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Madonna news - May 2020
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Madonna speaks out against George Floyd murder
Source: Billboard - 27 May 2020Yet another incident of police brutality against the black community surfaced on social media Tuesday (May 26), and the Internet is outraged, rallying in support of George Floyd.
The family attorney was arrested on Monday (May 25) on suspicion of forgery. In the viral clip, Floyd was unarmed and cried out that he couldn't breathe as an officer kneeled on his neck. He later died at the hospital.
Madonna is among the growing number of celebrities speaking out against the horrifying injustice. She shared the video to her Instagram page with the caption,
"Watching this Cop suffocate George Floyd with his knee on his neck, handcuffed and helpless, crying for his life with his face in the street is the most sickening, heartbreaking thing ive seen in a long time."
"This Officer knew he was being filmed and murdered him with arrogance and Pride. This has to stop!! Until we can over come Racism in America— no one should be allowed to carry a gun. Most of all cops," she continued. "God Bless you George Floyd Im so sorry for you and your family. And all the senseless killings that have gone before you. Will it ever end? I pray to GOD it does one day."
Until then—F--- The Police!" she concluded. "Yea I said it. Im not interested in being PC. Im interested in Justice."
Madonna is editing her Madame X Tour recording
Source: Instagram - 23 May 2020We've all been hoping that Madonna would use this quarantine time to edit the tour recording of her Madame X Tour. And that's exactly what she's now confirming. One of her Instagram stories shows her in front of the TV, with a still from the tour on the screen and the hashtag #MadameXedit. This means a first edit of the show has been made and she's reviewing it.
The show was recorded in Lisbon in January 2020. No release date has been announced yet for the tour recording.
Why Madonna brought 14 Cape Verdean drummers on tour - and what they taught her
Source: Billboard - 22 May 2020In 2017, Madonna thought she was moving to Portugal to "be a soccer mom," but instead, the 61-year-old icon found inspiration for her then-upcoming album, Madame X, thanks to a friend she calls her "musical plug," Dino d'Santiago. One night, the Cape Verde-born, Lisbon-based singer — who coached Madonna on how to speak Portuguese and sing in Portuguese and Creole — had arranged a concert for her by Batukadeiras Orquesta, a group of female drummers specializing in batuka, a rhythmic call-and-response style created in Cape Verde during the early days of the slave trade. "I'd never seen anything like it, never heard anything like it. So of course, I couldn't get it out of my head," says Madonna.
She invited several members of the collective to perform on her album and even brought some to the United States for her intimate Madame X tour that began last September in New York. (Its final two dates were canceled due to the pandemic.) "I thought about [my manager] Guy Oseary's response to the cost of taking 22 women on the road with us," says Madonna. (They ended up taking 14.) But her goal was set: "I wanted the audience to get a glimpse of [their] history."
How did you discover the Orquesta Batukadeiras?
I discovered them once I met Dino d'Santiago, who I call my musical plug. He understood that I wanted to meet musicians and experience all the different traditions and genres that Portugal had to offer. He called me one day and said that he had something very special for me, but he couldn't tell me what -- he just said to show up at this place, at this time. At this point, he had already introduced me to some amazing musicians and brought me to some really cool places, clubs, etc. So, I went to this place -- it's hard to describe -- it was like a bar that hadn't been open in a while. They had opened it expressly for me. There was Abstract art on the wall and a few deer -- you know, antlers. It was filled with people. There was a DJ playing electro-African-house music, and a girl singing in a silver lamé suit, and I thought, "Oh this can't be what he asked me to come here for." Dino said, "No, this is not what I want you to hear. It's coming up." There were some people dancing and eventually the music stopped -- the crowds parted and on the other side of the room was a group of women sitting in a semi-circle in chairs, exactly as you saw them on my stage, but there were a lot more of them. They started playing their drums, drums that they held in their laps, and they started beating out these rhythms, and then they started singing and taking turns getting up and dancing. I was drawn to them and we walked closer and closer to them. It was wild – the way they played and the organic way they got up and took turns dancing together and singing solos. I asked Dino what language they were singing in. They were singing in Cape Verdean Creole.
It didn't seem terribly rehearsed; it seemed like second nature to them. They were like a family, a community of women. I marveled at the age range of the women -- from teenage girls to women who looked like they could be grandmothers. It was an amazing, immersive, musical, familial, matriarchal experience. The music was mesmerizing and hypnotizing and it blew me away. We just sat there, stood there, with our mouths hanging open. I'd never seen anything like it before. They were joyous and enthusiastic. There was an abandonment, for lack of a better word.
Afterwards, Dino said, "This style of music is called batuka, this is the Batukadeiras Orquesta." I met some of the women, not all of them. Dino told me they had to rush out as they all came on buses from far outside of town, especially to play for me. I was extremely moved that they made such an effort and even more so that they were so amazing.
You know, I'd never seen anything like it. I'd never heard anything like it. So of course, I couldn't get it out of my head. As the days went on, I thought it would be really special to try and collaborate with them and write a song together for my record since so many of my songs were influenced by and/or involving other musicians that I had met in Portugal. So, Dino again approached them and asked them if they would come into the studio and try to experiment, this musical experience, which is a kind of call and response, and they were up for it. Very few of them spoke English, so we had both Dino and another woman who came as a representative and translator.
We all got into the recording studio, the same women and girls, into the only room we could actually record in -- we barely fit. I had written some words and I encouraged them to just repeat after me. They start playing their drums, which is a triplet rhythm. Lots of the women sang solos, and I picked out which ones I liked the best, Antonia and Bianina, the women who ended up going on the road with me. What amazed me was how even though we didn't speak the same language, they repeated precisely not only what I said but also the melody. That's how our recording went: back and forth and back and forth, until we got it right. They weren't used to singing into microphones so there was a comical aspect to it. We realized we had to record things separately because I was singing in 4/4 time, and they were playing their txabeta triplet time. In any case, for me it was an amazing experience because they were so open to anything I suggested and to collaborating. They brought their fire and their passion. I explained to them through Dino what the song was about and they loved it because their whole philosophy is about fighting for your rights and empowering women. They were very happy with what I was saying in English.
After the hours and hours of playing together and singing together, they insisted that we all pray together. That prayer was Amor de Mãe, which is the song that ended up being in the show before they appear on stage, when you see the map. We did that prayer at the end and they all blessed me and wished me well. There was a lot of hugging and tears. I just can't explain what a positive encounter it was.
I loved the way the song turned out, and after my record was finished, I was putting the Madame X show together and started thinking, "Oh my God wouldn't it be amazing if I brought the Batukadeiras on stage?" Of course, I thought about Guy Oseary's response to the cost of taking 22 women on the road with us. We ended up taking 14. Dino then reached out to each and every one of these women to ask if they were interested in going on tour and doing a show with me. It took a while as many of them have families, jobs and school they couldn't leave, but we welcomed the women who could work things out.
What did it feel like sharing the stage with them every night?
Sharing the stage with them was like an ecstatic experience because I was surrounded by such powerful, passionate women. Having them all around me singing along with all the musicians that I met and work with -- I really felt like they were there for the right reason. I felt like they were there to share their message of love and unity and female empowerment. I could feel how proud they were to share this tradition that's been going on for hundreds of years with the world. It was as if we were feeding off each other's energy. I wish I would have had all of them, to tell you the truth, because the power of all of them was just so amazing. But the women who did come, I mean from day one of rehearsal: they were always joyful, always positive, always smiling. They had each other's backs. When one of them was sick, they all gathered around each other. I never saw musicians care for each other so much and support one another so much. They had so much respect for the elderly women in the group. If one was sick they would all insist, "Nope she can't come to work today. She's gotta stay home." And I'd say, "Aww are you sure?" And they would say, "Nope, she's gotta stay for a whole week, she's gotta stay home." It really impressed me how much they loved and supported and cared for one another. It was pretty special, as you don't see that in our Western world.
There's clearly pain associated with them, the genesis of their music. Did you talk about that with them?
Dino first told me about the history of their music, that it came from a kind of rebellion. Everything was taken away from them when they were slaves. They had no freedom and what they played on originally came from when they would wash their clothes in the river: They would bunch them up together and turn them into a kind of drum they could play on…eventually that evolved into a leather-covered drum, a piece of leather, stuffed with clothes – with fabric – with a little nozzle at the bottom that they could grasp between their legs when they're sitting. All they had was their music when they were together. The rule makers, the authorities and slaveowners perceived their music as a form of rebellion – they were not behaving, they were not being quiet, they were not obeying the rules, and they were not being submissive. So, they took their txabeta away and their reaction was: "Okay fine, we'll play on our legs. We'll sing anyways; you can't take our voices away." I just love that story. That was their spirit, that was their soul and their music is proof that the human spirit cannot be kept down. Dino gave me so many history lessons about Portugal being the birthplace of slavery. When the slave trade first started ships went to the island of Cape Verde, which is on the northern West Coast of Africa. That's where the slave trade first began.
Knowing their history made their music and these women so important. That they kept that tradition going and that against all odds, they managed to make music, dance, sing, and create joy and happiness in spite of the oppression they were suffering. I wanted this to be known. I wanted the audience to get a glimpse of that history too.
What did you learn from them?
Resilience and the importance of unity -- having each other's backs. You know, that really impressed me a lot. We don't have that a lot. We're experiencing that right now obviously, during this time when people are coming together and helping one another, but it's important to have that spirit at all times. That thought helped me keep going through my show because I was suffering, I was in pain, and they really supported me and really had my back. They were always smiling and supportive, always there for me. It was a real sisterhood. I wanted to show the world that these people exist. We don't have to live in our separate worlds, fighting against each other, fighting for our place… we can actually work together as a team and be appreciated as a group without cutthroat ambition.
Generally speaking, is there something in African music that's missing from most Western music?
To me it's music that has been handed down through the centuries. It comes from the soul of the Earth -- it's connected to nature; it's connected to community. There's something organic about it because you can create an instrument out of anything. There's a soulfulness about it. And a paradox, because there's sadness and there's suffering, but then there's also joy, and the sense that all sorrow and pain can be overcome. And that music is what lifts everybody up. And so to me, that's the essence of African music that is missing from a lot of Western music that we hear today. It's not just entertainment. You feel the journey that each of these people have been on, you feel the journey of the past, you feel the journey of their history, of their ancestors. It's filled with so many layers and complexities.
What other African music or musicians do you draw inspiration or strength from?
I love morna music, which is the music of Cape Verde. It's the kind of music that Cesária Évora made. To me it's like the sound of mourning. It's a kind of sad, melancholic music and again, mesmerizing and heartbreaking but also, like the song "Sodade" that I sang in my show, which Cesária made famous, is about missing. It means missing, to miss something. It's that longing for your home, that longing for your family that you are no longer with, that longing for a loved one that you are no longer with. It's about loss, but never being a victim, because even in the song "Sodade," Cesária says, "Okay, I miss my home and I miss you, and if you write to me, then I'll write back, and if you miss me, then I'll miss you too, but if not, then okay." So, it's not like, poor pitiful me. There's strength in the longing, and the loss, if you know what I mean.
What other memorable music experiences have you had in Portuguese-speaking Africa?
One of the musicians that I love and who really moved me and still does wasn't in my show, but he's somebody that whenever I go, I always make a point of going to hear him play or I invite him over to my house because we became friends. His name is Kimi Djabate and he's from Guinea-Bissau. He also sang on one of my songs on my album called "Ciao Bella," which was only in one of the super deluxe packages of my records. He has an incredible voice and he plays guitar and also plays an instrument called a Balafon. It looks like a xylophone, but it's a more ancient version of it. When you play with a mallet on these pieces of steel it makes different notes and sounds. When he was growing up, his father and the people in the village were against him playing music as they perceived what he was doing as wrong or negative or maybe connected to witchcraft or something like that. He persisted and eventually was appreciated for his musical gifts and talents and eventually he moved to Lisbon. And now, he has records out. He has an Instagram account -- @kimidjabate. He's a huge talent and he really moves me. And Cesária. Dino d'Santiago – I can't not mention him also, because you know, he does it all. I mean, he plays, he does morna, he does funaná, he can play samba. He can do anything, he's an extremely versatile and talented musician.
What is it about him that moves you?
His musicality, his versatility, his passion for what he does, the way he was so excited to introduce me to the Batukadeiras. He was so proud that I could share their music with the world. He's just a man full of love, you know, and he has his hands in everything. He brought me to a lot of fado clubs as well. He introduced me to a lot of amazing fado singers. He just connected me to everyone musically, he introduced me to Miroca Paris, Carlos Mil-Homens, Jessica Pina, and Celeste Rodrigues – whose great-grandson Gaspar ended up going on the road with me. So, Dino's responsible for so much – also coached me on how to speak Portuguese and sing in Portuguese and Creole, introduced me to so many different genres and styles of music, brought me to every club there was to go to, brought me to living room sessions, and just connected me to this underground world of music that people don't know about. I in turn tried to put that into my show and share it with the world. So, he really was my pipeline, my connector -- what I call my plug. He did it with so much love, and completely and utterly out of generosity. Usually there's some manager calling you saying, 'Okay, so how much, this is what he charges, and this is how many hours he's gonna work.'
How fluid is the music between Portugal, Brazil and Portuguese-speaking Africa?
Extremely fluid. I mean, it's the same. There was also an incredible Brazilian pianist named João Ventura, who played piano at the Met Gala for me when I did "Dark Ballet." He's a virtuoso pianist who can play anything, classical to pop, and samba. I would go to a small club called Tejo Bar, you could walk in there and hear any of these styles of music with these musicians playing it and it would be as if you were transported back to those countries.
What did you learn musically being immersed in the Portuguese-speaking world?
Well, I learned to sing in Creole and Portuguese. I learned to play the 12-string guitar when I played "Sodade" in my show, and I learned to sing fado. I also learned and understood how limited I am, and how far I have to go as a musician and singer.
Was there any life wisdom you drew from the musicians you met?
To never forget where you come from, and the honesty and purity of those who share what they have learned. It was handed down to them from their ancestors, their families, fellow musicians that they work with. They're just so open and generous, I really can't express that more. I'm so used to everyone in America thinking, 'I'm the best. I'm the best. I'm on top and number one. I'm the greatest. I have the most views. I have the most awards. I'm a King, I'm this, I'm that.' Everyone's into titles… labels, and they don't have that in Portugal. All they want to do is share their love of music and what they know with other people, and it's really rare and so appreciated, especially now.
The Prime Minister of Cape Verde attended a Madame X show in New York in September. What did you talk about when you met?
Really, the main thing was how proud he was. How proud he was to have his country represented, how he said he was crying tears of joy. He was telling the truth - he was on his feet in the box that he was in from beginning to end. He was just so proud of the Batukadeiras. So proud that all these musicians that I'd met in Lisbon were traveling around the world, sharing what obviously he knows and understands and appreciates, but never in a million years did he imagined that America - people in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago would be experiencing this. I think pride and gratitude was my main takeaway from him.
What kind of response to the album and the tour have you received from other figures across Portuguese-speaking Africa after spotlighting their music in such a huge way?
I think in general all Portuguese people and the music that I represented in my show and on my record were extremely grateful and surprised that I was sharing fado and morna and batuka and funaná with the world. They didn't expect it. And, well neither did I, but obviously when I moved there, I didn't expect that I was going to have those musical experiences. I thought I was just going there to watch soccer matches and be a soccer mom.
Today 30 years ago, Madonna brought the transcendence of 'Vogue' to No. 1
Source: Billboard - 19 May 2020At the start of the '90s, Madonna had seven Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s under her boy-toy belt and could pretty readily make the case she was the defining female pop star of the '80s. The only thing arguably working against her was the embarrassment-of-riches issue of figuring out how to follow-up a career-defining smash such as 1989's "Like a Prayer."
She solved that problem by dropping another world-shifting pop hit. "Vogue," which became her eighth Hot 100 No. 1 30 years ago today (May 19, 1990), topped the chart for three consecutive weeks and remains one of her most enduring hits. Over the course of this lush, gradual ascent into thumping house-disco bliss aided by co-writer and co-producer Shep Pettibone, Madonna lays out yet another masterful manifesto about ecstatic liberation on the dancefloor.
Inspired by the visually dramatic dance style of voguing that grew out of Harlem ballroom culture (as depicted in the classic 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning), Madonna tapped dancers/choreographers Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza from that world to show America how it was done. While Madonna hardly invented the iconic moves, her global reach propelled voguing into the mainstream, a double-edged sword that season 2 of FX's Pose thoughtfully dealt with in 2019 (on one hand, it gave scene players an industry launch pad, but some queer people of color felt their culture had been appropriated, then discarded, after the craze went out of, well, vogue).
Thirty years after "Vogue" topped the chart, it's truly difficult to think about something related to the song that isn't iconic: There's the irresistible choreography; David Fincher's black-and-white art deco music video; her Marie Antoinette-styled VMAs performance of the song; the movie-star roll call near the end; and also every damn lyric. Really, the only thing "Vogue"-adjacent that isn't a clear victory is the album it first called home: I'm Breathless: Music From and Inspired By the Film Dick Tracy. It was a hit, certainly, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, but remains one of the more neglected titles in her otherwise essential catalog, in no small part because its biggest single shares almost nothing in common with the rest of the LP other than an affection for Golden Era Hollywood.
It probably wouldn't surprise anyone to learn "Vogue" wasn't even intended for that collection of Sondheim numbers and Jazz Age throwbacks. According to Pettibone, it was given a budget of $5,000 and slated as a b-side for "Keep It Together," but when execs heard it, the plan changed. "The attitude was like, 'This isn't gonna be a b-side. How can we get this out there?'" Pettibone recalled to Billboard in 2015 of the decision to tack it on to the Dick Tracy companion album.
Regardless, three decades later, its power remains undiminished. When Madame X trotted out "Vogue" at Pride Island 2019 during New York City's 50th anniversary of Stonewall World Pride celebration, the response was deafening, with the crowd surging like a tsunami. But even then, it was so much deeper and deeper than just bumping and grinding: It was a magical, life's-a-ball moment of transcendence few dance songs dare to reach.
Robert De Niro, Madonna lead call for politicians to avoid post-lockdown "return to normal"
Source: NME - 9 May 2020More than 200 high-profile actors and creatives have joined scientists in an open letter urging politicians to systematically upend life after the coronavirus to avoid "ecological disaster".
Robert De Niro, Madonna, Cate Blanchett and others have signed the editorial 'No To A Return To Normal' published in Le Monde yesterday (May 6) that calls on world leaders and citizens "to undertake a profound overhaul of our goals, values, and economies," in the wake of COVID-19.
The letter, which was written by Academy Award-winning French actress Juliette Binoche and astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau, states that the pandemic is "inviting us to examine what is essential. And what we see is simple: 'adjustments' are not enough. The problem is systemic."
It warns that "the massive extinction of life on Earth is no longer in doubt, and all indicators point to a direct existential threat. Unlike a pandemic, however severe, a global ecological collapse will have immeasurable consequences."
They also point to the "pursuit of consumerism" and "an obsession with productivity" which has "led us to deny the value of life itself." They add: "We believe it is unthinkable to 'go back to normal,'" as the COVID-19 outbreak eases.
Adam Driver, Willem Dafoe, Rooney Mara, Penelope Cruz, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Alejandro G Inarritu, Paolo Sorrentino, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Pedro Almodovar, Guillaume Canet, Nathalie Baye and Monica Bellucci are among the others who have lent their signatures to the letter.
Here's the text in full:
"The Covid-19 pandemic is a tragedy. This crisis is, however, inviting us to examine what is essential. And what we see is simple: "adjustments" are not enough. The problem is systemic.
"The ongoing ecological catastrophe is a meta-crisis: the massive extinction of life on Earth is no longer in doubt, and all indicators point to a direct existential threat. Unlike a pandemic, however severe, a global ecological collapse will have immeasurable consequences.
"We therefore solemnly call upon leaders — and all of us as citizens – to leave behind the unsustainable logic that still prevails and to undertake a profound overhaul of our goals, values, and economies.
"The pursuit of consumerism and an obsession with productivity have led us to deny the value of life itself: that of plants, that of animals, and that of a great number of human beings. Pollution, climate change, and the destruction of our remaining natural zones has brought the world to a breaking point.
"For these reasons, along with increasing social inequalities, we believe it is unthinkable to 'go back to normal'.
"The radical transformation we need – at all levels – demands boldness and courage. It will not happen without a massive and determined commitment. We must act now. It is as much a matter of survival as one of dignity and coherence."
Madonna clarifies: "Me and other tour members were sick in Paris"
Source: Instagram - 6 May 2020Madonna took to Instagram to clarify a few things on her health, after previously posting that she had tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies.
"I am not currently sick. When you test positive for anti-bodies it means you HAD the virus which I. clearly did as I was sick at the end of my tour in Paris over 7 weeks ago along with many other artists in my show but at the time We all thought we had a very bad flu. Thank God we are all healthy and well now."
In the same post she takes a dig at tabloid media:
"just to clear things up for people who would rather believe sensationalist headlines than do their own research about the nature of this virus."
Ursula Von der Leyen thanks Madonna for her €1 million contribution to Corona-virus Global Response
Source: NY Times - 5 May 2020In yesterday's speech by the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, Madonna was mentioned as one of the major contributors to a fund-raising which aims to fund laboratories that have promising leads in developing and producing a vaccine for Covid-19.
The New York Times wrote:
"Prime ministers, a king, a prince and Madonna all chipped in to an $8 billion pot to fund a coronavirus vaccine, but President Trump skipped the chance to contribute."
Von der Leyen took the time to thank Madonna for her contribution:
"We need everyone on board. I just got the message that Madonna has announced a contribution of 1 million dollars to the Corona-virus Global Response, and that shows that the global response must also include civil society and the global community of citizens."
Madonna made the contribution to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations' Therapeutics Accelerator program last month. She also partnered with Meek Mill's advocacy group REFORM Alliance to send 100,000 surgical masks to jails and prisons in the US. And her participation in the AllIn Challenge aims to combat food insecurity caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
New remix EP released for I Don't Search I Find
Source: Madonna.com - 1 May 2020A new remix EP for I Don't Search I Find has been released. It includes remixes by Offer Nissim, Chris Cox, Kue, DJLW and Endor. The track was previously also remixed by Honey Dijon, Tracy Young, Craig Cs and Ryan Skyy.
The new EP is dedicated to Orlando Puerta, a longtime collaborator and friend of Madonna, who played a major role in pushing her remixes when he was a music executive at Warner Music. A few weeks ago he passed away from Covid-19 related complications.
Check out the new remixes on all digital platforms.
Madonna says she tested positive for Corona antibodies
Source: USA Today - 1 May 2020Madonna revealed that she has tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.
"Took a test the other day. And I found out that I have the antibodies," the singer, 61, said in her latest Madame X-themed "Quarantine Diary" on Instagram Thursday.
"So tomorrow," Madonna added, "I'm just going to go for a long drive in a car, and I'm going to roll down the window, and I'm going to breathe in, I'm going to breathe in the COVID-19 air. Yup. I hope the sun is shining."
Antibody tests check antibodies in your blood to see if you were previously exposed to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The federal agency says "a positive test result shows you have antibodies that likely resulted from an infection with SARS-CoV-2," the virus that causes COVID-19.
Although Madonna may ready to hit the road following her positive antibody test results, the CDC says it's unclear if the antibodies will make you immune to the virus or prevent you from getting infected again.
Madonna captioned her quarantine diary with the hashtags #staysafe #staysane
"Here's the good news," she added on Instagram. "Tomorrow's another day and I'm going to wake up and I'm going to feel differently."
Last month, Madonna stirred controversy after calling the coronavirus "the great equalizer."
"That's the thing about COVID-19," she said "It doesn't care about how rich you are, how famous you are, how funny you are, how smart you are, where you live, how old you are, what amazing stories you can tell. It's the great equalizer."
According to the singer, "what's terrible" about the virus is also "what's great about it."
Like many artists in the entertainment industry, Madonna canceled the remainder of her tour, "Madame X," over safety concerns last month.
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