our expectations." For the role, she
won
Won may refer to:
*The Korean won from 1902–1910
*South Korean won, the currency of the Republic of Korea
*North Korean won, the currency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
* Won (Korean surname)
* Won (Korean given name)
* Won Buddhis ...
the
Golden Globe Award for
Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
The
''Evita'' soundtrack, containing songs mostly performed by Madonna, was released as a
double album. It included "
You Must Love Me" and "
Don't Cry for Me Argentina"; the latter reached number one in countries across Europe.
Madonna was presented with the Artist Achievement Award by
Tony Bennett at the 1996
''Billboard'' Music Awards. On October 14, 1996, she gave birth to Lourdes "Lola" Maria Ciccone Leon, her daughter with fitness trainer Carlos Leon. Biographer
Mary Cross writes that although Madonna often worried that her pregnancy would harm ''Evita'', she reached some important personal goals: "Now 38 years old, Madonna had at last triumphed on screen and achieved her dream of having a child, both in the same year. She had reached another turning point in her career, reinventing herself and her image with the public." Her relationship with Carlos Leon ended in May 1997 and she declared that they were "better off as best friends".
1998–2002: ''Ray of Light'', ''Music'', second marriage, and touring comeback
After Lourdes's birth, Madonna became involved in Eastern mysticism and
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The de ...
, introduced to her by actress
Sandra Bernhard. Her seventh studio album, ''
Ray of Light'', (1998) reflected this change in her perception and image. She collaborated with electronica producer
William Orbit and wanted to create a sound that could blend dance music with pop and British rock.
American music critic
Ann Powers explained that what Madonna searched for with Orbit "was a kind of a lushness that she wanted for this record.
Techno
Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
and
rave were happening in the 90s and had a lot of different forms. There was very experimental, more hard stuff like
Aphex Twin. There was party stuff like
Fatboy Slim. That's not what Madonna wanted for this. She wanted something more like a singer-songwriter, really. And William Orbit provided her with that."
The album garnered critical acclaim, with ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...
'' calling it "one of the great pop masterpieces of the '90s" ''Ray of Light'' was honored with four
Grammy Awards—including
Best Pop Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...
and
Best Dance Recording—and was nominated for both
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to:
Awards
* ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia
* Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK
* Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US
* Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA
* Lati ...
and
Record of the Year.
''Rolling Stone'' listed it among "
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Commercially, the album peaked at number-one in numerous countries and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. The album's lead single, "
Frozen
Frozen may refer to:
* the result of freezing
* a paralysis response in extreme cases of fear
Films
* ''Frozen'' (1997 film), a film by Wang Xiaoshuai
* ''Frozen'' (2005 film), a film by Juliet McKoen
* ''Frozen'' (2007 film), a film by Sh ...
", became Madonna's first single to debut at number one in the UK, while in the U.S. it became her sixth number-two single, setting another record for Madonna as the artist with the most number-two hits.
The second single, "
Ray of Light", debuted at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The 1998 edition of ''
Guinness Book of World Records'' documented that "no female artist has sold more records than Madonna around the world".
Madonna founded
Ray of Light Foundation which focused on women, education, global development and humanitarian. She recorded the single "
Beautiful Stranger" for the 1999 film ''
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', which earned her a
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
Madonna starred in the 2000
comedy-drama film ''
The Next Best Thing'', directed by
John Schlesinger. The film opened at number two on the U.S. box office with $5.9 million grossed in its first week, but this quickly diminished. She also contributed two songs to the film's soundtrack—a cover of
Don McLean's 1971 song "
American Pie" and an original song "Time Stood Still"—the former became her ninth UK number-one single.
Madonna released her eighth studio album, ''
Music
Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...
'', in September 2000. It featured elements from the
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...
-inspired ''Ray of Light'' era, and like its predecessor, received acclaim from critics. Collaborating with French producer
Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Madonna commented: "I love to work with the weirdos that no one knows about—the people who have raw talent and who are making music unlike anyone else out there. ''Music'' is the future of sound."
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
felt that "''Music'' blows by in a kaleidoscopic rush of color, technique, style and substance. It has so many depth and layers that it's easily as self-aware and earnest as ''Ray of Light''." The album took the number-one position in more than 20 countries worldwide and sold four million copies in the first ten days.
In the U.S., ''Music'' debuted at the top, and became her first number-one album in eleven years since ''Like a Prayer''. It produced three singles: the Hot 100 number-one "
Music
Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...
", "
Don't Tell Me", and "
What It Feels Like for a Girl".
The music video of "What It Feels Like for a Girl" depicted Madonna committing acts of crime and vandalism, and was banned by MTV and
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
.
Madonna met director
Guy Ritchie in the summer of 1998, and gave birth to their son Rocco John Ritchie in Los Angeles on August 11, 2000. Rocco and Madonna suffered complications from the birth due to her experiencing
placenta praevia. He was christened at
Dornoch Cathedral in
Dornoch, Scotland, on December 21, 2000. Madonna married Ritchie the following day at nearby
Skibo Castle. After an eight-year absence from touring, Madonna started her
Drowned World Tour in June 2001.
The tour visited cities in the U.S. and Europe and was the highest-grossing concert tour of the year by a solo artist, earning $75 million from 47 sold-out shows.
She also released her second greatest-hits collection, ''
GHV2'', which compiled 15 singles during the second decade of her recording career. The album debuted at number seven on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold seven million units worldwide.
Madonna starred in the film ''
Swept Away'', directed by Ritchie. Released
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...
in the UK, the film was a commercial and critical failure. In May 2002 she appeared in London in the
West End
West End most commonly refers to:
* West End of London, an area of central London, England
* West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England
West End may also refer to:
Pl ...
play ''
Up For Grabs'' at the
Wyndhams Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archi ...
(billed as 'Madonna Ritchie'), to universally bad reviews and was described as "the evening's biggest disappointment" by one. That October, she released "
Die Another Day
''Die Another Day'' is a 2002 spy film and the twentieth film in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori. The fourth and final film st ...
", the title song of the
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 19 ...
film ''
Die Another Day
''Die Another Day'' is a 2002 spy film and the twentieth film in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori. The fourth and final film st ...
'', in which she had a
cameo role, described by Peter Bradshaw from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' as "incredibly wooden". The song reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was nominated for both a
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of ...
and a
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song.
2003–2006: ''American Life'' and ''Confessions on a Dance Floor''
In 2003, Madonna collaborated with fashion photographer
Steven Klein for an exhibition installation named X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS, which ran from March to May in New York's
Deitch Projects gallery and also traveled the world in an edited form. The same year, Madonna released her ninth studio album, ''
American Life'', which was based on her observations of American society. She explained that the record was "like a trip down memory lane, looking back at everything I've accomplished and all the things I once valued and all the things that were important to me." Larry Flick from ''
The Advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law.
The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to:
Magazines
* ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States
*''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...
'' felt that "''American Life'' is an album that is among her most adventurous and lyrically intelligent" while condemning it as "a lazy, half-arsed effort to sound and take her seriously."
The original music video of its
title track caused controversy due to its violence and
anti-war imagery, and was withdrawn after the
2003 invasion of Iraq started. Madonna voluntarily censored herself for the first time in her career due to the political climate of the country, saying that "there was a lynch mob mentality that was going on that wasn't pretty and I have children to protect." The song stalled at number 37 on the Hot 100,
while the album became her lowest-selling album at that point with four million copies worldwide.
Madonna gave another provocative performance later that year at the
2003 MTV Video Music Awards, when she kissed singers
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
and
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice o ...
while singing the track "
Hollywood". In October 2003, she provided guest vocals on Spears' single "
Me Against the Music". It was followed with the release of ''
Remixed & Revisited''. The EP contained remixed versions of songs from ''American Life'' and included "Your Honesty", a previously unreleased track from the ''Bedtime Stories'' recording sessions. Madonna also signed a contract with
Callaway Arts & Entertainment to be the author of five children's books. The first of these books, titled ''
The English Roses'', was published in September 2003. The story was about four English schoolgirls and their envy and jealousy of each other. The book debuted at the top of
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list and became the fastest-selling children's picture book of all time.
Madonna donated all of its proceeds to a children's charity.
The next year Madonna and Maverick sued
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. (trade name, d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York C ...
and its former parent company Time Warner, claiming that mismanagement of resources and poor bookkeeping had cost the company millions of dollars. In return, Warner filed a countersuit alleging that Maverick had lost tens of millions of dollars on its own.
The dispute was resolved when the Maverick shares, owned by Madonna and Ronnie Dashev, were purchased by Warner. Madonna and Dashev's company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warner Music, but Madonna was still signed to Warner under a separate recording contract.
In mid-2004, Madonna embarked on the
Re-Invention World Tour in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. It became the highest-grossing tour of 2004, earning around $120 million and became the subject of her documentary ''
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret''. In November 2004, she was inducted into the
UK Music Hall of Fame as one of its five founding members, along with
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
,
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
Bob Marley, and
U2. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked her at number 36 on its special issue of the
100 Greatest Artists of All Time, featuring an article about her written by Britney Spears. In January 2005, Madonna performed a cover version of the
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
song "
Imagine" at
Tsunami Aid
Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope was a worldwide benefit held for the tsunami victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. It was broadcast on NBC and its affiliated networks of USA Network, Bravo, PAX, MSNBC, CNBC, Sci-Fi, Trio, Telemundo and ...
. She also performed at the
Live 8 benefit concert in London in July 2005.
Her tenth studio album, ''
Confessions on a Dance Floor'', was released in November 2005. Musically the album was structured like a club set composed by a DJ. It was acclaimed by critics, with Keith Caulfield from ''
Billboard'' commenting that the album was a "welcome return to form for the Queen of Pop."
The album won a
Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album.
''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' and its lead single, "
Hung Up", went on to reach number one in 40 and 41 countries respectively, earning a place in ''Guinness World Records''.
The song contained a sample of
ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...
's "
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", only the second time that ABBA has allowed their work to be used. ABBA songwriter
Björn Ulvaeus remarked "It is a wonderful track—100 per cent solid pop music." "
Sorry
Sorry is a word commonly used in apologizing. Sorry may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Sorry'' (2002 film), a 2002 Japanese film
* ''Sorry'' (2021 film), a 2021 comedy film
* '' Sorry: A Love Story'', an upcoming Pakistani film
* ''So ...
", the second single, became Madonna's twelfth number-one single in the UK.
Madonna embarked on the
Confessions Tour in May 2006, which had a global audience of 1.2 million and grossed over $193.7 million, becoming the highest-grossing tour to that date for a female artist. Madonna used religious symbols, such as the
crucifix and
Crown of Thorns
According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or grc, ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos, label=none) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the inst ...
, in the performance of "Live to Tell". It caused the
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
and the
Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia to urge all their members to boycott her concert. At the same time, the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) announced officially that Madonna had sold over 200 million copies of her albums alone worldwide.
While on tour Madonna founded charitable organization
Raising Malawi and partially funded an orphanage in and traveling to that country. While there, she decided to adopt a boy named David Banda in October 2006. The adoption raised strong public reaction, because Malawian law requires would-be parents to reside in Malawi for one year before adopting, which Madonna did not do. She addressed this on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show'', saying that there were no written adoption laws in Malawi that regulated foreign adoption. Madonna described how Banda had been suffering from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
after surviving
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or deat ...
and
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...
when they first met. Banda's biological father, Yohane, commented, "These so-called human rights activists are harassing me every day, threatening me that I am not aware of what I am doing ... They want me to support their court case, a thing I cannot do for I know what I agreed with Madonna and her husband." The adoption was finalized in May 2008.
2007–2011: Filmmaking, ''Hard Candy'', and business ventures
Madonna released and performed the song "
Hey You" at the
London Live Earth concert in July 2007. She announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records, and declared a new $120 million, ten-year
360 deal
In the music industry, a 360 deal (from 360° deal) is a business relationship between an artist and a music industry company. The company agrees to provide financial and other support for the artist, including direct advances as well as support i ...
with
Live Nation. In 2008, Madonna produced and wrote ''
I Am Because We Are'', a documentary on the problems faced by Malawians; it was directed by Nathan Rissman, who worked as Madonna's gardener.
She also directed her first film, ''
Filth and Wisdom
''Filth and Wisdom'' is a 2008 British comedy-drama film directed by Madonna, starring Eugene Hütz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure and Richard E. Grant. It was filmed on location in London, England, from 14 to 29 May 2007. Locations included two ...
''. The plot of the film revolved around three friends and their aspirations. ''The Times'' said she had "done herself proud" while ''The Daily Telegraph'' described the film as "not an entirely unpromising first effort
utMadonna would do well to hang on to her day job." On March 10, 2008, Madonna was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.
She did not sing at the ceremony but asked fellow Hall of Fame inductees and Michigan natives
the Stooges to perform her songs "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light".
Madonna released her eleventh studio album, ''
Hard Candy'', in April 2008. Containing
R&B and
urban pop influences, the songs on ''Hard Candy'' were autobiographical in nature and saw Madonna collaborating with
Justin Timberlake,
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
,
Pharrell Williams and
Nate "Danja" Hills.
The album debuted at number one in 37 countries and on the ''Billboard'' 200. Caryn Ganz from ''Rolling Stone'' complimented it as an "impressive taste of her upcoming tour", while BBC correspondent Mark Savage panned it as "an attempt to harness the urban market".
"
4 Minutes
"4 Minutes" is a song by American singer Madonna from her eleventh studio album ''Hard Candy'' (2008), featuring vocals by American singer Justin Timberlake and American producer Timbaland. It was released as the lead single from the album on ...
" was released as the album's lead single and peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was Madonna's 37th top-ten hit on the chart and pushed her past
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
as the artist with the most top-ten hits.
In the UK she retained her record for the most number-one singles for a female artist; "4 Minutes" becoming her thirteenth. At the 23rd
Japan Gold Disc Awards, Madonna received her fifth Artist of the Year trophy from
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The RIAJ's activities include p ...
, the most for any artist. To further promote the album, she embarked on the
Sticky & Sweet Tour, her first major venture with Live Nation. With a total gross of $408 million, it ended up as the second
highest-grossing tour of all time, behind
the Rolling Stones's
A Bigger Bang Tour. It remained the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist until
Roger Waters'
the Wall Live surpassed it in 2013.
In July 2008,
Christopher Ciccone released a book titled ''
Life with My Sister Madonna'', which caused a rift between Madonna and him, because of unsolicited publication. By fall, Madonna filed for divorce from Ritchie, citing irreconcilable differences. In December 2008, Madonna's spokesperson announced that Madonna had agreed to a divorce settlement with Ritchie, the terms of which granted him between £50–60 million ($– million), a figure that included the couple's
London pub and residence and
Wiltshire estate in England. The marriage was dissolved by District Judge Reid by ''
decree nisi'' at the clinical Principal Registry of the Family Division in
High Holborn, London. They entered a compromise agreement for Rocco and David, then aged eight and three respectively, and divided the children's time between Ritchie's London home and Madonna's in New York, where the two were joined by Lourdes. Soon after, Madonna applied to adopt Chifundo "Mercy" James from Malawi in May 2009, but the country's High Court rejected the application because Madonna was not a resident there.
She re-appealed, and on June 12, 2009, the Supreme Court of Malawi granted her the right to adopt Mercy.
Madonna concluded her contract with Warner by releasing her third greatest-hits album, ''
Celebration
Celebration or Celebrations may refer to:
Film, television and theatre
* ''Celebration'' (musical), by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, 1969
* ''Celebration'' (play), by Harold Pinter, 2000
* ''Celebration'' (TV series), a Canadian music TV serie ...
'', in September 2009. It contained the new songs "
Celebration
Celebration or Celebrations may refer to:
Film, television and theatre
* ''Celebration'' (musical), by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, 1969
* ''Celebration'' (play), by Harold Pinter, 2000
* ''Celebration'' (TV series), a Canadian music TV serie ...
" and "
Revolver" along with 34 hits spanning her musical career with the label.
''Celebration'' reached number one in several countries, including Canada, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. She appeared at the
2009 MTV Video Music Awards to speak in tribute to deceased pop singer
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. Madonna ended the 2000s as the best-selling single artist of the decade in the U.S. and the most-played artist of the decade in the UK. ''Billboard'' also announced her as the third top-touring artist of the decade—behind only the Rolling Stones and
U2—with a gross of over $801 million, 6.3 million attendance and 244 sell-outs of 248 shows.
Madonna performed at the
Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief concert in January 2010. Her third live album, ''
Sticky & Sweet Tour'', was released in April, debuting at number ten on the ''Billboard'' 200.
It also became her 20th top-ten on the
Oricon Albums Chart
The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon ...
, breaking the Beatles' record for the most top-ten album by an international act in Japan.
Madonna granted American television show, ''
Glee
Glee means delight, a form of happiness.
Glee may also refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...
'', the rights to her entire catalog of music, and the producers created
an episode featuring her songs exclusively.
She also collaborated with Lourdes and released the
Material Girl clothing line, inspired by her punk-girl style when she rose to fame in the 1980s.
In October, she opened a series of
fitness centers around the world named
Hard Candy Fitness, and three months later unveiled a second fashion brand called
Truth or Dare which included footwear, perfumes, underclothing, and accessories.
Madonna directed her second feature film, ''
W.E.'', a
biographical account about the affair between
King Edward VIII and
Wallis Simpson. Co-written with
Alek Keshishian, the film was premiered at the
68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival was held in Venice, Italy between 31 August and 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film di ...
in September 2011. Critical and commercial response to the film was negative. Madonna contributed the ballad "
Masterpiece" for the film's soundtrack, which won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
2012–2017: Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, ''MDNA'', and ''Rebel Heart''
In February 2012, Madonna headlined the
Super Bowl XLVI halftime show
The Super Bowl XLVI halftime show took place on February 5, 2012 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana as part of Super Bowl XLVI. It was headlined by Madonna, who became the first sole female headliner since Diana Ross in 1996. It f ...
at the
Lucas Oil Stadium in
Indianapolis, Indiana.
Her performance was visualized by
Cirque Du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 ...
and
Jamie King and featured special guests
LMFAO,
Nicki Minaj,
M.I.A. and
CeeLo Green
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway - Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. He is known for his work in hip hop and R&B, including the Gnarl ...
. It became the then most-watched Super Bowl halftime show in history with 114 million viewers, higher than the game itself. During the event, she performed "
Give Me All Your Luvin'", the lead single from her twelfth studio album, ''
MDNA''. It became her record-extending 38th top-ten single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
''MDNA'' was released in March 2012 and saw collaboration with various producers, including William Orbit and
Martin Solveig. It was her first release under her three-album deal with
Interscope Records, which she signed as a part of her 360 deal with Live Nation.
She was signed to the record label since Live Nation was unable to distribute music recordings. ''MDNA'' became Madonna's fifth consecutive studio record to debut at the top of the ''Billboard'' 200. The album was mostly promoted by
the MDNA Tour, which lasted from May to December 2012. The tour featured controversial subjects such as violence, firearms, human rights, nudity and politics. With a gross of $305.2 million from 88 sold-out shows, it became the highest-grossing tour of 2012 and then-tenth highest-grossing tour of all time.
Madonna was named the top-earning celebrity of the year by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
,'' earning an estimated $125 million.
Madonna collaborated with Steven Klein and directed a 17-minute film, ''
secretprojectrevolution
''secretprojectrevolution'' is a 2013 American short film directed by Madonna and Steven Klein, dealing with artistic freedom and human rights. The film launched a global initiative Art for Freedom to further freedom of expression, created by Ma ...
'', which was released on
BitTorrent in September 2013.
With the film she launched the Art for Freedom initiative, which helped to promote "art and free speech as a means to address persecution and injustice across the globe". The website for the project included over 3,000 art related submissions since its inception, with Madonna regularly monitoring and enlisting other artists like
David Blaine and
Katy Perry as guest curators.
By 2013, Madonna's
Raising Malawi had built ten schools to educate 4,000 children in Malawi at a value of $400,000. When Madonna visited the schools in April 2013,
President of Malawi Joyce Banda accused her of exaggerating the charity's contribution. Madonna was saddened by Banda's statement, but clarified that she had "no intention of being distracted by these ridiculous allegations". It was later confirmed that Banda had not approved the statement released by her press team. Madonna also visited her hometown Detroit during May 2014 and donated funds to help with the city's
bankruptcy. The same year, her business ventures extended to
skin care products with the launch of
MDNA Skin in Tokyo, Japan.
Madonna's thirteenth studio album, ''
Rebel Heart'', was released in March 2015, three months after its thirteen
demos leaked onto the Internet.
Unlike her previous efforts, which involved only a few people, Madonna worked with a large number of collaborators, including
Avicii
Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...
,
Diplo and
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
. Introspection was listed as one of the foundational themes prevalent on the record, along with "genuine statements of personal and careerist reflection".
Madonna explained to
Jon Pareles of ''The New York Times'' that although she has never looked back at her past endeavors, reminiscing about it felt right for ''Rebel Heart''.
Music critics responded positively towards the album, calling it her best effort in a decade.
From September 2015 to March 2016, Madonna embarked on the
Rebel Heart Tour to promote the album. The tour traveled throughout North America, Europe and Asia and was Madonna's first visit to Australia in 23 years, where she also performed a
one-off show for her fans. Rebel Heart Tour grossed a total of $169.8 million from the 82 shows, with over 1.045 million ticket sales.
While on tour, Madonna became engaged in a legal battle with Ritchie, over the custody of their son Rocco. The dispute started when Rocco decided to continue living in England with Ritchie when the tour had visited there, while Madonna wanted him to travel with her. Court hearings took place in both New York and London. After multiple deliberations, Madonna withdrew her application for custody and decided to resolve the matter privately.
In October 2016, ''Billboard'' named Madonna its
Woman of the Year. Her "blunt and brutally honest" speech about ageism and sexism at the ceremony received widespread coverage in the media.
The next month Madonna, who actively supported
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...
during the
2016 U.S. presidential election
The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald ...
, performed an impromptu acoustic concert at
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...
in support of
Clinton's campaign.
Upset that
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...
won the election, Madonna spoke out against him at the
Women's March on Washington Women's March may refer to:
* Women's March on Versailles, a 1789 march in Paris
* Women's Sunday, a 1908 suffragette march in London
* Woman Suffrage Procession, a 1913 march and rally in Washington, D.C.
* Women's March (South Africa), a 1956 ma ...
, a day after
his inauguration. She sparked controversy when she said that she "thought a lot about blowing up the White House". The following day, Madonna asserted she was "not a violent person" and that her words had been "taken wildly out of context".
In February 2017, Madonna adopted four-year-old twin sisters from Malawi named Estere and Stella, and she moved to live in
Lisbon, Portugal in summer 2017 with her adoptive children. In July, she opened the
Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care in Malawi, a children's hospital built by her Raising Malawi charity. The
live album chronicling the Rebel Heart Tour was released in September 2017, and won Best Music Video for Western Artists at the 32nd
Japan Gold Disc Award. That month, Madonna launched MDNA Skin in select stores in the United States. A few months earlier, the auction house Gotta Have Rock and Roll had put up Madonna's personal items like love letters from
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
, cassettes, underwear and a hairbrush for sale. Darlene Lutz, an art dealer who had initiated the auction, was sued by Madonna's representatives to stop the proceedings. Madonna clarified that her celebrity status "does not obviate my right to maintain my privacy, including with regard to highly personal items". Madonna lost the case and the presiding judge ruled in favor of Lutz who was able to prove that in 2004 Madonna made a legal agreement with her for selling the items.
2018–present: ''Madame X'', catalog reissues, and autobiographical film
While living in Lisbon, Madonna met Dino D'Santiago, who introduced her to many local musicians playing
fado,
morna, and
samba music. They regularly invited her to their "living room sessions", thus she was inspired to make her 14th studio album, ''
Madame X''. Madonna produced the album with several musicians, primarily her longtime collaborator
Mirwais and
Mike Dean. The album was critically well received, with ''
NME'' deeming it "bold, bizarre, self-referential and unlike anything Madonna has ever done before." Released in June 2019, ''Madame X'' debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming her ninth number-one album there. All four of its singles—"
Medellín", "
Crave __NOTOC__
Crave or Craving may refer to:
Entertainment and media Companies and services
* Crave (streaming service), a Canadian video-on-demand streaming service
* Crave (TV network), a Canadian linear pay TV service operated in conjunction with ...
", "
I Rise
I Rise is an American hardcore punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. They released an album, an EP, and a split EP on 1917 Records, and Eightfold Path Records, and toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada and E ...
", and "
I Don't Search I Find
"I Don't Search I Find" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fourteenth studio album, ''Madame X'' (2019). The track was written and produced by Madonna, alongside Mirwais Ahmadzaï. It was released to Italian contemporary hit radio b ...
"—topped the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart, extending her record for most number-one entries on the chart.
The previous month, Madonna appeared as the interval act at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2019 and performed "Like a Prayer", and then "
Future" with rapper
Quavo. Her
Madame X Tour, an all-
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
tour in select cities across North America and Europe, began on September 17, 2019. In addition to much smaller venues compared to her previous tours, she implemented a no-phone policy in order to maximize the intimacy of the concert. According to ''
Pollstar'', the tour earned $51.4 million in ticket sales. That December, Madonna started dating Ahlamalik Williams, a dancer who began accompanying her on the Rebel Heart Tour in 2015.
However, the Madame X Tour faced several cancellations due to her recurring knee injury, and eventually ended abruptly on March 8, 2020, three days before its planned final date, after the French government banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people due to
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. She later admitted to
testing positive for
coronavirus antibodies, and donated $1 million to the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it w ...
to help fund research creating a new vaccine.
Madonna and Missy Elliott provided guest vocals on
Dua Lipa's single "
Levitating
Levitation (from Latin ''levitas'' "lightness") is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact.
Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteracts ...
", from Lipa's 2020 remix album ''
Club Future Nostalgia''. She also started work on a film biopic about her life, for which she enlisted screenwriter
Erin Cressida Wilson to help with the script. Madonna released ''
Madame X'', a documentary film chronicling the tour of the same name, on
Paramount+ in October 2021. On her 63rd birthday, she officially announced her return to Warner in a global partnership which grants the label her entire recorded music catalog, including the last three albums released under Interscope. Under the contract, Madonna launched a series of catalog reissues beginning in 2022, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her recording career. A remix album titled ''
Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones'' was released on August 19, with an 16-track abridged edition being available for streaming since June 24. Consisting of her 50 number-one songs on ''Billboard''s Dance Club Songs chart, the remix album highlighted "how meaningful dance music has always been" to Madonna's career, and became her 23rd top-ten album on the ''Billboard'' 200.
In September 2022, Madonna released "Hung Up on Tokischa", a remix of "Hung Up", featuring rapper
Tokischa. The song utilises
dembow.
Artistry
Influences
According to Taraborrelli, the death of her mother had the most influence in shaping Madonna into the woman she would become. He believed that the devastation and abandonment Madonna felt at the loss of her mother taught her "a valuable lesson, that she would have to remain strong for herself because, she feared weakness—particularly her own."
Author
Lucy O'Brien opines that the impact of the sexual assault Madonna suffered in her young adult years was the motivating factor behind everything she has done, more important than the death of her mother: "It's not so much grief at her mother's death that drives her, as the sense of abandonment that left her unprotected. She encountered her own worst possible scenario, becoming a victim of male violence, and thereafter turned that full-tilt into her work, reversing the equation at every opportunity."
Madonna has called
Nancy Sinatra one of her idols. She said Sinatra's "
These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" made a major impression on her.
As a young woman, she attempted to broaden her taste in literature, art, and music, and during this time became interested in classical music. She noted that her favorite style was
baroque, and loved
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...
because she liked their "feminine quality". Madonna's major influences include
Debbie Harry,
Chrissie Hynde,
Karen Carpenter,
the Supremes and
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are c ...
, as well as dancers
Martha Graham and
Rudolf Nureyev.
She also grew up listening to
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, whose show was the first rock concert she ever attended.
During her childhood, Madonna was inspired by actors, later saying, "I loved
Carole Lombard and
Judy Holliday and
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
. They were all incredibly funny ... and I saw myself in them ... my girlishness, my knowingness and my innocence."
Her "Material Girl" music video recreated Monroe's look in the song "
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", from the film ''
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953). She studied the screwball comedies of the 1930s, particularly those of Lombard, in preparation for the film ''Who's That Girl''. The video for "Express Yourself" (1989) was inspired by
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...
's
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
''
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
'' (1927). The video for "Vogue" recreated the style of
Hollywood glamour photographs, in particular those by
Horst P. Horst
Horst P. Horst (born Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann; August 14, 1906November 18, 1999), was a German-American fashion photographer.
Early life
The younger of two sons, Horst was born in Weißenfels-an-der-Saale, Germany, to Klara (Schönbrodt) and ...
, and imitated the poses of
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
, Carole Lombard, and
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...
, while the lyrics referred to many of the stars who had inspired her, including
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...
, described by Madonna as an idol.
Influences also came to her from
the art world, such as through the works of Mexican artist
Frida Kahlo. The music video of the song "Bedtime Story" featured images inspired by the paintings of Kahlo and
Remedios Varo. Madonna is also a collector of
Tamara de Lempicka's
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...
paintings and has included them in her music videos and tours. Her video for "
Hollywood" (2003) was an homage to the work of photographer
Guy Bourdin; Bourdin's son subsequently filed a lawsuit for unauthorized use of his father's work. Pop artist
Andy Warhol's use of sadomasochistic imagery in his underground films were reflected in the music videos for "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper".
Madonna's Catholic background has been reflected throughout her career, from her fashion use of
rosary to her musical outputs, including on ''Like a Prayer'' (1989).
Her album ''MDNA'' (2012) has also drawn many influences from her Catholic upbringing, and since 2011 she has been attending meetings and services at an
Opus Dei center, a Catholic institution that encourages spirituality through everyday life. In a 2016 interview, she commented: "I always feel some kind of inexplicable connection with Catholicism. It kind of shows up in all of my work, as you may have noticed." Her study of the
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The de ...
was also observed in Madonna's music, especially albums like ''Ray of Light'' and ''Music''.
Speaking of religion in a 2019 interview with
Harry Smith of ''
Today'' Madonna stated, "The God that I believe in, created the world
..He/Her/They
icisn't a God to fear, it's a God to give thanks to." In an appearance on ''
Andrew Denton's Interview
''Andrew Denton's Interview'' (also stylised as ''"interview"'') was an Australian talk show hosted by Andrew Denton and broadcast on the Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australia ...
'' she added, "The idea that in any church you go, you see a
man on a cross and everyone genuflects and prays to him
..in a way it's
paganism
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
/
idolatry because people are worshipping a thing."
Musical style and composition
Madonna's music has been the subject of much analysis and scrutiny.
Robert M. Grant, author of ''Contemporary Strategy Analysis'' (2005), commented that Madonna's musical career has been a continuous experimentation with new musical ideas and new images and a constant quest for new heights of fame and acclaim. Thomas Harrison in the book ''Pop Goes the Decade: The Eighties'' deemed Madonna "an artist who pushed the boundaries" of what a female singer could do, both visually and lyrically. Professor Santiago Fouz-Hernández asserted, "While not gifted with an especially powerful or wide-ranging voice, Madonna has worked to expand her artistic palette to encompass diverse musical, textual and visual styles and various vocal guises, all with the intention of presenting herself as a mature musician."
Madonna has remained in charge in every aspect of her career, including as a writer and producer in most of her own music.
Her desire for control had already been seen during the making of her debut album, where she fought Reggie Lucas over his production output. However, it was not until her third album that Warner allowed Madonna to produce her own album. Stan Hawkins, author of ''Settling the Pop Score'' explained, "it is as musician and producer that Madonna is one of the few female artists to have broken into the male domain of the recording studio. Undoubtedly, Madonna is fully aware that women have been excluded from the musical workplace on most levels, and has set out to change this." Producer
Stuart Price stated: "You don't produce Madonna, you collaborate with her... She has her vision and knows how to get it." Despite being labeled a "control freak", Madonna has said that she valued input from her collaborators. She further explained:
I like to have control over most of the things in my career but I'm not a tyrant
A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...
. I don't have to have it on my album that it's written, arranged, produced, directed, and stars Madonna. To me, to have total control means you can lose objectivity. What I like is to be surrounded by really, talented intelligent people that you can trust. And ask them for their advice and get their input.
Madonna's early songwriting skill was developed during her time with the
Breakfast Club in 1979.
She subsequently became the
sole writer of five songs on her debut album, including "Lucky Star" which she composed on
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...
.
As a songwriter, Madonna has registered more than 300 tracks to
ASCAP, including 18 songs written entirely by herself. ''Rolling Stone'' has named her "an exemplary songwriter with a gift for
hooks and indelible lyrics." Despite having worked with producers across many genres, the magazine noted that Madonna's compositions have been "consistently stamped with her own sensibility and inflected with autobiographical detail."
Patrick Leonard, who co-wrote many of her hit songs, called Madonna "a
helluva
''Hella'' is an American slang term that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is used as an intensifying adverb such as in "hella bad" or "hella good" and was eventually added to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' in 2002. It is possibl ...
songwriter", explaining: "Her sensibility about
melodic line—from the beginning of the
verse to the end of the verse and how the verse and the chorus influence each other—is very deep. Many times she's singing notes that no one would've thought of but her." Barry Walters from ''
Spin'' credited her songwriting as the reason of her musical consistency. Madonna has been nominated for being inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame three times. In 2015, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Madonna at number 56 on the "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time" list.
Madonna's discography is generally categorized as
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
,
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...
, and
dance.
Nevertheless, Madonna's first foray into the music industry was dabbling in
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...
with Breakfast Club and Emmy.
As the frontwoman of Emmy, Madonna recorded about 12–14 songs that resemble the
punk rock of that period.
Madonna soon abandoned playing rock songs by the time she signed to
Gotham Records, which eventually dropped her since they were unhappy with her new
funk direction. According to Erlewine, Madonna began her career as a
disco diva, in an era that did not have any such divas to speak of. In the beginning of the 1980s, disco was an anathema to the mainstream pop, and Madonna had a huge role in popularizing dance music as mainstream music.
Arie Kaplan in the book ''American Pop: Hit Makers, Superstars, and Dance Revolutionaries'' referred to Madonna as "a pioneer" of
dance-pop. According to Fouz-Hernández, "Madonna's frequent use of dance idioms and subsequent association with gay or sexually liberated audiences, is seen as somehow inferior to 'real'
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
. But Madonna's music refuses to be defined by narrow boundaries of gender, sexuality or anything else."
The "cold and emotional"
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
"Live to Tell", as well as its parent album ''True Blue'' (1986), is noted as Madonna's first musical reinvention.
''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...
'' writer Peter Piatkowski described it as a "very deliberate effort to present Madonna as a mature and serious artist."
She continued producing ballads in between her upbeat material, although albums such as ''Madonna'' (1983) and ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005) consist of entirely dance tracks. With ''Ray of Light'' (1998), critics acknowledged Madonna for bringing electronica from its underground status into massive popularity in mainstream music scene.
Her other sonically drastic ventures include the 1930s
big-band jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
on ''I'm Breathless'' (1990); lush
R&B on ''Bedtime Stories'' (1994); operatic
show tunes on ''Evita'' (1996); guitar-driven
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
on ''American Life'' (2003); as well as multilingual
world music on ''Madame X'' (2019).
Voice and instruments
Possessing a
mezzo-soprano vocal range
Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...
, Madonna has always been self-conscious about her voice.
Mark Bego, author of ''Madonna: Blonde Ambition'', called her "the perfect vocalist for lighter-than-air songs", despite not being a "heavyweight talent". According to Tony Sclafani from
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politic ...
, "Madonna's vocals are the key to her rock roots. Pop vocalists usually sing songs 'straight', but Madonna employs subtext,
irony, aggression and all sorts of vocal idiosyncrasies in the ways
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
did."
Madonna used a bright, girlish vocal
timbre
In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and music ...
in her early albums which became passé in her later works. The change was deliberate since she was constantly reminded of how the critics had once labelled her as "
Minnie Mouse on
helium
Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. ...
".
During the filming of ''Evita'' (1996), Madonna had to take vocal lessons, which increased her range further. Of this experience she commented, "I studied with a vocal coach for ''Evita'' and I realized there was a whole piece of my voice I wasn't using. Before, I just believed I had a really limited range and was going to make the most of it."
Besides singing, Madonna has the ability to play several musical instruments. Piano was the first instrument taught to her as a child. In the late 1970s, she learned to play drum and guitar from her then-boyfriend Dan Gilroy, before joining the Breakfast Club line-up as the drummer.
She later played guitar with the band Emmy as well as on her own
demo recordings
A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...
.
After her career breakthrough, Madonna was absent performing with guitar for years, but she is credited for playing
cowbell on ''Madonna'' (1983) and synthesizer on ''Like a Prayer'' (1989).
In 1999, Madonna had studied for three months to play the
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
for the role as a violin teacher in the film ''
Music of the Heart'', but she eventually left the project before filming began. Madonna decided to perform with guitar again during the promotion of ''Music'' (2000) and recruited guitarist
Monte Pittman to help improve her skill. Since then, Madonna has played guitar on every tour, as well as her studio albums.
She received a nomination for Les Paul Horizon Award at the 2002
Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards.
Music videos and performances
In ''The Madonna Companion'', biographers Allen Metz and Carol Benson noted that Madonna had used MTV and music videos to establish her popularity and enhance her recorded work more than any other recent pop artist.
According to them, many of her songs have the imagery of the music video in strong context, while referring to the music. Cultural critic
Mark C. Taylor in his book ''Nots'' (1993) felt that the
postmodern art form par excellence is the video and the reigning "queen of video" is Madonna. He further asserted that "the most remarkable creation of MTV is Madonna. The responses to Madonna's excessively provocative videos have been predictably contradictory." The media and public reaction towards her most-discussed songs such as "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer", or "Justify My Love" had to do with the music videos created to promote the songs and their impact, rather than the songs themselves.
Morton felt that "artistically, Madonna's songwriting is often overshadowed by her striking pop videos." In 2003, MTV named her "The Greatest Music Video Star Ever" and said that "Madonna's innovation, creativity, and contribution to the music video art form is what won her the award." In 2020, ''Billboard'' ranked her atop the 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time.
Madonna's initial music videos reflected her American and
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
mixed street style combined with a flamboyant glamor.
She was able to transmit her avant-garde
Downtown Manhattan fashion sense to the American audience. The imagery and incorporation of Hispanic culture and Catholic symbolism continued with the music videos from the ''True Blue'' era. Author
Douglas Kellner noted, "such 'multiculturalism' and her culturally transgressive moves turned out to be highly successful moves that endeared her to large and varied youth audiences." Madonna's Spanish look in the videos became the fashion trend of that time, in the form of boleros and layered skirts, accessorizing with rosary beads and a crucifix as in the video of "La Isla Bonita". Academics noted that with her videos, Madonna was subtly reversing the usual role of male as the dominant sex. This symbolism and imagery was probably the most prevalent in the music video for "Like a Prayer". The video included scenes of an African-American church choir, Madonna being attracted to a black saint statue, and singing in front of burning crosses.
Madonna's acting performances in films have frequently received poor reviews from film critics. Stephanie Zacharek stated in ''Time'' that, "
adonnaseems wooden and unnatural as an actress, and it's tough to watch because she's clearly trying her damnedest." According to biographer
Andrew Morton, "Madonna puts a brave face on the criticism, but privately she is deeply hurt." After the critically panned
box-office bomb
A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...
''Swept Away'' (2002), Madonna vowed never to act again in a film. While reviewing her career retrospective titled ''Body of Work'' (2016) at New York's
Metrograph hall, ''The Guardian''s Nigel M. Smith wrote that Madonna's film career suffered mostly due to lack of proper material supplied to her, and she otherwise "could steal a scene for all the right reasons".
Metz noted that Madonna represents a
paradox as she is often perceived as living her whole life as a performance. While her big-screen performances are panned, her live performances are critical successes. Madonna was the first artist to have her concert tours as reenactments of her music videos. Author Elin Diamond explained that reciprocally, the fact that images from Madonna's videos can be recreated in a live setting enhances the original videos' realism. She believed that "her live performances have become the means by which mediatized representations are naturalized". Taraborrelli said that encompassing multimedia, latest technology and sound systems, Madonna's concerts and live performances are "extravagant show piece
ndwalking art show
"
Chris Nelson from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' commented that "artists like Madonna and
Janet Jackson set new standards for showmanship, with concerts that included not only elaborate costumes and precision-timed pyrotechnics but also highly athletic dancing. These effects came at the expense of live singing."
Thor Christensen of ''
The Dallas Morning News
''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''The Galves ...
'' commented that while Madonna earned a reputation for
lip-syncing during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour, she has subsequently reorganized her performances by "stay
ngmostly still during her toughest singing parts and
eaves
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...
the dance routines to her backup troupe ...
ther than try to croon and dance up a storm at the same time."
To allow for greater movement while dancing and singing, Madonna was one of the earliest adopters of hands-free radio-frequency
headset microphones, with the headset fastened over the ears or the top of the head, and the microphone capsule on a boom arm that extended to the mouth. Because of her prominent usage, the microphone design came to be known as the "Madonna mic".
Legacy
Madonna has built a legacy that transcends music and has been studied by
sociologists, historians, and other scholars, contributing to the rise of
Madonna studies, a subfield of American
cultural studies.
According to
Rodrigo Fresán
Rodrigo Fresán (born 1963 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a fiction writer and journalist. Since 1999, Fresán has lived and worked in Barcelona, Spain. His books have been translated into many languages.
''Mantra'', a portrait of Mexico City ca. ...
, "saying that Madonna is just a pop star is as inappropriate as saying that
Coca-Cola is just a
soda. Madonna is one of the classic symbols of
Made in USA."
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
Spain'' wrote, "She became the first master of
viral pop in history, years before the internet was massively used. Madonna was everywhere; in the almighty music television channels, 'radio formulas', magazine covers and even in bookstores. A pop dialectic, never seen since
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
's reign, which allowed her to keep on the edge of trend and commerciality." William Langley from ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'' felt that "Madonna has changed the world's
social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a field of history that looks at the lived experience of the past. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in his ...
, has done more things as more different people than anyone else is ever likely to." Professor Diane Pecknold noted that "nearly any poll of the biggest, greatest, or best in popular culture includes
adonna'sname".
In 2012,
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
ranked Madonna as the
greatest woman in music. According to
Acclaimed Music
Acclaimed Music is a website created by Henrik Franzon, a statistician from Stockholm, Sweden in September 2001. Franzon has statistically aggregated hundreds of published lists that rank songs and albums into aggregated rankings by year, dec ...
, which statistically aggregates hundreds of
critics' lists, Madonna is the most acclaimed female musician of all time.
''Spin'' writer Bianca Gracie stated that "the '
Queen of Pop' isn't enough to describe Madonna—she is Pop.
heformulated the
blueprint of what a pop star should be." According to Sclafani, "It's worth noting that before Madonna, most music mega-stars were guy rockers; after her, almost all would be female singers ... When the Beatles hit America, they changed the paradigm of performer from solo act to band. Madonna changed it back—with an emphasis on the female." Howard Kramer, curatorial director of the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, asserted that "Madonna and the career she carved out for herself made possible virtually every other female pop singer to follow ... She certainly raised the standards of all of them ... She redefined what the parameters were for female performers." Andy Bennett and Steve Waksman, authors of ''The SAGE Handbook of Popular Music'' (2014), noted that "almost all female pop stars of recent years—
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Beyoncé,
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...
,
Katy Perry,
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
, and others—acknowledge the important influence of Madonna on their own careers."
Madonna has also influenced male artists, inspiring rock frontmen
Liam Gallagher of
Oasis and
Chester Bennington of
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and dr ...
to become musicians.
Madonna's
use of sexual imagery has benefited her career and catalyzed public discourse on sexuality and
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
.
''The Times'' wrote that she had "started a revolution amongst women in music ... Her attitudes and opinions on sex, nudity, style, and sexuality forced the public to sit up and take notice." Professor
John Fiske noted that the sense of empowerment that Madonna offers is inextricably connected with the pleasure of exerting some control over the meanings of self, of sexuality, and of one's social relations. In ''Doing Gender in Media, Art and Culture'' (2009), the authors noted that Madonna, as a female celebrity, performer, and pop icon, can unsettle standing feminist reflections and debates.
According to lesbian feminist
Sheila Jeffreys, Madonna represents woman's occupancy of what
Monique Wittig calls the category of sex, as powerful, and appears to gleefully embrace the performance of the sexual corvée allotted to women. Professor
Sut Jhally has referred to her as "an almost sacred feminist icon".
Writing for ''The Guardian'',
Matt Cain stated that Madonna has "broke
down social barriers" and brought
marginalized groups to the forefront, by frequently featuring
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term i ...
,
Latino, and
black culture in her works.
An author said that "by making culture generally available, Madonna becomes the culture of all
social classes".
Canadian professor
Karlene Faith gave her point of view saying that Madonna's peculiarity is that "she has cruised so freely through so many cultural terrains" and she "has been a '
cult figure' within self-propelling subcultures just as she became a major."
GLAAD president
Sarah Kate Ellis stated that Madonna "always has and always will be the LGBTQ community's greatest
ally
An ally is a member of an alliance.
Ally may also refer to:
Place names
* Ally, Cantal, a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France
* Ally, County Tyrone, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Ally, Haute-Loire, a com ...
,"
while ''
The Advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law.
The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to:
Magazines
* ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States
*''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...
'' dubbed her as "
the greatest gay icon".
Madonna has received acclaim as a role model for businesswomen, "achieving the kind of financial control that women had long fought for within the industry", and generating over $1.2 billion in sales within the first decade of her career.
According to Gini Gorlinski in the book ''The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time'' (2010), Madonna's levels of power and control were "unprecedented" for a woman in the entertainment industry.
London Business School academics called her a "dynamic entrepreneur" worth copying; they identified her vision of success, her understanding of the music industry, her ability to recognize her own performance limits (and thus bring in help), her willingness to work hard and her ability to adapt as the keys to her commercial success.
Morton wrote that "Madonna is opportunistic, manipulative, and ruthless—somebody who won't stop until she gets what she wants—and that's something you can get at the expense of maybe losing your close ones. But that hardly mattered to her."
Awards and achievements
Madonna's
net worth is estimated between US$590 million to $800 million.
''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' has named her the annual
top-earning female musician 11 times across the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.
She has sold over 300 million records worldwide. The ''
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' acknowledged her as the best-selling female music artist of all time. According to the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the third
highest-certified female albums artist in the United States, with 64.5 million
certified
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
album units. She has the most
RIAA multi-platinum albums by a female artist, with 12 releases (tying with
Barbra Streisand).
Madonna had generated over US$1.5 billion from ticket sales of her concert tours throughout her career. According to ''Billboard'' Boxscore, she is the
highest-grossing female touring artist of all time, grossing over $1.376 billion between 1990 and 2020. Madonna also remains the only woman in history to have
two solo concerts with 100,000 sold tickets; her
Who's That Girl World Tour's concert in
Parc de Sceaux, Paris, drew over 130,000 audience, while her
Girlie Show's concert in
Maracanã Stadium
Maracanã Stadium ( pt, Estádio do Maracanã, standard Brazilian Portuguese: , local pronunciation: ), officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium is part o ...
, Rio de Janeiro, drew over 120,000 audience.
She has also won seven
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
s and twenty
MTV Video Music Awards, including the 1986
Video Vanguard Award for which she became the first female recipient.
According to ''
Billboard'', Madonna is the most successful solo artist in the Hot 100 chart history (second overall behind
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
) and the most successful dance club artist of all time. With a total of 50
Dance Club Songs chart-toppers, Madonna became the artist with the most number ones on any singular
''Billboard'' chart, pulling ahead of
George Strait
George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited fo ...
with 44 number-one songs on the
Hot Country Songs chart.
She has also scored 38 top-ten singles on the Hot 100; she held the record among all artists for nearly two decades (between 2002 and 2020), before being overtaken by
Drake and by Taylor Swift in 2022 among females. Internationally, Madonna holds the record for the most number-one singles by a female artist in
Australia (11),
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
(25),
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
(23),
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
(7),
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
(21), and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
(13). At the 40th anniversary of the
GfK Media Control Charts, Madonna was ranked as the most successful singles artist in German chart history.
Discography
* ''
Madonna'' (1983)
* ''
Like a Virgin'' (1984)
* ''
True Blue'' (1986)
* ''
Like a Prayer'' (1989)
* ''
Erotica'' (1992)
* ''
Bedtime Stories
A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockma ...
'' (1994)
* ''
Ray of Light'' (1998)
* ''
Music
Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...
'' (2000)
* ''
American Life'' (2003)
* ''
Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005)
* ''
Hard Candy'' (2008)
* ''
MDNA'' (2012)
* ''
Rebel Heart'' (2015)
* ''
Madame X'' (2019)
Filmography
Films starred
* ''
Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985)
* ''
A Certain Sacrifice'' (1985)
* ''
Shanghai Surprise'' (1986)
* ''
Who's That Girl'' (1987)
* ''
Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1989)
* ''
Dick Tracy'' (1990)
* ''
Madonna: Truth or Dare'' (1991)
* ''
A League of Their Own'' (1992)
* ''
Body of Evidence'' (1993)
* ''
Dangerous Game'' (1993)
* ''
Four Rooms'' (1995)
* ''
Evita'' (1996)
* ''
The Next Best Thing'' (2000)
* ''
Swept Away'' (2002)
* ''
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret'' (2005)
* ''
Arthur and the Invisibles'' (2006)
* ''
Madame X'' (2021)
Films directed
* ''
Filth and Wisdom
''Filth and Wisdom'' is a 2008 British comedy-drama film directed by Madonna, starring Eugene Hütz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure and Richard E. Grant. It was filmed on location in London, England, from 14 to 29 May 2007. Locations included two ...
'' (2008)
* ''
W.E.'' (2011)
Tours
*
The Virgin Tour (1985)
*
Who's That Girl World Tour (1987)
*
Blond Ambition World Tour (1990)
*
The Girlie Show (1993)
*
Drowned World Tour (2001)
*
Re-Invention World Tour (2004)
*
Confessions Tour (2006)
*
Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008–2009)
*
The MDNA Tour (2012)
*
Rebel Heart Tour (2015–2016)
*
Madame X Tour (2019–2020)
Enterprises
* Boy Toy, Inc
* Siren Films
* Slutco
* Webo Girl Publishing, Inc (1992)
*
Maverick (1992–2004)
*
Ray of Light Foundation (1998)
*
Raising Malawi (2006)
*
Hard Candy Fitness (2010)
*
Truth or Dare by Madonna (2011)
See also
*
''Forbes'' Celebrity 100
*
''Forbes'' Top 40
*
List of best-selling female music artists
The following is a list of the world's best-selling female music artists of all time. The criteria for inclusion are women whose claimed record sales have at least reached 75 million or more of their musical productions. Artists are listed in o ...
*
List of most expensive divorces
*
List of organisms named after famous people (born 1950–present)
*
List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
*
Philanthropy and activism of Madonna
Notes
References
Book sources
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External links
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{{Authority control
1958 births
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American businesswomen
20th-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American businesspeople
21st-century American businesswomen
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
Activists from Michigan
Activists from New York City
Actresses from Michigan
Actresses from New York City
American cosmetics businesspeople
American dance musicians
American electronic musicians
American expatriates in Portugal
American expatriates in the United Kingdom
American fashion businesspeople
American female dancers
American film actresses
American gun control activists
American humanitarians
American mezzo-sopranos
American music industry executives
American nonprofit businesspeople
American people of French-Canadian descent
American people of Italian descent
American philanthropists
American pop guitarists
American pop rock singers
American women activists
American women film directors
American women in business
American women in electronic music
American women pop singers
American women record producers
American women rock singers
American women singer-songwriters
Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
Brit Award winners
Businesspeople from Michigan
Businesspeople from New York City
Dance-pop musicians
Dancers from Michigan
Dancers from New York (state)
Feminist musicians
Film directors from Michigan
Film directors from New York (state)
Golden Globe Award-winning musicians
Grammy Award winners
Grammy Award winners for dance and electronic music
Interscope Records artists
Ivor Novello Award winners
Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners
LGBT rights activists from the United States
Living people
Maverick Records artists
Modern dancers
MTV Europe Music Award winners
People from Bay City, Michigan
People from the East Village, Manhattan
People named in the Paradise Papers
Record producers from Michigan
Record producers from New York (state)
Sex-positive feminists
Singers from New York City
Singer-songwriters from Michigan
Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
Sire Records artists
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni
Warner Records artists
Women humanitarians
World Music Awards winners
World record holders