Madonna
Madonna at the premiere of I Am Because We Are in 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Madonna Louise Ciccone
Also known as	Madonna Ciccone, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone
Born	August 16, 1958 (1958-08-16) (age 51) Bay City, Michigan, United States
Genres	Pop, dance
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, film producer, film director, fashion designer, author, entrepreneur
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, percussion, drums
Years active	1979–present
Labels	Live Nation Artists (2007-present) Warner Bros. (1982-2010) Maverick (1992-2003) Sire (1982-1994)
Associated acts	Breakfast Club, Emmy
Website	www.madonna.com

Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone; August 16, 1958) is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance. After performing as a member of the pop groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album, Madonna, in 1983 on Sire Records.

A series of hit singles from her next studio albums, Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986), established her as a pop icon. She pushed the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Her recognition was further raised by the film Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) which was widely seen as a Madonna vehicle despite her not playing the lead. Utilizing religious imagery in her fourth studio album Like a Prayer (1989), Madonna was praised by critics for her diverse musical productions while at the same time religious conservatives and the Vatican criticized her. In 1992, Madonna founded the Maverick corporation as a joint venture with Time Warner. The same year, she incorporated sexually explicit material in her work, with the studio album Erotica, the coffee table book Sex and the erotic thriller film Body of Evidence, all of which received negative responses from conservatives and liberals alike.

1996 saw Madonna play the starring role in the film Evita for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Her seventh studio album, Ray of Light (1998), became one of her most critically acclaimed, recognized for its lyrical depth. Four studio albums followed during the 2000s—Music (2000), American Life (2003), Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) and Hard Candy (2008)—all of which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Departing from Warner Bros. Records, Madonna signed an unprecedented $120 million contract with Live Nation in 2007. The next year, she began her Sticky & Sweet Tour, which was extended till 2009, and went on to become the highest-grossing tour ever for a solo artist.

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Madonna has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. She is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century, and the second top-selling female artist in the United States behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. Guinness World Records listed her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two behind only The Beatles, on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists", making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Considered to be one of the most influential figures in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continually reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry.

Biography

1958–81: Early life and beginnings

Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan at 7:05 AM on August 16, 1958. Her mother, Madonna Louise (née Fortin), was of French Canadian descent, and her father, Silvio Anthony Ciccone, was a first-generation Italian American. Ciccone's family originated from Pacentro in Italy; he later worked as a design engineer for Chrysler and General Motors. Madonna was nicknamed "Little Nonni" to distinguish her from her mother. The third of six children, her siblings are Martin, Anthony, Paula, Christopher, and Melanie. Madonna was raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills). Her mother died of breast cancer at the age of 30, on December 1, 1963. Madonna recalled that she had not grasped the concept of her mother dying. "There was so much left unsaid, so many untangled and unresolved emotions, of remorse, guilt, loss, anger, confusion. [...] I saw my mother, looking very beautiful and lying as if she were asleep in an open casket. Then I noticed that my mother's mouth looked funny. It took me some time to realize that it had been sewn up. In that awful moment, I began to understand what I had lost forever. The final image of my mother, at once peaceful yet grotesque, haunts me today also." Her father married the family's housekeeper Joan Gustafson, and they had two children: Jennifer and Mario Ciccone. She attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Elementary Schools, and then West Middle School. There, she was known for her high GPA, 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 briefs.

Madonna later attended Rochester Adams High School, and was a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. After graduating, she received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan. She convinced her father to allow her to take ballet lessons and was persuaded by Christopher Flynn, her ballet teacher, to pursue a career in dance. At the end of 1977 she dropped out of college and relocated to New York City. She had little money and lived in squalor, working as a waitress at Dunkin' Donuts and with modern dance troupes. Madonna 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." While performing as a dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour, Madonna became romantically involved with musician Dan Gilroy. They formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club, for which Madonna sang and played drums and guitar. In 1980 she left Breakfast Club and, with her former boyfriend Stephen Bray as drummer, formed the band Emmy. Their music impressed DJ and record producer Mark Kamins who arranged a meeting between Madonna and Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.

1982–85: Madonna, Like a Virgin and marriage to Sean Penn

Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire, a label belonging to Warner Bros. Records. Her debut single, "Everybody", was released on April 24, 1982, and became a dance hit. She lived with the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat for eight months until she ended the relationship because of his drug use and late hours. She moved in with musician John "Jellybean" Benitez to continue developing her debut album Madonna, which was primarily produced by Reggie Lucas. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200, and yielded the top-ten singles "Borderline" and "Lucky Star".

Gradually, Madonna's look and manner of dressing, her performances and her music videos started influencing young girls and women. Mainly created by stylist and jewelry designer Maripol, Madonna's style of dress—defined by lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the Christian cross, multiple bracelets, and bleached hair—became a female fashion trend of the 1980s. Madonna eventually achieved global recognition after the release of her second studio album: Like a Virgin (1984). It topped the charts in several countries and became her first number one album on the Billboard 200. The title track, "Like a Virgin", topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks. Madonna performed the song at the first MTV Video Music Awards where she appeared on stage atop a giant wedding cake, dressed in a wedding dress, adorned with her characteristic "Boy Toy" belt buckle and a bridal veil. The performance is noted as one of the most iconic in MTV history. Like a Virgin was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America and sold more than 21 million copies worldwide. The National Association of Recording Merchandisers and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed the album as one of the "Definitive 200 Albums of All Time" in 1998.

Madonna entered mainstream films in 1985, beginning with a brief appearance as a club singer in Vision Quest, a romantic drama film. Its soundtrack contained her second U.S. number one single, "Crazy for You". She also appeared in the comedy Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), a film which introduced the song "Into the Groove", her first number one single in the United Kingdom. Although not the lead actress for the film, her profile was such that the movie widely became seen (and marketed) as a Madonna vehicle. The film received a nomination for a César Award for Best Foreign Film, and The New York Times film critic Vincent Canby named it one of the ten best films of 1985. While filming the music video for the second single from Like a Virgin—"Material Girl"—Madonna started dating actor Sean Penn and married him on her birthday in 1985.

Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in North America, The Virgin Tour, with the Beastie Boys as her opening act. The tour began in April 1985 and continued till mid-June. In July, Penthouse and Playboy magazines published a number of nude photos of Madonna, taken in New York in 1978. Madonna had posed for the photographs as 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 defiant and unapologetic. The photographs were ultimately sold for up to $100,000. She referred to the whole experience at the outdoor Live Aid charity concert and stated that she would not take her jacket off because "they [the media] might hold it against me ten years from now."

1986–91: True Blue, Like a Prayer and the Blond Ambition Tour

Madonna during the Blond Ambition World Tour

Madonna's third album, True Blue (1986), was described by Rolling Stone magazine as "sound[ing] as if it comes from the heart". The album topped the charts in over 28 countries worldwide, an unprecedented achievement at the time. True Blue spawned three number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: "Live to Tell", "Papa Don't Preach" and "Open Your Heart", and two more top-five singles: "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita". She also starred in the critically panned film Shanghai Surprise, and made her theatrical debut in a production of David Rabe's Goose and Tom-Tom, both co-starring Penn. Next year, Madonna's second feature film Who's That Girl was released. She contributed four songs to its soundtrack, including the title track and the U.S. number two single, "Causing a Commotion". In June 1987, she embarked on the Who's That Girl World Tour which continued till September of the year. It was complimented for its concept and Madonna's innovative dresses. Later that year, she released a remix album of past hits, entitled You Can Dance, which reached 14 on the Billboard 200. Madonna and Penn filed for divorce in December 1987; finalized in January 1989. They filed under irreconcilable differences, with Madonna's lawyer citing Penn's drinking problem and his abusive nature. Of her marriage to Penn, Madonna later said, "I was completely obsessed with my career and not ready to be generous in any shape or form."

In January 1989, Madonna signed an endorsement deal with soft drink manufacturer Pepsi. She debuted her song "Like a Prayer" in a Pepsi commercial, and also made a music video for it. The video featured many Catholic symbols such as stigmata and burning crosses, and a dream about 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 their sponsorship contract with Madonna. However, she was allowed to retain her fee of five million dollars. Madonna's fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, was co-written and co-produced by Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray. Rolling Stone hailed it as "...as close to art as pop music gets". Like a Prayer peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 13 million copies worldwide, with four million copies sold in the U.S. alone. Six singles were released from the album, including her seventh U.S. number one single, "Like a Prayer", with "Express Yourself" and "Cherish" peaking at number two. By the end of the 1980s, Madonna had become the most successful female artist of the decade, with three number one albums and seven number one singles, surpassed only by Michael Jackson.

Madonna starred as "Breathless" Mahoney in the film Dick Tracy (1990), with Warren Beatty playing the title role. 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 her eighth U.S. number one hit, "Vogue", and "Sooner or Later", which earned songwriter Stephen Sondheim an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1991. While shooting the film, Madonna began a relationship with Beatty which dissolved by the end of 1990. In April 1990 she began her Blond Ambition World Tour, which continued for nearly four months. Rolling Stone called it an "elaborately choreographed, sexually provocative extravaganza" and proclaimed it "the best tour of 1990". The tour was met with strong reaction from religious groups for her performance of "Like a Virgin", during which two male dancers caressed her body before she simulated masturbation. The Pope asked the general public and the Christian community not to attend the concert. A private association of Catholics calling themselves Famiglia Domani also boycotted the tour for its eroticism. In response, Madonna said, "I am Italian American and proud of it"; she declared that the Church "completely frowns on sex ... except for procreation." She won a Grammy Award in 1992, in the Best Long Form Music Video category, for the Laserdisc release of the tour.

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" became Madonna's ninth single to reach number one in the U.S. Its music video featured scenes of sadomasochism, bondage, same-sex kissing and brief nudity. The video was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and was banned from the network. The second single, "Rescue Me", became the highest-debuting single by a female artist in Hot 100 chart history at that time, entering at number 15 and peaking at number nine. In December 1990, Madonna decided to leave Jennifer Lynch's film Boxing Helena, which she had previously agreed to star in, without any explanation to the producers. From late 1990 to early 1991, Madonna dated Tony Ward, a model and porn star who appeared in her music videos for "Cherish" and "Justify My Love". She also had an eight-month relationship with rapper Vanilla Ice. Her first documentary film Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with Madonna outside North America) was released in mid-1991. The documentary chronicled her Blond Ambition World Tour as well giving glimpses of her personal life.

1992–96: Maverick, Sex, Erotica, Bedtime Stories and Evita

Madonna at the Madrid premiere of Evita

Madonna appeared in the baseball film A League of Their Own in the role of Italian-American Mae Mordabito. She recorded the film's theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground", which became her tenth Hot 100 number one hit. 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 Madonna twenty percent royalties from the music proceedings, one of the highest rates in the industry, equaled at that time only by Michael Jackson's royalty rate established a year earlier with Sony. The first release from the venture was Madonna's book, entitled Sex. It consisted of sexually provocative and explicit images, photographed by Steven Meisel. The book caused strong negative reaction from the media and the general public, but sold 1.5 million copies at $50 each in a matter of days. At the same time she released her fifth studio album, Erotica, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. Its title track peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Erotica also produced five further singles: "Deeper and Deeper", "Bad Girl", "Fever", "Rain" and "Bye Bye Baby".

Her provocative imagery continued with the erotic thriller Body of Evidence, a film which contained scenes of sadomasochism and bondage, and 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." Madonna embarked on The Girlie Show World Tour in October 1993. It featured her dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers. The show faced negative reaction in Puerto Rico, when she rubbed that country's flag between her legs on stage. Madonna appeared as a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman. After Letterman introduced her on his show as "one of the biggest stars in the world", Madonna subsequently repeatedly used four-letter words and asked Letterman to smell a pair of her underwear she handed him. The releases of her sexually explicit films, albums and book, and the aggressive appearance on Letterman, all made critics question Madonna as a sexual renegade. She faced strong negative publicity, with critics and fans commenting that "she had gone too far" and that her career was over.

According to biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, Madonna tried to tone down the provocative image, by releasing the ballad single "I'll Remember" (1993) which she recorded for Alek Keshishian's film With Honors. She made a subdued appearance with Letterman at an awards show as well as appearing on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She realized that she needed to change her musical direction in order to sustain her popularity. With her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories (1994), Madonna tried to soften her image and reconnect with the general public. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and produced four singles, including "Secret" and "Take a Bow", the latter topping the Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks. At the same time, she became romantically involved with fitness trainer Carlos Leon. Madonna released Something to Remember, a collection of her ballads, in May 1995. The album featured three new songs: "You'll See", "One More Chance", and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You". The following year Evita was released, Madonna's most critically successful film, in which she portrayed the title role of Eva Perón. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for the role. Madonna released three singles from the Evita soundtrack album including "You Must Love Me" (which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1997) and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". On October 14, 1996, Madonna gave birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, her daughter with Leon.

1997–2002: Ray of Light, Music and Drowned World Tour

Madonna performing on the Drowned World Tour

After Lourdes' birth, Madonna became involved in Eastern mysticism and Kabbalah. Her seventh studio album, Ray of Light, (1998) reflected this change in her perception and image. The album generated positive critical reviews and Slant Magazine described it as "one of the great pop masterpieces of the '90s". Ray of Light was honored with four Grammy Awards, and listed as one of Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Topping the charts in Australia, Canada, UK, and mainland Europe, the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200—held off from the top spot by the soundtrack of the film Titanic—and sold over 20 million copies worldwide. The album's first single, "Frozen", 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 and set another record for Madonna as the artist with the most number two hits. The song was banned in Belgium, adjudicated to be plagiarized from Belgian songwriter Salvatore Acquaviva's 1993 song "Ma Vie Fout L'camp". The second single, "Ray of Light", debuted at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and was used by Microsoft in its advertising campaign to introduce Windows XP. Madonna's relationship with Leon ended in December 1998; she declared that they were "better off as best friends." Following their break-up, Madonna signed to play a violin teacher in the film Music of the Heart but left the project, citing "creative differences" with director Wes Craven. She followed the success of Ray of Light with the single "Beautiful Stranger", recorded for the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. It reached number 19 on the Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media".

In 2000, Madonna starred in the film The Next Best Thing. She contributed two songs to the film's soundtrack: "Time Stood Still" and the international hit "American Pie", a cover version of Don McLean's 1971 song. Madonna released her eighth studio album, Music, on September 2000. 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: "Music" (which became Madonna's twelfth number one song on the Hot 100), "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 murders and involved in car accidents, and was banned by MTV and VH1. Around the same time, Madonna became involved in a relationship with Guy Ritchie, whom she had met in 1999 through mutual friends Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler. On August 11, 2000, she gave birth to their son, Rocco Ritchie. In December, Madonna and Ritchie were married in an exclusive ceremony in Scotland.

Her fifth concert tour, entitled Drowned World Tour, started in April 2001. The tour visited cities in North America and Europe and was one of the highest grossing concert tours of the year, earning $75 million from 47 sold-out shows. She also released her second greatest-hits collection, entitled GHV2, to coincide with the home video release of the tour. GHV2 debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200. Madonna starred in the film Swept Away, directed by Ritchie. Released direct to video in the UK, the film was a commercial and critical failure. Later that year, she released "Die Another Day", the title song of the James Bond film Die Another Day, in which she had a cameo role. The song reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated both for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Raspberry for Worst Song.

2003–06: American Life, Confessions on a Dance Floor and adoption case

Madonna performing at the Live 8 benefit concert

Madonna collaborated with fashion photographer Steven Klein for an exhibition installation named X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS. It included photography from a photo shoot in W magazine, and seven video segments. The installation ran from March to May in New York's Deitch Projects gallery. It then traveled the world in an edited form. Madonna released her ninth studio album, American Life, which was based on her observations of American society, and received mixed reviews. The title song peaked at number 37 on the Hot 100. Its original music video was canceled as Madonna thought that the video, featuring violence and war imagery, would be deemed unpatriotic since America was then at war with Iraq. Having sold four million copies worldwide, American Life became the lowest selling album of her career. Later that year at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna performed the song "Hollywood" with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott. Madonna kissed Spears and Aguilera during the performance, triggering a tabloid frenzy. In October 2003, Madonna provided guest vocals on Spears' single "Me Against the Music". Christmas 2003 saw the release of the "extended play" (EP) collection Remixed & Revisited (including remixed versions of songs from American Life) and the single "Your Honesty", a previously unreleased track from the Bedtime Stories recording sessions. Madonna also signed a contract with Callaway Arts & Entertainment as the author of five books, and published the first one entitled The English Roses. The story was about four English schoolgirls and their envy and jealousy of each other. The book peaked at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list.

The next year, Madonna and Maverick sued Warner Music Group 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 $125 million. She made a documentary about the tour named I'm Going to Tell You a Secret. Rolling Stone ranked her at 36 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". In January 2005, Madonna performed a cover version of the John Lennon song "Imagine" in Tsunami Aid. She also performed at the Live 8 benefit concert in London. Her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, was released in November 2005 and debuted at number one in all major music markets. Keith Caulfield from Billboard commented 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". The first single from the album, "Hung Up", went on to reach number one in a record-breaking forty-five countries, earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. "Sorry", the second single, became Madonna's twelfth number one single in the UK.

A clothing line titled M by Madonna, in collaboration with Swedish clothing retailer H&M, was launched internationally in 2006. She embarked on the Confessions Tour in May, which had a global audience of 1.2 million and grossed over $194.7 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, in the performance of "Live to Tell". It caused the Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia to urge all their members to boycott her concert. The Vatican protested the concert, as did bishops from Düsseldorf. Madonna responded: "My performance is neither anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole." While on tour, Madonna traveled to Malawi to help fund an orphanage, as part of the Raising Malawi initiative. On October 10, 2006, she filed adoption papers for a boy from the orphanage, David Banda Mwale. He was later renamed David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie. 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 the outburst on The Oprah Winfrey Show, saying that there were no written adoption laws in Malawi that regulated foreign adoption. She described how Banda had been suffering from pneumonia after surviving malaria and tuberculosis when she first met him. 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 on May 28, 2008.

2007–present: Live Nation, Hard Candy and the Sticky & Sweet Tour

Madonna and Nathan Rissman at the premiere of I Am Because We Are

Madonna released the download-only song "Hey You" for the Live Earth series of concerts. The song was available as a free download the first week of its release. She also performed it at the London Live Earth concert. Madonna announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records, and a new $120 million, ten-year contract with Live Nation. She became the founding artist for the new music division, Live Nation Artists. She produced and wrote I Am Because We Are, a documentary on the problems faced by Malawians. The documentary was directed by her former gardener Nathan Rissman. She also directed her first film: Filth and Wisdom. The Times said she had "done herself proud" while The Daily Telegraph described the film as "not an entirely unpromising first effort [but] Madonna would do well to hang on to her day job." In December 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Madonna as one of the five inductees of 2008. At the induction ceremony on March 10, 2008, Madonna did not sing but asked fellow Hall of Fame inductees and Michigan natives The Stooges to perform her songs "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light". She thanked Christopher Flynn, her dance teacher from 35 years earlier, for his encouragement to follow her dreams.

Madonna released her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy, in April 2008. Rolling Stone complimented it as an "impressive taste of her upcoming tour." The album debuted at number one in 37 countries and on the Billboard 200. It received generally positive reviews worldwide though some critics panned it as "an attempt to harness the urban market". Its lead single, "4 Minutes", reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was Madonna's 37th Hot 100 top-ten hit—it pushed Madonna past Elvis Presley 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. To further promote the album, Madonna embarked on the Sticky & Sweet Tour; her first major venture with Live Nation. With a gross of U.S. $280 million, it became the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist, surpassing the previous record Madonna set with the Confessions Tour. The tour was extended to the next year, adding new European dates. The total gross by the end of the whole tour was U.S. $408 million.

Life with My Sister Madonna, a book by Madonna's brother Christopher Ciccone, debuted at number two on The New York Times Bestseller List. It was not authorized by Madonna, and led to a rift between them. Problems also arose between Madonna and Ritchie, with the media reporting that they were on the verge of separation. Ultimately, Madonna filed for divorce from Ritchie, which was finalized in December 2008. Madonna was honored with the Gold International Artist of the Year, at the Recording Industry Association of Japan Gold Disc Awards, for her album Hard Candy. She decided to adopt again from Malawi. The country's High Court initially approved the adoption of Chifundo "Mercy" James; however, the application was rejected because Madonna was not a resident of Malawi. Madonna appealed, and on June 12, 2009, the Supreme Court of Malawi granted Madonna the right to adopt Mercy James. She also released Celebration, her third greatest-hits album, and the closing release with Warner. It contained the new songs "Celebration" and "Revolver" along with 34 hits spanning her career. Celebration was Madonna's eleventh number one album in the UK Albums Chart, tying her with Elvis Presley as the solo act with most number one albums in the British chart history. She appeared at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on September 13, 2009, to speak in tribute to deceased pop star Michael Jackson.

Madonna performed "Like a Prayer" on the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief concert in January 2010. In March, she released her third live album, Sticky & Sweet Tour. It was her first release under Live Nation, but was distributed by Warner Bros. She announced plans of directing her second film, W.E., a biopic about the affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. It was co-written with Alek Keshishian. She later clarified that the film is about a woman's journey and was not going to be about the duchess' life. Instead, the duchess would act as the woman's spiritual guide.

Musical style

	"Papa Don't Preach" (1986) "Papa Don't Preach" had Madonna singing in a much fuller voice, and incorporated classical music "Frozen" (1998) Composed with the darker electronic undertones, eastern strings and Middle Eastern percussion, "Frozen" features Madonna's previously unexplored vocal range.
Problems listening to these files? See media help.

Madonna's music has been the subject of much analysis and scrutiny of critics. Robert M. Grant, author of Contemporary Strategy Analysis (2005), commented that what has brought Madonna success is "[c]ertainly not outstanding natural talent. As a vocalist, musician, dancer, songwriter, or actress, Madonna's talents seem modest." He asserts Madonna's success is in relying on the talents of others, and that her personal relationships have served as cornerstones to the numerous reinventions in the longevity of her career. Conversely, Rolling Stone has named Madonna "an exemplary songwriter with a gift for hooks and indelible lyrics, and a better studio singer than her live spectacles attest." She has been called "the perfect vocalist for lighter-than-air songs", despite not being a "heavyweight talent." Madonna has always been self-conscious about her voice, especially in comparison to her vocal idols such as Ella Fitzgerald, Prince and Chaka Khan.

On her 1983 debut album, Madonna's vocal abilities and personal artistry were not yet fully formed. Her vocal style and lyrics appeared similar to those of other pop stars of that period, namely Paula Abdul, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne. The songs on Madonna reveal several key trends that have continued to define her success, including a strong dance-based idiom, catchy hooks, highly polished arrangements and Madonna's own vocal style. In songs such as "Lucky Star" and Borderline", Madonna introduced a style of upbeat dance music that would prove particularly appealing to gay audiences. The bright, girlish vocal timbre of the early years became passé in Madonna's later works, the change being deliberate. Her second album, Like a Virgin (1984), foreshadowed several trends in Madonna's later works, including references to classical works (the pizzicato synthesizer line that opens the song "Angel"); potential negative reaction from social groups ("Dress You Up" which was blacklisted by the Parents Music Resource Center); and retro styles ("Shoo-Bee-Doo", Madonna's homage to Motown). Madonna's early style, and the change that she ushered in it, is best evident in the song "Material Girl". It opens with Madonna using a little-girl voice, but following the first verse, she switches to a richer, more mature voice in the chorus. This mature artistic statement was visible in True Blue (1986). "Papa Don't Preach" from this album was a significant milestone in her artistic career. The classical introduction, fast tempo and the gravity in her voice was unprecedented in Madonna's oeuvre at that time.

With Like a Prayer (1989), Madonna again entered a new phase, musically. Widely considered her most frank record, Like a Prayer reflected Madonna's thoughts on her failed marriage to Penn, her relationship with her parents, and her loneliness. Madonna commented, "[The album] was a real coming-of-age record for me emotionally. [...] I had to do a lot of soul-searching and I think it is a reflection of that. The album introduced live recorded music and incorporated different genres of music, including dance, R&B and gospel music. Madonna continued to compose ballads and uptempo dance songs for Erotica (1992) and Bedtime Stories (1994). She tried to remain contemporary by incorporating samples, drum loops and hip hop into her music. Her voice grew much deeper and fuller, evident in the tracks like "Rain" and "Take a Bow". During the filming of Evita, 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." Continuing her musical evolution with Ray of Light, the track "Frozen" displayed her fully formed vocal prowess and her allusions to classical music. Her vocals were restrained and she sang the songs in Ray of Light without vibrato. However, the intake of breath within the songs became more prominent. With the new millennium came her album Music in which Madonna sang in her normal voice in a medium range, and sometimes in a higher register for the chorus. Fouz-Hernández commented that "Throughout her career, Madonna's manipulation of her voice shows us that, by refusing to be defined in one way, she has in fact opened up a space for new kinds of musical analysis."

Influences

Marilyn Monroe had a profound influence on Madonna.

In 1985, Madonna commented that the first song to ever make a strong impression on her was "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra; she said it summed up her own "take-charge attitude". 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 Mozart and Chopin because she liked their "feminine quality". Other musical influences included artists Karen Carpenter, The Supremes, Led Zeppelin, and dancers such as Martha Graham and Rudolf Nureyev. Madonna's Italian-Catholic background and her relationship with her parents were reflected in the album Like a Prayer. It was an evocation of the impact religion had on her career. Her video for the title track contains Catholic symbolism, such as the stigmata. During The Virgin Tour, she wore a rosary, and also prayed with it in the music video for "La Isla Bonita". The "Open Your Heart" video sees her boss scolding her in the Italian language. In Ciao, Italia! – Live from Italy, the video release of her Who's That Girl Tour, she dedicated the song "Papa Don't Preach" to the Pope.

During her childhood, Madonna was inspired by actors, later saying, "I loved Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday and Marilyn Monroe. 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. 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's silent film Metropolis (1927). The video for "Vogue" recreated the style of Hollywood glamour photographs, in particular those by Horst P. Horst, and imitated the poses of Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard and Rita Hayworth, while the lyrics referred to many of the stars who had inspired her, including Bette Davis, described by Madonna as an idol. Influences also came to her from the art world, most notably through the works of artist Frida Kahlo. The music video of the song "Bedtime Story" featured images inspired by the paintings of Kahlo and Remedios Varo. Her 2003 video for "Hollywood" was an homage to the work of photographer Guy Bourdin; Bourdin's son subsequently filed a lawsuit for unauthorised 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 became a follower of the Kabbalah school of Jewish mysticism after the birth of her daughter in 1996. She has since donated millions of dollars to New York and London schools teaching the subject. In 2004, she changed her name to Esther, which in Hebrew means "star". After she joined the Jewish religion, she faced opposition from rabbis who felt Madonna's adoption of the Kabbalah was sacrilegious and a case of celebrity dilettantism. Madonna defended her studies, saying "It would be less controversial if I joined the Nazi Party", and that her involvement with the Kabbalah is "not hurting anybody." The influence of the Kaballah was subsequently observed in Madonna's music, especially albums like Ray of Light and Music. During the Re-Invention World Tour, at one point in the show, Madonna and her dancers wore t-shirts that read "Kabbalists Do It Better".

Music videos and performances

Madonna performing at the Confessions Tour in 2006

In The Madonna Companion, biographers Allen Metz and Carol Benson noted that more than any other recent pop artist, Madonna had used MTV and music videos to establish her popularity and enhance her recorded work. According to them, many of her songs have the imagery of the music video in strong context, while referring to the music. 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 song and their impact, rather than the song itself. Madonna's initial music videos reflected her American and Hispanic mixed street style combined with a flamboyant glamor. She was able to transmit her avant-garde downtown New York 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 attracted to a statue of a black saint, and singing in front of burning crosses. This mix of the sacred and the profane upset the Vatican and resulted in the Pepsi commercial withdrawal.

Madonna's emergence occurred during the advent of MTV, and "with its almost exclusively lip-synced videos, ushered in an era in which average music fans might happily spend hours a day, every day, watching singers just mouth the words." The symbiotic relationship between the music video and lip-syncing led to a desire for the spectacle and imagery of the music video to be transferred to live stage shows. Chris Nelson of The New York Times reported, "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 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[ing] mostly still during her toughest singing parts and [leaves] the dance routines to her backup troupe ... [r]ather than try to croon and dance up a storm at the same time." To allow for greater movement while dancing and singing, she 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 performing at her Sticky & Sweet Tour, the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist.

According to Rolling Stone, Madonna "remains one of the greatest pop acts of all time". She has been dubbed the "Queen of Pop", and is listed by Guinness World Records as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time. On March 10, 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the first year she had been eligible for the honor. Billboard magazine ranked her as the most successful solo artist (second overall, behind only The Beatles) on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists". She is also the most successful female solo artist in British chart history, with the most number one albums and number one singles. Madonna is featured in the book 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century, published by Ladies' Home Journal in 1998. In July 2003, VH1 and People magazine listed her as seventh in the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time." In 2006, a new water bear species, Echiniscus madonnae, was named after her. The paper with the description of E. madonnae was published in the international journal of animal taxonomy Zootaxa in March 2006 (Vol. 1154, pages: 1–36). The Zoologists commented: "We take great pleasure in dedicating this species to one of the most significant artists of our times, Madonna Louise Veronica Ritchie." The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) number of the species is 711164.

Throughout her career Madonna has repeatedly reinvented herself through a series of visual and musical personas. Fouz-Hernández agrees that this reinvention is one of her key cultural achievements. Madonna reinvented herself by working with upcoming talented producers and previously unknown artists, while remaining at the center of media attention. In doing so she has provided an example of how to maintain one's career in the entertainment industry. Such reinvention was noted by scholars as the main tool in surviving the musical industry, for a female artist. As Ian Youngs from BBC News commented, "Her ability to follow the latest trends and adapt her style has often been credited with preserving her appeal." Madonna's use of shocking sexual imagery has benefited her career and catalyzed public discourse on sexuality and feminism. The Times stated, "Madonna, whether you like her or not, 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." Rodger Streitmatter, author of Sex Sells! (2004), commented that "from the moment Madonna burst onto the nation's radar screen in the mid-1980s, she did everything in her power to shock the public, and her efforts paid off." Shmuel Boteach, author of Hating women (2005), felt that Madonna was largely responsible for erasing the line between music and pornography. He stated: "Before Madonna, it was possible for women more famous for their voices than their cleavage, to emerge as music superstars. But in the post-Madonna universe, even highly original performers such as Janet Jackson now feel the pressure to expose their bodies on national television to sell albums."

Madonna has influenced numerous music artists throughout her career. Mary Cross, in her book Madonna: A Biography, wrote: "Her influence on pop music is undeniable and far-reaching. New pop icons from Nelly Furtado and Shakira to Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera (not to mention Britney Spears) owe Madonna, a debt of thanks for the template she forged, combining provocative sexiness and female power in her image, music, and lyrics." Fouz-Hernández gave his opinion that female pop performers such as Spears, the Spice Girls, Destiny's Child, Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue and Pink were like "Madonna's daughters in the very direct sense that they grew up listening to and admiring Madonna, and decided they wanted to be like her." Among them, Madonna's influence was most notable in Spears, who has been called her protégé. Madonna has also been credited with the introduction of European electronic dance music into the mainstream of American pop culture, and for bringing European producers like Stuart Price and Mirwais Ahmadzaï into the spotlight. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Madonna has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. She is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century, and the second top-selling female artist in the United States behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums.

Madonna has received acclaim as a role model for businesswomen in her industry, "achieving the kind of financial control that women had long fought for within the industry", generating over $1.2 billion in sales within the first decade of her career. After its establishment, Maverick Records—unusually for such labels—became a major commercial success from her efforts. Guinness World Records names Madonna as the world's highest-earning female singer, after making £26.6 million in 2004 alone. Music journalist Robert Sandall said that while interviewing Madonna, it was clear that being "a cultural big hitter" was more important to her than pop music, a career she described as "an accident". He also saw a contrast between her anything-goes sexual public persona and a secretive and "paranoid" attitude toward her own finances; she fired her own brother when he charged her for an extra item. 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 key to her commercial success. Reporter Michael McWilliams commented: "The gripes about Madonna—she's cold, greedy, talentless—conceal both bigotry and the essence of her art, which is among the warmest, the most humane, the most profoundly satisfying in all pop culture."

Discography

• Madonna (1983)
• Like a Virgin (1984)
• True Blue (1986)
• Like a Prayer (1989)
• Erotica (1992)
• Bedtime Stories (1994)
• Ray of Light (1998)
• Music (2000)
• American Life (2003)
• Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
• Hard Candy (2008)

See also

Madonna portal

• Madonna filmography
• Madonna bibliography
• List of Madonna concert tours
• List of unreleased Madonna songs
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of best-selling music artists in the United States
• List of honorific titles in popular music
• Mononymous persons

Further reading

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Madonna (entertainer)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Madonna (entertainer)

• Madonna at the Internet Movie Database
• Madonna at Allmovie
• Madonna at the Internet Broadway Database
• Madonna at Allmusic
• Madonna ancestry Genealogy.com

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Madonna Albums Â·Singles Â·Videos Â·Unreleased songs Â·Tours Â·Films Â·Books Â·Awards Studio albums Madonna  Â·Like a Virgin  Â·True Blue  Â·Like a Prayer  Â·Erotica  Â·Bedtime Stories  Â·Ray of Light  Â·Music  Â·American Life  Â·Confessions on a Dance Floor  Â·Hard Candy Compilations You Can Dance  Â·The Immaculate Collection  Â·Something to Remember  Â·GHV2  Â·Remixed & Revisited  Â·Celebration Soundtracks Vision Quest  Â·Who's That Girl  Â·I'm Breathless  Â·With Honors  Â·Evita  Â·Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me  Â·The Next Best Thing  Â·Die Another Day Other albums 12"ers+2  Â·Remixed Prayers  Â·Madonna 1983–1989  Â·The Holiday Collection Video compilations Madonna  Â·It's That Girl  Â·She's Breathless  Â·The Immaculate Collection  Â·Rays of Light  Â·The Video Collection 93:99  Â·The Madonna Collection  Â·The Ultimate Collection  Â·Celebration: The Video Collection Video singles "Justify My Love"  Â·"Ray of Light"  Â·"Music"  Â·"What It Feels Like for a Girl" Live releases Live - The Virgin Tour  Â·Who's That Girl - Live in Japan  Â·Ciao, Italia! - Live from Italy  Â·Blond Ambition - Japan Tour 90  Â·Live! - Blond Ambition World Tour 90  Â·Truth or Dare  Â·The Girlie Show - Live Down Under  Â·Drowned World Tour 2001  Â·I'm Going to Tell You a Secret  Â·The Confessions Tour  Â·Sticky & Sweet Tour Concert tours The Virgin Tour  Â·Who's That Girl World Tour  Â·Blond Ambition World Tour  Â·The Girlie Show World Tour  Â·Drowned World Tour  Â·Re-Invention World Tour  Â·Confessions Tour  Â·Sticky & Sweet Tour Motion pictures A Certain Sacrifice  Â·Vision Quest  Â·Desperately Seeking Susan  Â·Shanghai Surprise  Â·Who's That Girl  Â·Bloodhounds of Broadway  Â·Dick Tracy  Â·Shadows and Fog  Â·A League of Their Own  Â·Body of Evidence  Â·Dangerous Game  Â·Four Rooms  Â·Girl 6  Â·Evita  Â·The Next Best Thing  Â·Swept Away  Â·Die Another Day  Â·Arthur and the Invisibles  Â·Filth and Wisdom Documentaries Truth or Dare  Â·I'm Going to Tell You a Secret  Â·15 Films About Madonna  Â·I Am Because We Are Books Sex  Â·The Girlie Show  Â·The English Roses  Â·Children's books Related companies Live Nation  Â·Warner Bros. Records  Â·Maverick  Â·Maverick Records  Â·Maverick Films  Â·Semtex Films  Â·Sire Records  Â·Warner Music Group Related articles Madonna as gay icon  Â·Madonna wannabe  Â·Madonna Studies  Â·Madonna on Late Show with David Letterman  Â·Dolls and Dolls  Â·The Power of Madonna  Â·Raising Malawi  Â·X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS  Â·Breakfast Club  Â·Sean Penn  Â·Guy Ritchie  Â·Christopher Ciccone  Â·Ashcombe House, Wiltshire Madonna portal

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Madonna singles discography Madonna "Everybody"  Â· "Burning Up"  Â· "Holiday"  Â· "Lucky Star"  Â· "Borderline" Like a Virgin "Like a Virgin"  Â· "Material Girl"  Â· "Angel"  Â· "Into the Groove"  Â· "Dress You Up"  Â· "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" True Blue "Live to Tell"  Â· "Papa Don't Preach"  Â· "True Blue"  Â· "Open Your Heart"  Â· "La Isla Bonita" Who's That Girl "Who's That Girl"  Â· "Causing a Commotion"  Â· "The Look of Love" You Can Dance "Spotlight" Like a Prayer "Like a Prayer"  Â· "Express Yourself"  Â· "Cherish"  Â· "Oh Father"  Â· "Dear Jessie"  Â· "Keep It Together" I'm Breathless "Vogue"  Â· "Hanky Panky" The Immaculate Collection "Justify My Love"  Â· "Crazy for You" (Remix)  Â· "Rescue Me" Erotica "Erotica"  Â· "Deeper and Deeper"  Â· "Bad Girl"  Â· "Fever"  Â· "Rain"  Â· "Bye Bye Baby" Bedtime Stories "Secret"  Â· "Take a Bow"  Â· "Bedtime Story"  Â· "Human Nature" Something to Remember "You'll See"  Â· "Oh Father"  Â· "One More Chance"  Â· "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (Remix) Evita "You Must Love Me"  Â· "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"  Â· "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" Ray of Light "Frozen"  Â· "Ray of Light"  Â· "Drowned World/Substitute for Love"  Â· "The Power of Good-Bye"  Â· "Nothing Really Matters" Music "Music"  Â· "Don't Tell Me"  Â· "What It Feels Like for a Girl" American Life "Die Another Day"  Â· "American Life"  Â· "Hollywood"  Â· "Nothing Fails"  Â· "Love Profusion" Confessions on a Dance Floor "Hung Up"  Â· "Sorry"  Â· "Get Together"  Â· "Jump" Hard Candy "4 Minutes"  Â· "Give It 2 Me"  Â· "Miles Away" Celebration "Celebration"  Â· "Revolver" Other singles "Crazy for You"  Â· "Gambler"  Â· "This Used to Be My Playground"  Â· "I'll Remember"  Â· "Beautiful Stranger"  Â· "American Pie"  Â· "Me Against the Music"  Â· "Hey You"  Â· "Sing" Other songs "I Surrender Dear"  Â· "Sooner or Later"  Â· "I Want You"  Â· "Thunderpuss GHV2 Megamix"  Â· "Imagine" Madonna portal