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Madonna news - April 2019
← March 2019 | May 2019 →
$5M BBMA performance with CGI and holograms promises to be revolutionary
Source: TMZ - 29 April 2019Madonna's performance for the ages at the Billboard Music Awards ain't gonna be cheap... it's gonna cost Madge a whopping FIVE MILLION BUCK$.
Sources with direct knowledge in the UK tell TMZ ... the Queen of Pop's gonna cough up the money herself with ZERO assistance from Billboard as it gears up to unveil Madonna's groundbreaking performance slated to air Wednesday live from the MGM Las Vegas. Madonna has been rehearsing in London for the past several weeks.
What M has planned is already being billed as one of the most ambitious performances ever attempted on live TV... a set that'll include holograms and CGI. We're told Madonna's appearance will last almost 7 minutes.
Madonna's clearly rehearsing ferociously. She posted a video Sunday saying she wants her feet to hurt. The performance comes on the heels of Madonna releasing a new track "Medellín" ... featuring Colombian superstar Maluma.
The Material Girl's also set to drop her new album, "Madame X," June 14. So, while everyone's champing at the bit for the forthcoming album, buckle your seat belts for her BMAs set. It's gonna be lit.
Wanna know why? Bitch, she's Madonna.
Madonna's next video 'tribute to Stonewall, drag queens and LGBTI rights'
Source: GayStarNews - 29 April 2019Madonna’s next music video is rumored to be a tribute to Stonewall, drag queens and LGBTI rights.
Many believe the next video off the Madame X album will be a love letter to the LGBTI community.
Fans say there are three exciting reasons why Madonna is hinting at a LGBTI rights message for her next video.
Madonna at the Stonewall Inn
Madonna kicked off her 2019 with a surprise appearance at The Stonewall Inn in New York’s City on New Year’s Eve.
She also made an important speech at the iconic venue.
‘Fifty years of sacrifice, 50 years of standing up to discrimination, hatred, and worst of all, indifference. And it all started here, at Stonewall,’ she said.
‘Let us never forget the Stonewall riots and those who bravely stood up and said – “Enough!
Drag queens spilling tea
The drag queens then started talking.
In March, promoters Murray and Peter Present slammed All Stars 4 co-winner Monét X Change.
They said she would be leaving the Haters Roast in order to appear in a ‘new Madonna video’.
Other queens revealed they had or others they knew had been asked to appear in the video.
And then, Madonna revealed she will release her next single on I Rise on 3 May. The empowering title seems to match with Madonna’s plans.
It’s known she’s been working with former collaborator, French producer Mirwais, on her new album. Much of it has been recorded in Portugal, where she and her kids have been based in recent months.
It’s her 14th studio album, since releasing Rebel Heart in 2015.
It was also confirmed Madonna will play two songs at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.
She will sing one song from her back catalogue and one from her upcoming album during the song contest’s grand finale on 18 May.
Jean Paul Gaultier coming to Eurovision to dress Madonna
Source: Haaretz - 29 April 2019Top French designer Jean Paul Gaultier is due to arrive in Israel in May for the Eurovision song contest events, for which he will once again dress Dana International and Madonna, who will perform at the finale. Gaultier’s visit will begin on May 13, a day before the first semifinals, and he will stay until after the finale. The two divas have become identified with Gaultier throughout the years, and are responsible for looks that have become iconic in popular culture, no less that the image of the sailor that has accompanied the designer since the beginning of his career.
“Although this is my 10th time, I must say, that I’m just as excited as I was the first time,” Dana International told Haaretz when the news was published. “It’s just like that time, 21 years ago, when I didn’t believe that he had really agreed to sew an outfit for me.”
The singer was referring to the black evening gown over which she wore a jacket decorated with colorful parrot feathers, which Gaultier designed for her in 1998 for her Eurovision performance. In the end the singer, whom the designer dubs “my muse,” chose to perform the song “Diva” dressed in a glittering maxi dress by designer Galit Levy. She wore the feather outfit when she went onstage once again, this time as the winner of the contest, waving her hands that looked like colorful wings.
Regarding the relationship between Gaultier and Madonna, it began already in the 1990s, when he dressed her in the now-legendary corset. The corset, made of pinkish satin with two pointy cones, starred in her performance tour for her album “Blond Ambition.” It was first presented at a fashion show in 1982, but thanks to her it became iconic a decade later and is one of the most frequently cited Madonna looks, which became a symbol of an empowering appropriation of an instrument for female oppression.
Since then Gaultier has often designed outfits for her performances tours worldwide. Madonna for her part has walked down the catwalk every few years in his fashion shows. In the show that took place in 1992, for example, she walked alongside Gaultier at the end of the show in a breast-revealing suspender dress. But she made sure to wear boots and a beret. For her visit to Israel, Gaultier will design something new, at her request.
Sorry Taylor, Madonna made the best pop music video of 2019 so far. But is that a good thing?
Source: W Magazine - 28 April 2019It's 2019, and a strong case could be made that Madonna has released the most compelling music video of any major American pure pop artist so far this year. On one hand, that shouldn't be too controversial a statement. Madonna is a master of the form (indeed, she probably wouldn't have become a global superstar without her compelling visuals). Her reflexes are still sharp, and the tricks of the trade she employs still bear fruit. In short, she very much knows what she's doing.
On the other hand, her "Medellín" video, featuring Colombian star Maluma, isn't going to be mistaken by anyone for her career best. Nor is it likely you could point to any objective measure as proof of its superiority. The project certainly isn't going to be the most viewed music video of the week, and while the song is already at number one on Billboard's Latin Digital Song Sales chart, it may not reach her past heights. Madonna's fans are extremely loyal (her tour ticket sales are still notoriously strong, and we likely won't see her camp out in Vegas for some time), but they aren't the type to put a YouTube video on repeat for hours at a time to inflate views, nor try to get people to download the song on Twitter with fake Starbucks promotions. They're mostly adults. They have jobs. That's how they afford those concert tickets.
Still, Madonna knows how to procure a fresh and unique visual. Spanish multimedia artists Diana Kunst & Mau Morgo directed the video, and their only previous exploits in the medium are two videos for Rosalia and one for A$AP Rocky and FKA Twigs. There's also the fact that she knows what to do when a camera is on her. Go back through her video filmography and you'll notice most of her videos include at least one setup where Madonna is secluded, usually just up against a random wall or background, and left to improvise through dance and general vamping (indeed, that's the entire strategy behind at least a few of her more cheaply produced videos). Here, the vamping takes place with Maluma on a bed. She ends up licking his toes in a moment that didn't seem preplanned. It's weird, but it's also classic Madonna. Even with all the stylistic flares, Madonna can still one-up any other aspect of the video just by being herself.
Whether through the bulging screen of an '80s TV set or your MacBook Air, Madonna has a way of grabbing your eye through a screen and staring you down mischievously until you get the sense that this lady could do anything by the time the five-minute music video is up. Then she usually does it. That's why she's a star.
Compare that to this week's other major pop music video, Taylor Swift's Brendon Urie–assisted comeback "Me!"
The 29-year-old's candy-colored video looks like it takes place inside whatever goes on inside children's entertainer JoJo Siwa's ponytailed head. It's been compared to an already warmed-over Instagram aesthetic, and perhaps the nicest way to describe the video is that it's the product of someone who heard La La Land was loosely inspired by the French musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and then decided Jacques Demy's classic should be rebooted as a Disney Channel Original Movie. It probably leaves anyone who has ever filed a tax return feeling limp. Some have even theorized that Swift is intentionally targeting YouTube's powerful toddler demographic with the video. Hey, those view stats for "Baby Shark" are no joke.
Whatever the case, in just four minutes and eight seconds, the video manages to obscure any sense of authenticity, growing sophistication, or personal complications Swift had accrued. It's not a reinvention. It's a retreat.
Swift's fellow millennial pop icons haven't done much better in 2019. Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" and "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" were serviceable compared to her arguably superior songs, but certainly weren't aesthetically classic. Former Fifth Harmony girls Normani and Lauren Jauregui show promise, but aren't fully formed as solo artists just yet. Same for Ava Max. One wishes Ciara, ever a slept-on talent, got more money for her "Greatest Love" video.
If Lady Gaga, Rihanna, or Beyoncé had dropped music videos this year, perhaps we wouldn't be having this conversation. To be sure, there are still lots of artists working outside of the mainstream concept of pop super stardom who have made great visuals this year (Solange's PhotoBooth-shot "Binz" video is transfixing in its confidence and intimacy). And there's also a whole of 2019 left.
Still, if Madonna invented the career framework for the modern pop star, she serves as useful ruler to compare others. It just doesn't bode well for our general cultural evolution that she's still the one leading the pack.
'There are no rules - if you're a boy': Why do so many hate on Madonna?
Source: Image - 28 April 2019As she prepares to release a new album, Madonna has been subjected to the (now usual) litany of abuse online. But why are so many seem determined to direct abuse at the woman who has revolutionised what it means to be a woman in the music industry? She deserves so much better, writes Jennifer McShane
In a time when we're still seeing women struggle for their rights (despite momentous change), we are blessed to have one icon who uses her platform to continue to speak about the revolutionary acts that we still need to see: Madonna. But even saying the performer's name in 2019 polarises the audience - including the female audience. It remains baffling, the negativity that now seems to come along with being a pop star in your sixties. She was always a symbol of rebellion: the underdog; a woman who, through music and her art was intent on changing the status quo for what it meant to be a woman.
In her view, anything was possible with the right attitude and determination - she came to New York with nothing more than a few dollars in her pocket determined to see her ambitions fulfilled - and her lyrics acted as a social commentary for how things should be challenged.
She always sought to empower and unify. To demand the best.
She still does. Over three decades into a career which has seen her become the highest-grossing female touring artist of all time, she still demands the best of everything life has to offer. And this is the problem as many see it; this is why she is vilified. Is it because she's a woman over 60, still relevant in an ageist industry that favours the young (and the males) all of whom demand the same?
"If you're a girl, you have to play the game. You're allowed to be pretty and cute and sexy. But don't act too smart. Don't have an opinion that's out of line with the status quo. You are allowed to be objectified by men and dress like a slut, but don't own your sluttiness. Be what men want you to be, but more importantly, be what women feel comfortable with you being around other men. And finally, do not age. Because to age is a sin"
She's right, but as she starts a new promotional campaign on the cusp of a new album, that doesn't stop the critics.
Those who say she's too old, too sexual for her age, too much of anything.
"Where is the criticism of Elton John? Of the male members of Fleetwood Mac who tour every single year? Was similar abuse hurled at the late David Bowie?"
"I've had the sh**t kicked out of me for my entire career, and a large part of that is because I'm female and also because I refuse to live a conventional life," Madonna said in an interview. "I've created a very unconventional family. I have lovers who are three decades younger than me. This makes people very uncomfortable. I feel like everything I do makes people feel really uncomfortable," she said.
Limitations for women
It's too easy to dismiss her as a white, rich pop star living in another reality (and many do), but she knows both sides; she knows she lives a life of privilege while being aware of the lashings of hate that come with that - just as she knows because she's a woman growing older, limitations are placed on her life.
And yet there are many rich, white, powerful men in a similar position who are, by and large, let off the hook. Even with #MeToo.
She knows that she can't be seen as a sexual woman of 60 plus because this is widely considered taboo in modern society. But instead of being lauded by the masses for this empowering attitude, she's punished.
Even down to the fact that after achieving so much, she still lives to create music and some, like her ex-husband Guy Richie, still, ask why.
"My ex-husband, who used to say to me, "But why do you have to do this again? Why do you have to make another record? Why do you have to go on tour? Why do you have to make a movie?" And I'm like, "Why do I have to explain myself?" I feel like that's a very sexist thing to say. Does somebody ask Steven Spielberg why he's still making movies? Hasn't he had enough success? Hasn't he made enough money? Hasn't he made a name for himself? Did somebody go to Pablo Picasso and say, "Okay, you're 80 years old. Haven't you painted enough paintings?" No. I'm so tired of that question. I just don't understand it."
"I'll stop when I run out of ideas. I'll stop when you f**king kill me. How about that?"
Sadly, like many of the greats, perhaps she won't be truly appreciated in modern times until she's no longer here. What a depressing thought that is.
We'll only ever have one Madonna.
And she deserves to be admired and appreciated in the here and now.
Maluma reveals what it felt like meeting Madonna
Source: Billboard - 26 April 2019"I took a sip and had a dream, and I woke up in Medellín." So sings Madonna in the opening lines to her new single "Medellín," featuring Colombian reggaetonero Maluma ("Te gusta?" he replies). It's a call-and-response, sultry vamp of a song, with Madonna describing romantic adventures in the titular city and Maluma acting as her Spanish-speaking tour guide. Before performing it with her for the first time at the BBMAs, the artist Madonna has called "one of the most easygoing, warm, open" she has ever worked with discusses their collaboration.
How did you two meet?
I went to MTV's Video Music Awards to sing "Felices los 4" [in 2018]. Madonna's manager is friends with Walter [Kolm, Maluma's manager], and they had arranged for us to meet. We went to her dressing room and Lenny Kravitz was there too, but truth is I'd gone there to meet her. We spoke for a couple of minutes. It was a beautiful moment: I gave her a huge kiss, I took her hand, I thanked her for having made music history, I looked into her eyes and told her I was charmed to meet her. She has a very special look in her eyes. And then I ran out to perform. Afterward, her management team called Walter and told him she wanted to do a song with me.
Medellín is your hometown. Is that the reason for the song's title?
When we started to talk, she said, "I have a song for you called 'Medellín,' " and I almost had a heart attack. Maybe when she wrote it she had me in mind -- I don't know. I had the opportunity to write one of the main choruses and all my verses.
What's it like to be in the studio with Madonna?
She wanted me to perform in the sexiest way possible. I initially wanted to rap more aggressively, but she said, "No. That's not who you are. You are sensuality. Try to do it as if you had the woman of your dreams in front of you." She was all about bringing out that romanticism.
How's her Spanish?
I taught her how to pronounce some words -- I was trying to help her with the accent. She sings the chorus in Spanish with me.
Were you always a Madonna fan?
All my life. She isn't just an artist; she's a movement. The truth is I always dreamt of collaborating with her. I think this is something big for our [Latin] industry. I want the whole world to feel pride at this step I'm taking -- not just as an artist, but culturally.
MTV premieres video during international launch event
24 April 2019Tonight the music video for Medellín premiered during an international MTV launch event. Madonna was interviewed in the MTV studio in London, while fans in New York, Milan and Sao Paulo could ask questions via a live connection. Maluma also joined shortly from Miami.
One fan asked who directed the video, to which Madonna replied that it was directed by Diana Kunst and Mau Morgó, and that she especially loved how Kunst makes her videos look like paintings. Another fan who asked where the video was filmed, got the cheeky reply "I took a pill and had a dream".
When asked what it was like working with Mirwais again, M explained she had sent Mirwais some homemade recordings. When Mirwais sent back his reworked version a few days later, Madonna knew they had the same connection again.
Talking about connections, a fan referenced the Music line "Music makes the people come together" and wondered if that was reflected on the new album. Madonna talked long about the many international music connections she had in the past months, from Portugal to Cape Verde, and that music is really the connection between people, no matter which language they speak or which culture they have.
So what do you think of the video? Join the discussion on Facebook.
Watch the full interview:
Watch the music video:
Martha Graham created Madame X for young rebellious Madonna
Source: Facebook - 22 April 2019IN a new teaser clip, Madonna talks about the time when she moved to New York and went to the dance school of Martha Graham. As she rebelled against the many rules, Martha Graham gave her a new identity 'Madame X'.
In the background we hear a few lines from Extreme Occident:
Came from the Midwest and I went to the Far East. I tried to discover...
Life is a circle
The very first album teaser also contained a line from this track:
The thing that hurt the most was that I wasn't lost
More song releases, performances & appearances in the coming weeks
Source: iTunes - 20 April 2019Good news: before the album release on June 14th, another 4 tracks will be made available. They serve to further promote the album, although it doesn't necessarily mean they will be promoted as singles.
May 3: I Rise
May 10: Crave
May 17: Future
June 7: Dark Ballet
The month of May is also turning out very interesting:
May 1: Madonna and Maluma perform at the Billboard Music Awards
May 4: Madonna is honoured at the GLAAD Media Awards
May 6: Madonna will likely make an appearance at the MET Gala
May 18: Madonna performs at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv
Behind the scenes of the Medellin video
Source: Facebook - 19 April 2019Madonna and Maluma to perform 'Medellin' at 2019 Billboard Music Awards
Source: Billboard - 19 April 2019Madonna and Maluma are bringing the worldwide television debut performance of their single 'Medellin' to the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. The appearance, announced on Friday (April 19), will be Madonna's first performance of new music on TV in more than four years. The pair will take the stage on May 1 at the Kelly Clarkson hosted show, which will air on NBC at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
The first taste of Madonna's upcoming 14th studio album, Madame X (June 14), is a mid-tempo Spanish pop burner that finds the pair flirting over a skittering cha-cha beat, with Maluma telling the pop superstar, "Excuse me, I know you are Madonna/ But I'm going to show you how this perro (dog) will make you fall in love." Madonna last performed at the BBMA's in 2016 during a tribute to Prince.
They join a previously announced group of performers at this year's show, which include: the Jonas Brothers, BTS with Halsey, Kelly Clarkson, Lauren Daigle, Khalid, Panic! at the Disco and Sam Smith and Normani. The show from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will also feature a special performance from 2019 ICON Award recipient Mariah Carey.
'Medellin' translated: Maluma promises to be Madonna's Colombian King
Source: Billboard - 19 April 2019In her new song, 'Medellin', Madonna sings about a dream she had of being 17 years old and somehow landed in Colombia. There, she is greeted by Latin urban artist Maluma, who assures that she is safe in his hometown of Medellin.
The flirtatious Spanglish single, which officially dropped Wednesday (April 17), is a cha-cha electronic song fused with Latin flavors.
With lyrics such as, "Si quieres ser mi reina pues yo te corono / Y pa' que te sientes aquí tengo un trono," Maluma is letting Madonna know that he'll be her travel companion, he can protect her and love her forever if she agrees to be his queen.
Check out the full English lyrics translation for 'Medellin' below.
One two, one two, one two, cha cha cha
One two, two one, two one, cha cha chaI took a pill and had a dream (Me too)
I went back to my 17th year
Allowed myself to be naive (Tell me)
To be someone I've never been (I love it)I took a sip and had a dream
And I woke up in Medellín (Do you like it?)
The sun was caressing my skin (Tell me)
Another me could now begin (Woo)Relax, baby, I got you
We don't have to talk much to get things started
If you want to be my queen, I'll crown you
And here's a throne for you to take a seat
You like to ride, that's clear
If you feel that I'm going fast, I'll take it down a notch
Excuse me, I know you're Madonna
But I'll show you how this dog makes you fall in loveCome with me, let's take a trip
I'll take you to a far away place
Come with me, I'll be so good for you
You'll fall for me, You'll fall for me, mami (Ay-ay-ay)
Come with me, let's take a trip
Give me some of what you're drinking
Come with me, I'll be so good for you (Ay-ay-ay)Sipping my pain just like champagne
Found myself dancing in the rain with you
I felt so naked and alive (Show me)
For once I didn't have to hide myself (Say it)Hey mamacita, what's wrong? (Tell me)
We're already at my place (Yeah)
If you feel that there's a trip in your mine (woo)
Maybe it's because of the Aguardiente (tell them)
But baby, relax, enjoy the moment
We are in Colombia, there's a party in every corner
And if you want, we'll go to Detroit (You know)
If I know where you come from, then I know where to goCome with me, let's take a trip
I'll take you to a far away place
Come with me, I'll be so good for you
You'll fall for me, You'll fall for me, mami (Ay-ay-ay)
Come with me, let's take a trip
Give me some of what you're drinking
Come with me, I'll be so good for you (Ay-ay-ay)You'll fall for me (If I fall for you)
In less than a year, no, no (Hahaha)
We're going, we're going to Medallo (Oh, how sweet)
You'll fall for me (If I fall for you)
It's what I love, no, no
Then mami, mami, mami, we'll get married
(Cha-cha-cha)One two, cha-cha-cha (x3)
One two, slow down, papi (Woo)One two, cha-cha-cha (x3)
One two, ay-ay-ayWe built a cartel just for love
Venus was hovering above us (Oh, yeah)
I took a trip, it set me free (My queen)
Forgave myself for being me (Ay-ay-ay)Come with me, let's take a trip
I'll take you to a far away place
Come with me, I'll be so good for you
You'll fall for me, You'll fall for me, mami (Ay-ay-ay)
Come with me, let's take a trip
Give me some of what you're drinking
Come with me, I'll be so good for you (Ay-ay-ay)You'll fall for me (If I fall for you)
In less than a year, no, no (Hahaha)
We're going, we're going to Medallo (Oh, how sweet)
You'll fall for me (If I fall for you)
It's what I love, no, no
Then mami, mami, mami, we'll get married
(Cha-cha-cha)One two, cha-cha-cha (x3)
One two, slow down, papiOne two, cha-cha-cha (x3)
One two, ay-ay-ayOne two, two one
One two, two one
One one, two two
Cha, cha-cha-cha
Official press release for 'Madame X' release
Source: PR Newswire - 18 April 2019Madonna's highly-anticipated 14th studio album Madame X will be released on June 14th globally from Live Nation, Interscope Records and Maverick. The first track from the album "Medellín," with Colombian superstar Maluma, will be Zane Lowe's World Record today on Apple Music's Beats 1. Madame X is now available for pre-order. Album pre-orders include a download of the first track which is available across Apple, Spotify (pre-save), Amazon and all DSPs. Select additional tracks will become available before the album release.
Madonna will exclusively unveil the world premiere of her video and single "Medellín" with Maluma, during a globally televised MTV music event, "MTV Presents Madonna Live & Exclusive: 'Medellín' Video World Premiere," on Wednesday, April 24 at 9:00 pm BST / 4:00pm ET/ 1:00pm PT. Madonna will join British DJ Trevor Nelson and fans live from London for a conversation about the influences of her new album, and the creative forces behind her transcendent career. "Medellín" collaborator and Colombian pop star Maluma will join live from Miami. Madonna will also take questions during the global event via satellite from MTV's Sway Calloway and fans in New York City, with additional MTV-hosted events in Milan and São Paulo.
Influenced creatively by living in Lisbon, Portugal over the past several years, Madame X is a collection of 15 new songs that celebrate Madonna's career-long affair with Latin music and culture as well as other global influences. Singing in Portuguese, Spanish and English, highlights on the album include "Medellín," which was co-produced by Mirwais and captures the spirit of Maluma's hometown, the anthemic song "I Rise," the Jamaican dancehall vibes of "Future" featuring Quavo, and co-produced by Diplo, as well as the sonically innovative Mirwais produced "Dark Ballet." Recorded over 18 months in Portugal, London, New York and Los Angeles, Madonna collaborated on Madame X with longtime producer Mirwais, as well as with producers Mike Dean and Diplo, among others.
"Lisbon is where my record was born," Madonna says. "I found my tribe there and a magical world of incredible musicians that reinforced my belief that music across the world is truly all connected and is the soul of the universe."
Madame X will come in a standard and deluxe version of the album. A Target CD version will feature the deluxe version of Madame X plus an additional two tracks. Pre-order the Target deluxe at Target stores or online at Target.com. A variety of special bundles of Madame X with one-of-a-kind limited merchandise, as well as special vinyl and cassette versions of the album, are available now for pre-order as well HERE. Further details regarding the album, videos and appearances will be announced in the coming weeks.
Maluma's reaction when hearing the premiere of 'Medellín'
Source: Instagram.com - 18 April 2019Maluma shared a video of his emotional reaction when hearing the premiere of Medellín. The English translation of his message reads:
"Impossible to hold the tears and the emotions after listening to this... You people don't know how much this means to my LIFE and how happy it makes me! #Medellin available on every platform @madonna IT'S WORTH DREAMING... I TOLD YOU!"
Notice Madonna's reaction in the comments:
"Thank you ♥️🇱🇹 Madame ❌"
Madonna on working with Maluma on 'Medellín'
Source: Madonna.com - 18 April 2019Madonna sat down with Beats 1 / Apple Music to talk about her new record Madame X. In a teaser clip we hear what she thinks of Maluma.
Medellín video teaser + MTV contest
Source: Madonna.com - 18 April 2019Madonna has posted a small teaser for the 'Medellín' video, which will premiere next week, April 24 at 4pm (NYC) / 9pm (London).
Meanwhile, Madonna.com has organised a contest for the video premiere:
Madonna will officially unveil the world premiere of her 'Medellín' music video during a globally televised MTV music event on April 24th at 9:00pm BST / 4:00pm ET !
The live conversation with Madonna, along with the video world premiere and fan Q&A will take place in London. We also will be hosting official fan viewing satellite premiere events in New York, Milan and São Paulo.
If you are in London on April 24th and would like to be a part of the studio audience with a chance to ask Madame X a question about her new music, then this is your opportunity!
Now that you got to discover her journey to Medellín, please answer the following question: Where is Madame X going next?
Share your vision and interpretation in visuals, music or text by e-mailing it, along with your RSVP to madamex@madonna.com before 11:59pm BST on April 20th.
Medellín review – a shapeshifting return to form
Source: Guardian - 17 April 20194 stars out of 5
The disarming first song from the singer's 14th album has some lyrical clunkers but acts as a potent reminder of her genre-mashing skills
If any artist has shown her ability to code-switch between styles, it's Madonna, who's adroitly shifted from dominatrix to disco queen to Earth mother with previous album cycles. Her latest reinvention is Madame X: the title of her forthcoming 14th album (out 14 June), and also the name of a chameleonic character that she will play across the record. She announced it last week in a cinematic, enjoyably OTT video featuring a panoply of guises that included multiple eye patches and the singer wearing a hooded bonnet as if preparing for Gilead.
In a voiceover she details 15 identities – dancer, prisoner, nun and whore among others – and explains: "Madame X is a secret agent. Traveling around the world. Changing identities." And it seems that Madonna's gaze is reaching just as wide for Madame X, which features the American rap artists SwaeLee and Quavo, as well as the South American superstars Anitta and Maluma, the latter of whom is featured on the album's iridescent lead single, 'Medellín'.
Co-produced by Madonna's American Life collaborator Mirwais, 'Medellín' is quite unlike anything we've heard from the singer before, and her most subdued lead single since 1998's stately Frozen. The most initially disarming thing about it is its balmy sense of ease. "I woke up in Medellín," she sings over airy synths, before slyly adding, "Another me could now begin." A rhythmic reggaeton beat kicks in for a fiesta-starting chorus, with lovey-dovey call-and-response between the duo. At nearly five minutes, Medellín's pacing feels refreshingly relaxed, though it wouldn't be a Madonna co-write without a few lyrical clunkers ("pain" rhymed with "champagne"). It doesn't exactly do much to dispel stereotypes of Colombia either ("We built a cartel just for love," she sings).
But those are minor quibbles: Medellín is a potent reminder of Madonna's deft history of meshing genres and a convincing addition to the roll call of western megastars like Beyoncé and Justin Bieber linking up with Spanish-language artists. And unlike the occasional trend-chasing of her most recent albums, MDNA and Rebel Heart, Medellín proves that Madonna is well equipped to weather the demands of today's listening trends while bringing global styles into her own world. For Madonna, it seems that the streaming age may just speed up her shapeshifting.
Madonna’s Latin-pop 'Medellín' has left us gagging for the 'Madame X' era
Source: NME - 17 April 2019The first taste of new music from Madonna's Madame X is a surprising, self-reflective gem of a pop song.
Madonna is back, bitches. It's been four years since our lady released Rebel Heart – her EDM influenced thirteenth record – and after a week or so of mysterious social media teasers trailing upcoming album Madame X, the first new music from the OG queen of pop is here.
"One, two, one, two, one two, cha cha cha", a breathy Madonna whispers as she kicks off 'Medellín', and suddenly we're in a sticky Colombian dance studio. The track is a duet with reggaeton megastar, Maluma, a 25-year-old who is yet to make major gains in the western music market, but trust me when I say that in South America, he is a Very Big Deal.
In this collaboration, we find Madge in a reflective mood
"I took a pill and had a dream/I went back to my seventeenth year," she sings, "Allowed myself to be naïve/ to be someone I've never been".
In the four years that have passed since Rebel Heart, Madonna has relocated to Lisbon, Portugal, the act of a "Soccer Mom" hoping to help her son David fulfil his dreams of becoming a professional footballer. In October, Madonna shared photos of herself immersed in the Lisboa music scene: "Inspiration for my new record started here in Lisbon in Tejo bar", she said on Instagram of a small dive bar, a spot where locals watch live Fado music (RIP their low-key existence). All the signs were there that we could expect a Latin sound from M:14.
It was on a break from Portugal, in Marrakesh, that Madonna also celebrated her sixtieth birthday last summer. This, too, seems significant when delving into 'Medellín'. Reflectiveness is an inevitable side-effect of growing older: what would Madonna's life have been, should she have taken a different turn at 17? What if she approached the world with childlike naivety, rather than as the determined and fearless force we know, powered by the hurt by losing her mother at a young age. What if she ran away to Colombia?
In Maluma's Spanish verse, he calls on "his queen" to take a trip with him to Medellín. "We can go to Detroit if you want/I know where you're from," he sings, reminding us again, that Madonna, the highest grossing solo artist of all time, was at one point just a kid in Detroit, dreaming of making it big.
The chorus, has hooky cha-cha beats, pausing for Madge to beg Maluma to "slow down, Papi" – a line fans will guzzle up with glee. Start working, meme-makers.
And the track is everything we want from a Madonna comeback: it's fresh, (arguably her best work in years), it sets the tone for a brand new era and, if 'Medellín' is an indicator of what's to come, it'll be an exciting shift from the electro-pop bangers Madge has offered up in recent times.
Sure, this is not the first time we've heard her majesty dabble in the Spanish tongue – 'La Isla Bonita', being a classic example – but this is Madonna integrating herself into a musical genre that has real weight right now, pulling in an established artist from the Latin pop world to give it some gravitas.
From the teasers on social, we know Madame X is a chameleon, so who's to say if this is a flavour for the album as a whole. She is described as a cha-cha instructor, a professor, a head of state, a housekeeper, an equestrian, a prisoner, as student, a teacher, a nun, a cabaret singer, a saint and a prostitute.
We've had our dance lesson. Now, what next?
The different release formats of Madame X
Source: Facebook - 17 April 2019The album Madame X will be available in a Standard Edition, containing 13 tracks, and a Deluxe Edition, containing 15 tracks. An additional 3 bonus tracks will be available on a bonus disc in the Deluxe Box Set. Find the full tracklistings here.
The collectors will be happy to know that the album will be released on June 14 in many different physical formats:
Standard Edition - CD album, single disc
Double vinyl 12" album - Black Vinyl
Double vinyl 12" album - WEB Exclusive Clear Vinyl
Double vinyl 12" album - Rainbow picture disc
Deluxe Edition - CD album, double disc, hardcover
Deluxe Box Set - 2 CDs - hardcover, cassette album, 7" picture disc, poster, tattoo set
Compact cassette
Summer is here! Take a trip to Medellin with Madonna and Maluma
Source: Youtube - 17 April 2019One, two, cha cha cha, the new Madonna era is here! The new single Medellin is now out on online streaming services. Check out the lyrics here.
Confirmed: album tracklist, cover, credits and release date
Source: Instagram - 16 April 2019Medellín, the first single, will be released tomorrow, April 17, at 9am Los Angeles / 12pm New York / 5pm London time.
Meanwhile, the album Madame X has become available for pre-order, revealing the full tracklist, the run times and the writing credits. The official release date is June 14.
The album contains 15 tracks, half of which were produced by Mirwais. Maluma features on two tracks, while there are also features by Anitta, Swae Lee and Quavo. The track Batuka was co-written by her son David, while another song title seems to refer to her daughter Mercy.
The line "The thing that hurt the most was that I wasn't lost", which we heard in the Madame X announcement video, comes from the track Extreme Occident.
1. Medellín (4:58) – Written by Madonna Ciccone, Mirwais Ahmadzai, Maluma Londono & Barrera
2. Dark Ballet (4:15) – Written by Madonna Ciccone & Mirwais Ahmadzai
3. God Control (6:19) – Written by Madonna Ciccone & Mirwais Ahmadzai
4. Future (feat. Quavo) (3:54) – Written by Madonna Ciccone, Thomas Pentz, Brittany Talia Hazzard & Quavious Keyate Marshall
5. Batuka (4:57) – Written by Madonna Ciccone, Banda & Mirwais Ahmadzai
6. Killers Who Are Partying (5:29) – Written by Madonna Ciccone & Mirwais Ahmadzai
7. Crave (feat. Swae Lee) (3:22) – Written by Madonna Ciccone, Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown & Brittany Talia Hazzard
8. Crazy (4:02) – Written by Jason Evigan, Madonna Ciccone & Brittany Talia Hazzard
9. Come Alive (4:02) – Written by Jeff Bhasker, Madonna Ciccone & Brittany Talia Hazzard
10. Extreme Occident (3:42) – Written by Madonna Ciccone & Mirwais Ahmadzai
11. Faz Gostoso (feat. Anitta) (4:06) – Written by Carmo, Nuno, Oliveira, Seabra, Vieira, Rodrigues & Madonna Ciccone
12. Bitch I'm Loca (feat. Maluma) (2:51) – Written by Madonna Ciccone, L. D'Elia, Maluma Londono, Barrera, JAMES, Rodriguez & Stiven Rojas
13. I Don't Search I Find (4:08) – Written by Madonna Ciccone & Mirwais Ahmadzai
14. Looking For Mercy (4:50) – Written by Madonna Ciccone & Brittany Talia Hazzard
15. I Rise (3:44) – Written by Jason Evigan, Madonna Ciccone & Brittany Talia Hazzard
The cover picture below is from the Deluxe version of the album.
Confirmed: the new single "Medellin" will be out April 17
Source: Instagram - 15 April 2019The promotion machine is now in overdrive. After the exciting news that was revealed over the weekend, Madonna has now announced that the first single will be Medellin, a collaboration with Colombian singer Maluma. The single will be out on Wednesday, April 17th.
Confirmed: the new album is titled "Madame X"
Source: Instagram - 13 April 2019In a video posted on Instagram, Madonna has confirmed that "Madame X" is the title of her new album.
In the video, which was directed by Steven Klein, Madonna presents the different identities of Madame X, many of which were already in the list posted on Instagram earlier:
"A dancer, a professor, a head of state, a housekeeper, an equestrian, a prisoner, a student, a teacher, a nun, a mother, a child, a singer, a saint, a whore, and a spy in the house of love. I'm Madame X."
The video is set to one of the new songs, and we can hear the following lyrics:
"The thing that hurt the most was that I wasn't lost. I wasn't lost."
Madonna gives us: Madame X
Source: Instagram - 12 April 2019The hints on Madonna's Instagram are following each other faster, which could mean the new music will be out soon.
The mysterious texts are now forming quite an extensive description. The most recent post is empty to keep part of the text a mystery. But fans have been guessing that the first lines should read:
"Madame X is a secret agent.
Traveling around the world
Changing identities
Fighting for freedom
Bringing light to dark places"
It is becoming more and more obvious that Madonna is hinting at Madame X, the character from a 1908 play by Alexandre Bisson. The play has many times been adapted to film, most notably in 1966, with Lana Turner in the role of Madame X (yes, the same Lana that was mentioned in Vogue).
The proof for this theory can be found in the new playlist that was added to Madonna's Spotify channel. The first letter of the first sings songs form the name... Madame X! The playlist has the title #magic (but since we found out that Magic is NOT the album title, we don't know what this actually refers to). And when you play the songs on Spotify, you get an animated video of a large X.
So is Madame X the album title? Or is she Madonna's new alter-ego, like Dita was for Erotica? We'll find out #soon!
Confirmed: Madonna to perform at Eurovision finale on May 18
Source: Haaretz - 8 April 2019Madonna will perform at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in May, the European Broadcasting Union has confirmed.
The singer will likely perform two songs – a popular hit and a new song. The pop superstar and the contest's producers have previously butted heads, apparently because the new song she plans to debut contains political messages.
Madonna is expected to be accompanied by a 160-person entourage. Bringing her to perform at the contest is expected to cost about $1 million, which is to be provided by billionaire businessman Sylvan Adams.
The performance will be her fourth in Israel. The first came in 1993, and was followed by shows in 2009 and 2012. She has also visited Israel on other occasions in the context of her interest in Kabbalah.
Madonna follows up "X" promotion with new mysterious posts
Source: Instagram - 8 April 2019Since her mysterious posting on a red X on her Instagram account a week ago, Madonna has continued to post the letter X in her Instagram stories, without any further explanation.
Today, three new Instagram posts were added, forming a mysterious list: A student, A teacher, A nun, A cabaret singer, A saint, A prostitute.
Ever more sources are confirming that the posts are really to promote her new music. Rumours are strong that we can expect the first single around the 18th of April.
Madonna wants to direct her own biopic
Source: Daily Mail - 5 April 2019No one knows the life of Madonna Louise Ciccone better than... well, Madonna.
Which is why the superstar singer, actress and cultural icon is considering picking up the directing reins on a film project she had previously expressed disdain for.
Last year, when the pop monarch heard about a script by Elyse Hollander called Blond Ambition (named after Madonna's Nineties tour) that chronicled her rise from talented citizen to anointed pop royalty, she let it be known that she wasn't amused.
In an Instagram post, Madonna stormed: 'Nobody knows what I know and what I have seen. Only I can tell my own story.
'Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool. Looking for instant gratification without doing the work. This is a disease in our society.'
Hollander's screenplay was highly regarded by those who read it (though, clearly not Madonna).
The film was put into development by producer Michael De Luca and Universal Pictures. Since then, though, it has languished somewhat because the singer would not grant permission to use original songs from early in her career.
However, I understand that Madonna — who turned 60 last summer — has recently come to the realisation that she does want a celluloid record of how she conquered the world of music, fashion and film, seemingly simultaneously.
The idea put to me by film executives is that Madonna is thinking about directing the film herself.
If she can't shut the project down, then she might as well control it from within — and make a film to her specifications.
She's certainly good at casting — witness the smart hiring of Andrea Riseborough to portray the Duchess of Windsor in W.E. — and has a great sense of screen style.
But as we also saw from W.E. (which she again directed), Madonna needs a strong producer and dramatist to work with her.
The star's first chart hit was Holiday. The proposed film will focus on how that song got her the record deal that forged her career.
The Material Woman's thoughts about making the movie are on the money.
Since the success of Bohemian Rhapsody — and with Rocketman, a fantasy based on the life of Elton John, due out next month (footage I've seen is great, I just hope the discussions about whether to cut a sex scene are sorted out) — rock music on the big screen is hot.
Does Madona tease her new music... or new skincare sets?
Source: Instagram, Dazed Digital, thx to D. Goldthorp - 1 April 2019Many fans reacted excited when Madonna posted 9 pictures on her Instagram which together formed a large red X on a black background. Was the time finally near to announce her new single and/or album?
But it's possible the wait still isn't over. Another viable explanation for the mysterious Instagram posts is the launch of new skincare sets of MDNA Skin in a collaboration with Moschino. The sets are promoted under the new "MDNA Skin X Moschino" (notice the letter in the middle) and are launched... today. Read more on the skincare sets here.
Madonna also changed her Instagram profile picture. While it only shows a small close-up, it's clearly a new picture. But again, it's unclear whether the picture is promoting the upcoming album or the MDNA Skin sets... Time will tell.
