Madonna

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30 Jan 2024

Madonna

Madonna Louise Ciccone( born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen of Pop," she has been widely recognized 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 maintaining control over every aspect of her career. Madonna's works, which incorporate social, political, sexual, and religious themes, have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. A prominent cultural figure spanning both the 20th and 21st centuries, she remains one of the most "well-documented figures of the modern age, with a broad array of scholarly reviews, literature, and artworks about her, as well as an academic subdiscipline devoted to her called Madonna studies.

Madonna moved to New York City 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 1983 eponymous debut studio album. Madonna 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 Grammy Award winners Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). Throughout her career, she has amassed numerous chart-topping singles, including "Like a Virgin," "La Isla Bonita," "Like a Prayer," "Vogue," "Take a Bow," "Frozen," "Music," "Hung Up," and "4 Minutes."

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 the lattermost won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, many of her other films were not as well received. As a businesswoman, she founded the company Maverick in 1992, which included Maverick Records, one of the most successful artist-run labels in history. Madonna's 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, and advocates for gender equality and LGBT rights.

With sales of over 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is the best-selling female recording artist of all time. She holds the record as the most successful solo artist in the history of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and has achieved the most number-one singles by a woman in Australia (11), Canada (24), Italy (23), Spain (21), and the UK (13). As one of the highest-grossing touring artists in history, she became the first woman ever to accumulate US$1 billion in concert revenue. Forbes has named her the top-earning female musician annually, achieving this record 11 times across four separate decades (1980s–2010s). Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, her first year of eligibility. She was ranked as the greatest woman in music by VH1 and as the greatest music video artist ever by MTV and Billboard. Additionally, she was listed among Rolling Stone's greatest artists and greatest songwriters of all time.

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, Madonna filed an assault report against Penn after an alleged incident at their Malibu home during the New Year's weekend.[94][95] Madonna filed for divorce on January 5, 1989, and the following week she reportedly requested that no criminal charges be pressed.

In April 1990, Madonna began her Blond Ambition World Tour, which concluded 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 reactions from religious groups due to 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 in the category of Best Long Form Music Video.

Madonna collaborated with Steven Klein and directed a 17-minute film, "secretprojectrevolution," which was released on BitTorrent in September 2013.Alongside the film, she launched the Art for Freedom initiative, aiming to promote "art and free speech as a means to address persecution and injustice across the globe." The project's website received over 3,000 art-related submissions since its inception, with Madonna actively monitoring and enlisting other artists, such as David Blaine and Katy Perry, as guest curators.

Madonna's thirteenth studio album, "Rebel Heart," was released in March 2015, three months after its thirteen demos leaked onto the internet. In contrast to her previous efforts, which involved only a few people, Madonna worked with a large number of collaborators, including Avicii, Diplo, and Kanye West. 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 to the album, calling it her best effort in a decade.

Madonna has cited Nancy Sinatra as one of her idols, expressing that Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" made a major impression on her. As a young woman, she endeavored to broaden her taste in literature, art, and music, developing an interest in classical music during this period. She noted a preference for the baroque style and expressed admiration for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Frédéric Chopin due to their "feminine quality." Madonna's significant influences encompass a diverse range, including Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde, Patti Smith, Karen Carpenter, the Supremes, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, and Led Zeppelin. Dancers Martha Graham and Rudolf Nureyev have also played a crucial role in shaping her artistic sensibilities. Additionally, she grew up listening to David Bowie, whose show marked the first rock concert she ever attended.

Madonna's music has been the subject of extensive analysis and scrutiny. Robert M. Grant, the author of Contemporary Strategy Analysis (2005), remarked that Madonna's musical career represents a continuous experimentation with new musical ideas and images, as well as a constant quest for new heights of fame and acclaim. Thomas Harrison, in the book Pop Goes the Decade: The Eighties, characterized Madonna as "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.

Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range,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, "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 and Bob Dylan did.

Madonna used a bright, girlish vocal timbre in her early albums, which became passé in her later works. The change was deliberate, as she was constantly reminded of how critics had once labeled her as "Minnie Mouse on helium." 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.