Madonna news - June 2015

Schumer tells EW that she's a lifelong "huge, crazy" Madonna fan (the video she tweeted out—see below—of a young Amy Schumer singing 'Like a Prayer' backs this up). "I murdered all her albums," she says. "It was the craziest thing. Chris Rock called me a couple of months ago and was like, "Madonna wants your phone number.' I'm like, I can't believe you have my phone number!" 

Before she knew it, her Madgesty asked if she'd open for her in New York this September. "My answer was of course," Schumer says. "There is no one in the world I'd want to open for more. I was just jumping up and down and called all my girlfriends from high school."

And while she may be a little nervous—"These shows could be really rough for me because they're waiting for Madonnaand then I'm out there telling jokes"—she knows there's one happy benefit to this gig. "I'm just excited to be close up to the stage and scream sing her songs."

Guess who auditioned for @Madonna and got the part? See you in NYC on Sept 16, 17 and 19.
- Amy Schumer

Madonna's longtime publicist Liz Rosenberg set to retire

Madonna relied on her, so did Cher.

Now, ever-quotable p.r. queen Liz Rosenberg exclusively tells us she's abdicating her throne to retire.

"I think two centuries is long enough, don't you?" quipped Rosenberg, who's also repped Michael Bublé and Stevie Nicks and worked with Prince, Rod Stewart, Carly Simon and Ashford & Simpson.

Madonna portrayed her on "SNL" in 1992 — "the good ol' days," Rosenberg recalled.

She launched Liz Rosenberg Media in 2010 after nearly 40 years at Warner Bros. Records.

"It reminds me not to take it all too seriously," Rosenberg said of her look — regularly wearing bunny ears on starry red carpets.

She's looking forward to an extended break, but, "I'm going to consult, advise and protect my peeps from the likes of Page Six forever. I love them too much to do otherwise," she said. "On a serious note, these people are part of my family. I could never step away completely. I envision myself like Sue Mengers, doing my work from a round bed with a lot of lip-shaped pillows."

Her firm's logo was a pair of lips — with a trace of smudged lipstick.

Tour dates announced for Australia & New Zealand

Live Nation announced today that Madonna will make a historic return to Australia performing live for the first time in 23 years as well as her first ever shows in New Zealand, with her Rebel Heart Tour. The tour will kick off at Vector Arena on March 5th and 6th in Auckland, followed by the Australian dates presented by Telstra Thanks® and including concerts March 12th & 13th in Melbourne, March 19th & 20th in Sydney and March 26th & 27th in Brisbane (complete itinerary follows). Tickets go on sale Monday, July 6th at 10am. 

The Rebel Heart Tour begins in Montreal on September 9th and continues throughout North America and UK/Europe.  "Madonna continues to be one of the most successful touring artists in history. Her shows are always legendary and we are thrilled to have her back on tour," says Arthur Fogel, President - Global Touring and Chairman - Global Music.

The Rebel Heart Tour follows the March 9 release of Madonna's critically acclaimed 13th studio album - Rebel Heart - by Interscope Records.    A week after its release Rebel Heart debuted at No. 1 in Australia making it Madonna's eleventh No. 1 album on the Australian ARIA Charts, tying the record for most number one albums on the chart.  In the United States the album shot to the top of the Billboard Sales Chart.  The first two singles from the album, "Living for Love" and "Ghosttown" went to No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Charts, and Madonna subsequently set a new world record becoming the only artist to have 45 Number One songs on any chart in Billboard History.  On June 16th, Madonna released the "Bitch I'm Madonna" EP featuring ten remixes from Sander Kleinenberg, Fedde Le Grand, Junior Sanchez, and more. 

Along with extraordinary critical acclaim as an artist, songwriter and producer who has sold a record breaking 300 million records, Madonna's reputation as one of the most successful, provocative and enduring live performers of all time speaks for itself. The 2008/2009 Sticky & Sweet tour is the highest grossing tour of all time for a solo artist and the 2012 MDNA tour was the most successful tour of that year.

Icon is Madonna's official fan club. In celebration of Madonna's return visit to Australia, Icon will host a pre-sale for current registered Icon members. Lifetime Legacy members of Icon will receive first access to tickets and VIP Packages starting Tuesday, June 23rd at 10am local times. Members of Icon from Australia and New Zealand, registered before June 15th 2015, will receive a special code to access to Icon pre-sales beginning on June 23rd at 12-noon local times. 

Tickets for the Rebel Heart concerts in New Zealand and Australia will go on sale on Monday, July 6th at 10am through ticketek.com.au or 132 849 for Australia and ticketmaster.co.nz or 0800 111 999 for New Zealand.

Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour in Australia is presented by Telstra Thanks. Telstra's General Manager of Loyalty, Fady Taouk, said Telstra Thanks will be offering customers the chance to jump the queue for tickets to the Australian leg of the Rebel Heart Tour. "Telstra customers will have access to a pre-sale from Tuesday, June 30th at 11am through Thursday, July 2nd at 5pm as well a range of great experiences when the tour arrives in Australia.  Pre-register for a unique code now at telstra.com/music."

In both New Zealand and Australia Citi® Cardholders will be eligible for a pre-sale opportunity beginning Wednesday, June 24th at 10am through Friday, June 26th at 5pm. For tickets visit www.livenation.com.au / www.livenation.co.nz.    

My Live Nation members can access tickets during the pre-sale commencing Friday, July 3rd at 10am through Saturday, July 4th at 5pm.

Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour is produced by Live Nation Global Touring.  

AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND 2016

Date / City / Venue
Mar. 5 - Auckland, NZ - Vector Arena - On Sale Jul. 6
Mar. 6 - Auckland, NZ - Vector Arena - On Sale Jul. 6
Mar. 12 - Melbourne, AU - Rod Laver Arena - On Sale Jul. 6
Mar. 13 - Melbourne, AU - Rod Laver Arena - On Sale Jul. 6
Mar. 19 - Sydney, AU - Allphones Arena - On Sale Jul. 6
Mar. 20 - Sydney, AU - Allphones Arena - On Sale Jul. 6
Mar. 26 - Brisbane, AU - Entertainment Centre - On Sale Jul. 6
Mar. 27 - Brisbane, AU - Entertainment Centre - On Sale Jul. 6

Can we expect a mash-up of 'Justify My Love' and Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' on tour?

Madonna has shocked the world throughout her whole career. She has taken off her clothes, she has stood up for gay rights at a time back when gay people were treated like terrorists, and she has dared to pose topless at the age of 56. Some say that her shock tactics have worn off. Leave it to Madonna to provide another "Madonna" moment, but not the way one may think.

Channelling Led Zeppelin👻 Whole Lotta Love❤️#rebelheart

Een video die is geplaatst door Madonna (@madonna) op 18 Jun 2015 om 10:40 PDT

That's right: It's Madonna playing "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin. It is believed that Madonna is going to play a mashup of "Justify My Love" and "Whole Lotta Love" on her Rebel Heart Tour. It isn't a coincidence that Slate wrote an article about the mashup earlier this week.

"The folks at Wax Audio grafted Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' onto Madge's controversial, spoken-word classic, and the result is a surprisingly good and extremely sensual piece of music."

It could be this version that we will hear on tour. Madonna has been playing guitar on her tours for the past ten years, but most fans have considered her guitar playing a gimmick. That may be harsh, but it's also true that when Madonna plays guitar, she usually does easy two-chord versions of her songs. Madonna may not become the next Eddie Van Halen, but it's obvious she has been practicing.

Most people don't realize that before Madonna made it big, she played guitar and drums for different bands. There is a clip of Madonna playing guitar that was played during her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction that was from the early 1980s. Despite what many think, she wasn't some musically untalented flavor of the month who just suddenly decided she wanted to be a singer and got lucky.

It's not known what other classic songs Madonna will play besides the one from Led Zeppelin. Given that Madonna likes to play a lot of her new stuff, it's a relief to fans that she'll also play some of her own classics such as "Justify My Love."

Madonna will launch her Rebel Heart Tour in September. Even though the tour is more than two months away, it has been a major success in terms of ticket sales. Because of high ticket demand, secondary dates have been added in cities such as Paris, Berlin, Miami, New York City, Toronto, and Montreal.

Behind the Scenes of 'Bitch I'm Madonna'

Jonas Akerlund reflects on greatest collaborations with Madonna

Director Jonas Akerlund has worked with Madonna on some of her most iconic music videos, bringing "Ray of Light," "American Life" and "Music" to life. After he shared behind-the-scenes stories from her most recent video, "Bitch I'm Madonna," Akerlund gave EW the inside scoop on what it was like to put together the rest of their greatest collaborations. 

"Ray of Light"

This was the first music video Madonna and Akerlund worked on together nearly 20 years ago, and he says at that time, he still didn't know how to behave around artists of her stature. "I decided to be myself and talk about the job as I see it and hopefully we hit it off," he says. "It was a different attitude and we started to shoot it in Sweden. We shot a few days before I met her and that idea was so spread out. Both of us felt we had something special. We just worked together and I thought that was it. I went back to Sweden with a VHS tape showing them, 'That's cool!' and then we moved on."

"Music"

Madonna teamed up with then-unknown comic Sacha Baron Cohen for this glossy piece of eye-candy, which finds Madonna tooling around town in a limo with her girlfriends. "She was pregnant at the time," Akerlund says. "She had a big fur on to cover her belly. We always had an idea to have an animated part and almost like cartoon-ish, with the colors. We wanted to have a comedian in there. I had met Sacha [Baron Cohen] in England right at the time, and he was just about to break out as Ali G. in the U.K. Nobody knew who he was in America." Madonna, however, saw star power. "She instantly fell in love with him, like the rest of the world did. It took another year or two before the world knew who he was. Man, I wish we had those outtakes."

"American Life"

The music video for "American Life" was due out around the same time the Iraq War broke out, and the track ended up sparking some controversy on American soil. "The timing was pretty amazing how we made that video," he says. "I think the same week we were supposed to release the video the [Iraqi] War broke out. It was literally the same week. I was traveling between Europe and America at that time. I could really see the two different perspectives. In Sweden we were like, 'This video has to be released, it's very important.' And in America, we thought we can't release it. I connected with both perspectives. I could see how it was controversial, but for two completely different reasons. But [Madonna] did the right decision to not show it at the time. There was no discussion."

"Jump"

Akerlund knew he wanted to use Madonna's backup dancers, who were parkour experts, for this video. "I knew all about [parkour]," he says. "The reason why we did it was because she was touring and she had the best parkour kids on her tour. It was one of those videos we shot wen she was touring. We had to find time for it on her schedule and it ended up being in Tokyo. Visually, it's awesome and I really wanted to use her parkour guys that she had on her tour. That itself is all I needed to get going. It was crazy shooting in Tokyo, but it worked really well with the music."

"Celebration"

Akerlund says that they actually ended up with two different videos for "Celebration." One focused on her biggest fans, and both were shot on tour. "We shot that part with her and her dancers and Milan, and then we shot the parts with the fans in Barcelona," he says. "The way we did it was kind of cool actually. We had a section outside the arena where she was shooting and we made a line to the people there, and the music was going in a loop. We were just shooting. Some people came as dedicated fans and some dressed up, and my AV was like ‘Next, next!' We ended up with way more. The fan version has all the crazy fans."

"Ghosttown"

According to Akerlund, Madonna knew exactly what she wanted for the post-apocalyptic clip "Ghosttown," which features actor Terrence Howard. "The good thing for me was that Madonna had a clear idea what the song was about," Akerlund says." The whole end of the world theme was perfect. Visually, we could make something out of it. We shot it over two nights. Also a night shoot actually. We were on location in Los Angeles. And we took all the people out to shoot in the desert in a closed down factory. It's a big deal to do that. There was a lot of production design to it. That location was dirty. Dirty for real! But Madonna was going all the way."

Director Jonas Akerlund shares behind-the-scenes details from Madonna's bonkers new video

Anytime Madonna announces a new video, it's a global event. And it's no different with her newest clip for her thumping single "Bitch I'm Madonna," which debuted online on Wednesday. In fact, it's the Queen of Pop's most bonkers video in years—and features a who's-who of all-stars like Beyonce, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Rita Ora, Chris Rock, and others.

For such an occasion, Madonna teamed up once again with one of her most trusted collaborators, director Jonas Akerlund. Over the last 17 years, the two have worked on some of her most iconic visuals, from 1998's Grammy-winning "Ray of Light" to April's dramatic, post-apocalyptic "Ghosttown," co-starring Terrence Howard.

So how did the two pull off such a feat with "Bitch I'm Madonna"? And what was it like juggling the schedules of M, her guest stars, and a crew of around 100 people? Akerlund shares behind-the-scenes details on making the video with EW.

On Coming Up With the Concept
"Madonna called me about 'Ghosttown.' We hadn't worked for a while because of different circumstances so when I heard all the songs [on Rebel Heart], I was very excited about ‘Ghosttown.' I connected to it creatively. And, yeah, we enjoyed working together. I was supposed to start something else right after and that got pushed and she asked me to do ‘Bitch I'm Madonna.' I saw it being so completely different from 'Ghosttown,' something a little bit less serious, just fun and crazy."

On Preparing for the Shoot
"It became almost mathematic figuring out how to shoot it. We had a detailed shotlist. We also rehearsed, which is rare for a music video."

On Filming Over One Night in New York City
"It's always a challenge. Madonna is a celebrity enough for any music video. But with the nature of the song and the playfulness of it, we thought, 'Let's have some friends and family and go crazy with it!' Everyone was spread out and their time is tight, but the good news is we all love Madonna and everyone wants to be involved. That made it really fun and playful."

On Fighting Against Daylight
"On film shoots, you normally fight against losing daylight, but on this job we were fighting against the sun coming up. But you do see parts of it at the end, the sun on it's way up."

On Downtime on Set
"It was fun! That's the only way to do it really. But it was technical. Everybody needed to be on their place and do their job. Everyone had cues and everyone was ready. And when we left the shoot, we thought, 'If the video feels half as good as we feel, then it's a homerun.'"

On Why He Loves Working With Madonna
"We've built trust between us through the years and she's one of those people who really gets the best out of you. She wants to do something great. Every time we do videos, we want to change the world. A lot of artists don't do that, but she does. She has that extra thing that makes her job worth it."

Why Madonna's 'Bitch I'm Madonna' video is the video she needed to make

Madonna's new music video for "Bitch I'm Madonna" is almost brazen in its quest to divert your attention. The clip for the Nicki Minaj-assisted single, which premiered on Tidal on Wednesday (June 17) and was unlocked for the rest of the world one day later, promised appearances from Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Rita Ora prior to its release, then tossed in Kanye West, Chris Rock and song co-producer Diplo for good measure.

It's a fun game of spot-the-cameo -- wait, was that Alexander Wang?! -- where Madonna brings out the big guns and lets artists like Kanye and Katy sing along to the crunchy electro-pop track from remote locations. "Bitch I'm On Skype," basically, but with the candy-colored post-ADD concept, Madonna is daring audiences not to be entertained.

Everyone is talking about this music video, because when you round up Kanye, Bey, Nicki and Madonna in one video and the phrase "streaming platform" isn't involved, people are going to want to watch. The thing is, everyone's been talking about Madonna for months now, but not for the right reasons. We gasped when she made out with Drake at Coachella, raised our eyebrows when she hoisted a leg upon that Tidal table, and made sure she was okay when she tumbled backwards during her BRIT Awards performance. However, how many casual pop fans can sing the hook to "Living For Love" or "Ghosttown"?

Those two songs were the first two singles from Rebel Heart, Madonna's thirteenth studio album released in March, and neither charted on the Hot 100. So far, Rebel Heart is Madonna's only studio album without a hit on the Hot 100 -- a testament to her unbelievable, three-decade run of hits... and to how much pop radio has simply ignored this new project. The celeb-studded video for third single "Bitch I'm Madonna," then, can be interpreted as a no-holds-barred attempt to return her fans' focus to Rebel Heart and mine a real hit from her new album. Judging from the widespread reaction to the video over the past 24 hours -- 500,000 views in a matter of hours -- the plan appears to be working.

Madonna has actually been promoting Rebel Heart far more rigorously than her previous album, 2012's MDNA. This press run has included multiple TV and awards show performances, a handful of sound byte-ready interviews, a more concerted social media push and a game of Never Have I Ever with Justin Bieber, among other appearances.

For MDNA, Madonna didn't do too much… but she did perform at the Super Bowl less than two months before its release. The pop superstar got to perform her "Give Me All Your Luvin'" on the biggest stage in the world days after the song hit the Internet, and the lead single quickly became a top 20 hit. MDNA debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release in March 2012, and three years later, Rebel Heart started at No. 2 in March, losing a close race for the top spot to the Empire soundtrack.

Fast-forward to June and the "Bitch I'm Madonna" video; the time was right for Madonna to make this move. Her legacy does not change one bit if Rebel Heart fails to produce a hit, but the returns from her fast-approaching Rebel Heart world tour might. Madonna has a new network of super-friends called Tidal, and can hit up Beyonce and Kanye to appear in a video that will debut exclusively on the platform. And Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" video, which debuted exactly one month prior to "Bitch I'm Madonna" and shot to the top of the Hot 100 soon after its release, was a good reminder that star-studded music videos are juicier than non-star-studded music videos. This is nothing new -- Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams and Jay Z have all landed on the superstar-filled-video option at different points in their respective careers. It was simply Madonna's time to play that card as well.

Essentially, Madonna has pulled a Queen of Pop move with this one: she opened her Rolodex, surrounded herself with high-profile collaborators and moved the needle. At the end of the day, it's cool to have Beyonce vogue-ing in your music video! And she can do it, because bitch, she's… well, you know.

Watch Madonna show off her guitar skills

Expect more guitar work from Madonna on her tour!

Channelling Led Zeppelin👻 Whole Lotta Love❤️#rebelheart

Een video die is geplaatst door Madonna (@madonna) op 18 Jun 2015 om 10:40 PDT

Amy Schumer is opening act for New York shows

Madonna has announced that American comedien Amy Schumer will be the opening act for the Rebel Heart Tour shows in New York. It's the first time that a comedian will open on a Madonna tour.

"I'm shaking w excitement that Amy Schumer is opening up for me in New York! I hope people will stay after & watch my show!! ‪#‎RebelHeartTour‬"

'Bitch I'm Madonna' video now on VEVO

Will Madonna's new video give her the hit she needs?

Madonna has had a rough couple of months. After a gaffe-filled press tour, her album Rebel Heart ended up debuting at number two on the Billboard album charts. But Madonna's spiral continued after her latest release. She took an embarrassing tumble while performing her song "Living For Love" at the Brit Awards, and who can forget her awkward kiss with Drake at Coachella?

But on Tuesday, there was a glimmer of hope when Madonna took to Instagram—a medium that has proved to be troubling for the 56-year-old singer—to announce a forthcoming video for her song with Nicki Minaj, called "Bitch I'm Madonna."

The faux movie poster promises a cameo from Minaj and a flock of megastars, including Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, and Rita Ora. Casual observers immediately noticed similarities to the roll out for Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" video. While they do share some aesthetics — mainly, the red and black color scheme and an edgy font choice — the mission of both videos is the same: to have a number one single.

Since the beginning of 2013, the Billboard singles chart incorporates YouTube views into its ranking. Aided by the quick rise in smartphones, videos can now reach astronomical view-counts faster than ever before. Those views add up and have the ability to rocket a single hit to number one, even though it hasn't actually moved a lot of copies.

Take Swift's "Bad Blood," for instance. The song set streaming records when it was seen over 20 million times in its first 24 hours. The video currently has over 205 million views and has only been out for one month. Sure, it's a hooky single that doesn't have a lot of competition on the radio right now, but it's undeniable that the song would not be hovering at the top of the charts without the help of its giant video. Madonna is surely hoping that a similar move will work for her and get her another big hit.

Of course, Madonna may also use this opportunity to try and drive new subscribers to Tidal, the premium streaming service she owns with a few of the video's costars. There's a good chance that the video will only be available for paying Tidal subscribers, like the video for Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé's "Feeling Myself."

For what seems like the millionth time in her storied career, Madonna is at a bit of a crossroads and needs a hit—and so does Tidal. Most of Tidal's exclusive offerings have not done much to drum up interest among potential subscribers. This video could be huge for the service, or it could be a necessary moment for Madonna—but as long as it stays locked behind Tidal's paywall, it can't be both.

Madonna reaffirms status as 'Queen of Pop' in 'Bitch I'm Madonna' video

Beyoncé, Katy, Miley, Kanye, and Nicki all bow down to the queen.

For decades Madonna has kept her 'Queen of Pop' crown, despite all the young upstarts who have sprung up along the way. In her "Bitch I'm Madonna" video, she's making sure that we don't forget it. 

The short debuted today on Tidal, which people are still trying to make happen, and will hit YouTube on Madonna's Vevo channel tomorrow.

In the video, Madonna goes through a DayGlo-colored romp through New York's Standard Hotel. The video features cameos from Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Diplo, Alexander Wang, Adam Levine, and more. 

She's still the sheriff of this town and we best not forget it.

Madonna's 'Bitch I'm Madonna' video ft. Beyonce, Miley, Katy, Kanye, Nicki & Rita is out now

This is not a drill.

Praise Madonna! Just one day after teasing her star-stuffed "Bitch I'm Madonna" video on Instagram, the clip is out now -- exclusively via Tidal.

Yes, that means the epic music video featuring Beyonce, Katy Perry, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Chris Rock, Diplo, Rita Ora, Alexander Wang and her sons Rocco and David has entered the world. Take a deep breath, login to Tidal (if you haven't signed up, this just might be reason enough to do so) and watch the embarrassment of star power.

As Bill Hader's Stefon would say, this clip has everything: Miley's middle fingers, Madonna kissing a shirtless hunk, topless women in a bathtub, breakdancing, sock puppets singing, Moschino fashion and much more. Directed by longtime Madge collaborator Jonas Akerlund, it was filmed at the bar on top of the Standard Hotel.

What do you think -- better than that other celebrity-stuffed music video that came out not long ago?

Per the press release, here's the rundown on Madonna's look in the clip: 

Leopard Dress: MOSCHINO

Custom Leather Jacket: DISCOUNT UNIVERSE

Threat Hat: SSUR

Whistle: CHANEL

Gloves: MAJESTY BLACK

Jewelry: LYN BAN

Shoes: GUISEPPE ZANOTTI

Madonna reveals her all-time favorite summer anthem

Shades out, shorts on, crank up the barbie rock. Festival season is go, so here's rock A-listers on the songs that get them hot under the collar...

Chosen by Madonna

"When I think about what a summer song is, at first, I think of something celebratory and up – but that's not quite really it, because I've dug some incredible summer songs that weren't. But it defiantly has to have a phat groove. It's not about Enya in the summertime, you know what I mean? For example, 'Don't You Want Me' by The Human League reminds me of the days of Danceteria, New York. I lived on the Lower East Side, at 4th and B, in a tenement apartment. I didn't have a record deal but my demos were hot off the press and I used to go to Danceteria every weekend, trying to meet the DJ or an A&R person to give my tape to. I'd spend all night on the dance floor in some hideous outfit while all the skinny fashionable girls threw their drinks on me. But when that song came on, I forgot my humiliation. I didn't care that I was soaking wet and didn't have any friends."

'Bitch I'm Madonna' Sick Individuals Remix: Exclusive Premiere

Billboard has the exclusive premiere of the Sick Individuals remix of Madonna's new single "Bitch I'm Madonna." Listen to the thumping reworking below:

Sick Individuals (Dutch duo Rinze "Ray" Hofstee and Joep "Jim" Smeele) tells Billboard: "To remix for a pop icon like Madonna was an absolute honour. We infused the track with hard-hitting beats and a raw energy that will shake up dance floors from Vegas to Tokyo and Stockholm to Melbourne." The act has previously produced official remixes for the likes of Rihanna, Avicii and Icona Pop.

"Bitch I'm Madonna," which features Nicki Minaj, is the third single from Madonna's Rebel Heart album. "Bitch" follows "Living For Love" and "Ghosttown," which both reached No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart.

'Bitch I'm Madonna' video premiere postponed

The long awaited video premiere didn't happen on Tuesday morning. On Instagram Madonna urged fans to have patience. She did confirm which other pop bitches we can expect in the video: Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus and Rita Ora.

Video coming soon! Just tryin to make it perfect for all of you ❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️😄❤️😓❤️😁 we are hard werking bitches! #bitchimmadonna

Een foto die is geplaatst door Madonna (@madonna) op 16 Jun 2015 om 12:57 PDT

In another post she did seem impatient herself though.

Bitches you have to stop putting cigarettes in my mouth! I don't smoke!! But i might start if this video doesn't come out soon! 😓 bitch what? #bitchimmadonna

Een foto die is geplaatst door Madonna (@madonna) op 16 Jun 2015 om 12:47 PDT

Madonna posts teaser of 'Bitch I'm Madonna' video

Madonna has posted a small teaser of the upcoming video for Bitch I'm Madonna, and has added that the video will premiere on Tuesday.

Cyndi Lauper signs as Madonna for fans

Cyndi Lauper has revealed she has signed autographs as Madonna, when fans have mistaken her for her pop rival.

The Girls Just Want To Have Fun singer appears on tonight's Graham Norton Show, where fellow guest Mark Wahlberg discussed how he has come to see the funny side of being so often confused with fellow actor Matt Damon.

Lauper, who has a very distinctive, high-pitched New York accent, said: "It happens to me once in a while. I just sign Madonna. I don't care and as long as I don't talk I get away with it."

The Time After Time singer and Madonna were pitted against each other as pop rivals during the 1980s.

Madonna before she was Madonna – a dance student at ADF

Her name is Madonna Ciccone, and her face matches her name.

Round eyes, arched eyebrows, finely drawn mouth – Da Vinci would have loved it. It is a theatrical face, a dancer's face. And she has a dancer's body – thin as a blade, lithe and agile. Doll-like, she looks as if she'd snap in a strong wind.

She wouldn't. …

Countless times over the years, critics, pundits and reporters have written some variation on that to describe Madonna, the iconic pop starlet. But the story containing this passage is different, because it dates back to a time when nobody knew who Madonna was.

It's the beginning of a Charlotte Observer story from July 1978, about the American Dance Festival's first year at Duke University in Durham. And it might be the first notice from the press that Madonna received.

Observer staff writer Richard Maschal quoted Madonna, then 19 years old, describing the rigors of ADF as "pretty draining and demanding." And he called her "what the American Dance Festival is about."

Seven years later, after 1984's "Like a Virgin" and 1985's "Desperately Seeking Susan" established Madonna as a huge star and the it-girl of that moment, Maschal wrote a followup column about his earlier impressions of her. He noted her beauty, aura and precocious self-assurance – and also that she resembled a literal Renaissance madonna.

"I really did think she looked like a madonna and so was amazed when I asked her name and she gave it," Maschal said recently via email. "I also found her one of the most self-absorbed persons I had ever met."

That self-absorption also manifested as confidence, which would stand Madonna in good stead as she pursued her career. One of her 1978 ADF classmates was Eric Tyrone Smith, who later shared a West Village apartment with Madonna in New York City. In a 2007 email, he recounted a salient memory of Madonna's evolution from dancer to singer:

She came back to the apartment one day bragging that she had just been out in Washington Sq. park singing with some black guys and that they had told her she could sing. I told her she couldn't believe everything she was told and of course the rest is history!

Little else remains of Madonna's long-ago time as a dance student in Durham. Her primary teachers there, Pearl Lang and Pauline Koner, are both deceased. And while ADF still has her application and school records on file, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) means they will remain private unless Madonna herself chooses to release them.

That's doubtful, so mostly we have Maschal's witness-bearing account. He admits he did not come away impressed, with little inkling of just how big a star she would become. Maschal's 1985 story about Madonna concluded by asking about the 26-year-old singer, "Can you picture Madonna at 40?"

Now 56, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and still topping charts and touring arenas, Madonna seems to have done all right for herself.

Madonna, Ageism and Sexism

Too many people forget that Madonna, the most successful solo artist in history, has paved the way for so many artists, both male and female. With her outspoken opinions, her sometimes shocking but always thought provoking performances and her pure determination, she's broken down barriers on women, pop stars, homosexuals, race, religion, business and everything in between. There would be no Britney Spears, no Beyoncé, no Rihanna, had Madonna not paved the way with her conical bra or her pink leotard.

Madonna is once again breaking down barriers. This time, it's that taboo topic of age. So many people, particularly in the media, apparently feel that women of a certain age should go quietly into the night and rest on their laurels. Actresses have been complaining for years that once they hit 50 there are no substantial roles. Meanwhile, Liam Neeson continues to be in every action movie involving a daughter. Madonna won't rest on her laurels though, as that has never been her M.O. This is a woman who sold out multiple nights at Yankee Stadium on her last tour (which beat her own record for top selling solo tour of all time.) when there had never been a woman headlining there before at all. This is the same artist who performed at the Super Bowl and got more viewers than the game itself. This is the same woman whose recent Grammy performance was the most watched (and tweeted about) performance of the night. All of those accomplishments happened after her 50th birthday.

Madonna's age is not her problem. It's your own problem. It's the mindset some have that women of a certain age should act a certain way, look a certain way and talk a certain way. In fact, if you have a problem with Madonna and what she does, it's onlyyour problem that you've created in your mind. There's no rule book that says that on a certain magical date you must suddenly stop wearing clothes that you like and must suddenly wear clothes that you don't like because society says so. The truth is, society doesn't get to say so. This isn't a woman who's chasing trends, this is a woman who starts them. If you think she's going to listen to the countless talking heads droning on about how a woman should live her life, then you've clearly been living under a rock the last 30+ years. Those some people will praise U2 or Rolling Stones, while chastising Madonna. And Madonna's the only one of them still cranking out hits. This is an artist who's latest single, Ghosttown, became her 45th #1 hit. After all, "Bitch she's Madonna."

As so often happens with Madonna, controversy has overshadowed the music... and that's quite a shame. Rebel Heart, her latest album, is one of the best albums of her career. Reflective and introspective it sounds like nothing else on the radio or in the clubs. She has written a tour de force of an album while being shocking for what it really is: her most honest, personal album yet. Diplo, a Philadelphia native, (call me, bro!) marries his avant garde club sound with Madonna's mainstream pop sensibilities and the result is perfection. Check out the Pop Culture Whore piece for a track by track review of Rebel Heart or just do yourself a favor and buy Rebel Heart.

If you haven't noticed throughout her white hot career spanning more then 30 years, Madonna doesn't give a shit what you think. She's going to be her, unapologetically. And when you can go out to the club with your friends at 56 years old and look absolutely amazing in what you're wearing as you dance the night away, you can thank Madonna. As it is, that club probably be playing her latest hit.

Avicii slams British tabloid for out-of-context article about Rebel Heart

Madonna's ex-producer Avicii learned what he probably should have known ahead of time: When you give an interview with a well-known British tabloid, they are bound to take your words out of context to create a totally different article than you thought.

In 2014, Avicii and Madonna worked together on many tracks (the demos of these leaked). Some of those demos included "Rebel Heart," "Wash All Over Me," and "Borrowed Time." Many Madonna fans accused Avicii of leaking the demos and Madonna abruptly stopped working with him. She barely acknowledged Avicii when talking about the album Rebel Heart in interviews.

Well, we now hear Avicii's side of the story — sort of. The Daily Star ran a headline titled "Madonna ruined my track: Avicii slams the Queen of Pop." The article makes it look like Avicii really hates Madonna.

"To speak out against Madonna takes some guts but it seems Avicii was not afraid. He continued his assault on the living legend by admitting he preferred the leaked demo. He said: 'I thought it was better. It was more me.'"

Of course, Avicii never "assaulted" Madonna in the interview; he just explained why, in his opinion, things didn't work out. He admits that they were both on the same page, but he wasn't happy with the final product. The Daily Star assumes it's because Madonna's ego got the best of her, and one of the commenters under the article, who goes by the name of "BrunaMedina," had something interesting to say about that.

"So if Madonna wants to go in a different direction, it's because of her 'huge ego.' If Bruce Springsteen or Mick Jagger want to control their own albums, they're creative geniuses. Misogyny at it's best, but it doesn't surprise me anymore. But I don't believe Avicii insulted Madonna for a single second."

Avicii took to Instagram to condemn the Daily Star. He wrote, "Or maybe your shi**y interviewers ruined what could have been a good interview," in a picture next to the Madonna headline. It's obvious that Avicii wasn't trying to put down Madonna. The leaked demo he was talking about was most likely "Rebel Heart" and even Madonna's own fans will admit they like it better than the final product.

"Lol! But there's one thing that it's for sure… your #RebelHeart demo was so much better than the final version included on the album! #WashAllOverMe was great, too. I mean, you are the greatest DJ in the world! Thanks for that amazing song!" wrote Madonna fan "johnymadder" right below Avicii's post.

Official remixes for 'Bitch I'm Madonna'

Madonna's official Youtube channel has added 5 official remixes for the new single Bitch I'm Madonna.

The remixes were commissioned to Oscar G, Rosabel and Sander Kleinenberg.

The videos also show the newly released cover art work.

Official single artwork for 'Bitch I'm Madonna'

Madonna changed her Facebook profile picture to what appears to be the official single art work for Bitch I'm Madonna.

The art work uses a picture that Madonna instagrammed a month ago, during the video shoot, which showed her coloured hair locks for the first time. It was made by Brazilian fan Aldo Diaz, who added a bright rainbow-coloured background.

It's the second time in her career that Madonna selects fan work for a single cover. 10 years ago, she selected a picture from this very fansite Mad-Eyes to become the single cover for Sorry.

Tell us what you think of the new single art work.

"Many surprise guests" in 'Bitch I'm Madonna' video

As Madonna shared fan art by the talented Rob Jacobs, she teases that we should expect many surprise guest appearance in the upcoming Bitch I'm Madonna video:

Cool Fan Art!! #bitchimmadonna video coming soooooooon !! 💘💘💘 with many surprise guests! Stay tuned......... ❤️

We already knew Diplo and Nicki Minaj will be in the video. The Instagram post also tags other A-listers such as Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Rita Ora.

Also tagged are designers Jeremy Scott and Arianne Phillips, as well as Madonna's hair stylist Andy Lecompte.

The video is expected to be released "very soon".

Why don't you...? By Madonna

Queen of Pop and mother of four Madonna shares her thoughts on living outside the box.

BY HARPER'S BAZAAR ON MAY 28, 2015

…REBEL? A rebel is someone who asks questions. You know that Shakespearean line "(the lady) doth protest too much"?  A rebel is someone who protests too much, or maybe not enough, who questions convention, who thinks outside the box; who doesn't take the road most travelled. You can't be a rebel and not be willing to take the consequences. Like Michael Moore said, "You can't stick your chin out and not expect to get punched."  That's the way it works. He's a rebel heart too, by the way.

…MAKE YOUR MARK? It's people like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Bob Marley & John Lennon, who have changed the world.  They went against the grain. They took the road less travelled and that made all the difference.

… EXPRESS YOUR THOUGHTS ON SPIRITUALITY, SEX & RELIGION? I think they are all subjects that beg to be challenged and dissected. I'm constantly trying to come to terms with the ideal of spirituality, religion and sexuality. These are topics that are very prevalent in society, that are taken out of context in society, that are misrepresented in society; that are used to help people grow and feel self-empowered. They are also used to keep people down and imprison people. So for me, they're topics you can never exhaust.

… LIBERATE YOURSELF? It gives me a lot of satisfaction to know that I was somehow involved with liberating people – making somebody feel proud of who they are or liberating someone in making them feel good about what they stand for.

… HAVE AN OPINION? I have opinions. What else can you do if you're an artist? I don't know any other way except to offer up my heart or say "Come on, you wanna mess with me? Let's go."We're living in the age where popular figures or pop icons or pop culture are not nurturing people to have opinions. It's about being a brand, playing it safe and being familiar and not offending anyone and I will never be comfortable being that.

…REALLY LISTEN TO THE MUSIC AND ITS LYRICS? I feel (that) on all my records I write songs that are revealing about my feelings but sometimes I don't like to be so literal or so specific. I like to be more mysterious, so I guess it depends on the mood I'm in.

… IGNORE THE HATERS? I think if people are looking for something bad, they're going to find it. As I've said before, we're living in a fundamentalist, literalist society where there can't be any duality to something. No one has an understanding to the meaning of irony. No one has a sense of humor. There's no complexity to things. Everything is just surface value.  Does it bother me that people will misunderstand my songs? I like to think that my songs will find the audience that they are meant to find. And the people who can't understand them or can't connect to them, well, they'll find something else that they like.

…STRIP IT ALL DOWN? When it came to writing my latest album Rebel Heart, my original intention was that I was just going to sit with various songwriters and write songs. That was my goal. I'm just going to write songs and I want all the songs I write to be something that I could sit and strum a guitar to and sing from top to bottom without any other people involved.  Even "Bitch I'm Madonna" I could sing acoustic.  It's actually quite good.  So, that was my goal.

Madonna's trainer reveals how you can get those killer arms

Madonna has one of the best bodies in the world, and when it comes to her arms, well, no one has her beat. (Sorry, Michelle Obama!)

How does she keep them so shapely and toned?

"We focus on body weight training," says Craig Smith, Madonna's personal trainer, who "utilizes dance to tone the entire body, plus a mix of asana yoga, Bar Method and a lot of hybrid Pilates programs to give that nice, sleek look to her arms."

As for her workouts in general, "switching it up gives her variety and keeps it interesting," says Smith, creative director of the pop star's fitness brand Hard Candy Fitness. "Her body doesn't plateau. It's always in a guesswork state. Her body is always changing in a positive way."

Madonna, who "in a perfect week, works out six days" also uses weights on the lighter side to ensure perfectly toned arms. "We never go over 5 lbs.," says Smith. "The range is from 2 to 5 lbs."

And while the pop icon has an intense workout schedule, Smith says it's all about balance. "The main thing we focus on is keeping her energy levels up," he says, while also stressing the importance of getting adequate rest. "The recovery time is just as important as the workout time." He also describes how she engages in workouts of different intensity levels. "Even though we work out six days a week, notice that we are doing yoga. Yoga isn't going to be taxing on the body. It's focused on a completely different dynamic, like breathing and like rebuilding wear and tear from more rigorous, high-intensity workouts."

Want to try Madonna's lean muscle-building workouts? Of course you do! Smith shows off two of the star's go-to exercises.

Bicep/Shoulder Series

Technique Tip: From your base move, come into Parallel Squat, arms in extension at sides holding 3 to 5 lb. dumbbells in hands. Send hips back grounding through feet, and bring thighs parallel to floor, knees stacked over ankles behind toes, feet facing forward. Drive into heels, come to an upright standing position, squeezing glutes. Move back into squat position, and as you come back into upright stand again, draw elbows tight into sides, and hammer curl weights up to shoulders, toning biceps. For the end of this series, transition back into squat position, layer in the hammer curl once more, and add shoulder press. Complete series for 60 seconds seamlessly, focusing on quality of movement. Repeat for 3 sets.

Yoga Asana Series

Technique Tip: Using your body weight as resistance, from a Child’s Pose start position with neutral breathing. Send sit bones towards heels, elongating spine and extending arms out in front of body keeping elbows lifted. Inhale, flow to Upward-Facing Dog, opening chest, and depress shoulders down the back, actively pushing through hands. Exhale, into Downward-Facing Dog lifting sit bones to ceiling, stretching the back of your thighs and bringing chest to front of thighs. Inhale to Plank keeping abdominals engaged, working the shoulders, chest, triceps, and actively lifting through the thighs. Exhale, lower to hover position over mat, working triceps, and return to top of series starting pose. Repeat series for 5 sets moving with the flow of your own breath.