| Madonna |
|
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Madonna Louise Ciccone |
| Also known as |
Madonna Ciccone, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone |
| Born |
August 16, 1958 (1958-08-16) (age 50)
Bay City, Michigan, United States |
| Genre(s) |
Pop, rock |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer, songwriter, dancer,[1] record producer, film producer, film director, fashion designer, author, actress, entrepreneur |
| Instrument(s) |
Vocals, guitar, percussion |
| Voice type(s) |
Mezzo-soprano |
| Years active |
1979–present |
| Label(s) |
Sire (1982–1995)
Maverick (1992–2004)
Warner Bros. (1982–2008)
Live Nation Artists (2008-) |
| Associated acts |
Breakfast Club, Emmy |
| Website |
www.madonna.com |
Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone on August 16, 1958) is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance. After performing as a member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album, Madonna in 1983 by Sire Records.
A series of hit singles from her studio albums Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) transitioned her into global recognition, becoming a pop icon for pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in popular music and imagery in her music videos which became a fixture on MTV. She also gained recognition for her role in the film Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). Expanding on the use of religious imagery with Like a Prayer (1989), Madonna's image as a popular yet controversial figure grew as she received praise for the diverse musical productions in her albums, while at the same time receiving backlash from religious conservatives and the Vatican. In 1992, Madonna founded the Maverick corporation, as a joint venture between herself and Time Warner. The same year, she expanded the use of sexually explicit material in work, beginning the release of the studio album Erotica, followed by the publishing of the coffee table book Sex, and starring in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence, all of which received negative responses from conservatives and liberals alike.
In 1996, Madonna played the starring role in the film, Evita, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. Her single, "You Must Love Me" which was featured on the film's soundtrack album won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Madonna's seventh studio album Ray of Light (1998) became one of her most critically acclaimed, recognized for its lyrical depth. In 2005, Madonna released Confessions on a Dance Floor, which earned the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. Her eleventh studio album Hard Candy (2008), became her seventh to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Departing from Warner Bros. Records, Madonna signed an unprecedented $120 million dollar contract with Live Nation the same year.[2]
Madonna is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling female rock artist of the twentieth century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States with sixty-three million certified albums; she has sold over two-hundred million albums worldwide.[3][4][5] In 2007, Guinness World Records listed her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the following year.[6][7] Considered to be one of the most influential women in contemporary music, Madonna has been known for continually reinventing her music and image and for retaining a standard of anonymity within the recording industry; she is recognized as an influence among numerous music artists.
Biography
1958–1981: Early Life and Beginnings
Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan at 7:05 AM on August 16, 1958. Her mother, Madonna Louise (née Fortin), was of French Canadian(Québec) descent, and her father, Silvio "Tony" P. Ciccone, was a first-generation Italian American Chrysler/General Motors design engineer whose parents originated from Pacentro, Abruzzo, Italy.[8][9] Madonna is the third of six children; her siblings are Martin, Anthony, Paula Mae, Christopher, and Melanie.[10]
Madonna was raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills). Her mother died of breast cancer at age 30 on December 1, 1963. Her father then married the family's housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, and they had two children; Jennifer and Mario Ciccone. "I didn't accept my stepmother when I was growing up," Madonna said. "In retrospect, I think I was really hard on her."[11] Madonna convinced her father to allow her to take ballet classes.
She attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Elementary Schools (the latter is now Holy Family Regional School), and after that West Middle School. There she became known for her high GPA - and for her "unusual" behavior, particularly a kind of an underwear fetish: Madonna performed cartwheels and handstands in the hallways between classes, dangled by her knees from the monkey bars during recess, and thought nothing of tugging her skirt up over her desk during class so that all the boys could see her briefs.
Madonna later went to Rochester Adams High School, becoming a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. Madonna received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan after graduating from high school.[12]
Madonna's ballet teacher persuaded her to pursue a career in dance, so she left the college at the end of 1977 and relocated to New York City.[13] Madonna had little money and for some time lived in squalor, working at Dunkin' Donuts and with modern dance troupes.[14] Of her move to New York, Madonna said, "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done."[15] While performing as a dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour,[16] Madonna became romantically involved with the musician Dan Gilroy, with whom she later formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club, in New York.[17][18] She sang and played drums and guitar for the band before forming another band called Emmy in 1980 with drummer and former boyfriend Stephen Bray.[19] She and Bray wrote and produced dance songs that brought her to local attention in the New York dance clubs. Disc jockey and record producer Mark Kamins was impressed by her demo recordings, so he brought her to the attention of Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.[20]
In her early years in New York City she dated Dan Gilroy, collaborator Stephen Bray[21], and DJ and record producer Mark Kamins[22]. In the fall of 1982 she began an intense affair with artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, living with him for a time in his loft, and visiting Los Angeles over December 82-January 83.[23][24] Although this was called an unusual (for either of them) "relationship of equals" [25], she left the artist soon after, over his drug use and late hours, and took up with Musician Jellybean Benitez.[21]
1982–1985: Madonna, Like a Virgin and marriage to Sean Penn
Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire Records, a label belonging to Warner Bros. Records.[26] Her first release was "Everybody" on April 24, 1982.[27] Her debut album, Madonna was primarily produced by Reggie Lucas.
Slowly Madonna's look and manner of dress, performances and music videos, became influential among young girls and women. Largely created by stylist and jewelry designer Maripol, Madonna's style of dress, defined by lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the Christian cross, multiple bracelets, and bleached hair, became a female fashion trend in the 1980s.[28] Her follow up album, Like a Virgin, became her first number one album on the Billboard 200 chart.[29] Its commercial performance was buoyed by the success of its title track, "Like a Virgin," which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks.[16] The album sold approximately twelve million copies worldwide, eight of which in the United States alone.[30] She performed the song at the first MTV Video Music Awards, wearing her then-trademark "Boy Toy" belt.[31] Like a Virgin is listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the Definitive 200 Albums of All Time.[32][33]
In 1985, Madonna entered mainstream films, beginning with a brief appearance as a club singer in the film Vision Quest. Its soundtrack contained her second US number-one single "Crazy for You".[34] Later that year, she appeared in Desperately Seeking Susan. The film introduced the song "Into the Groove," which became her first number-one single in the UK.[35] While filming the music video for "Material Girl" Madonna started dating actor Sean Penn and married him on her 27th birthday that year.[36] The same year, Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in North America titled The Virgin Tour, with the Beastie Boys.[37] In July that year, Penthouse and Playboy magazines published a number of nude photos of Madonna taken in New York in 1978 when she was in need of money.[38] Because she had signed the appropriate release forms, she could not take legal action to block them.[38] She remained defiant and unapologetic upon publication of the photos for which she was paid as little as $25 a session, then sold for up to $100,000.[38] At the outdoor Live Aid charity concert at the height of the controversy, Madonna made a critical reference to the media and stated she would not take her jacket off because "they might hold it against me ten years from now."[39]
1986–1991: True Blue, Like a Prayer and the Blond Ambition Tour
Madonna released her third album, True Blue, in 1986, prompting Rolling Stone to say that "it sounds as if it comes from the heart."[40] The album included the ballad "Live to Tell", which she wrote for the film At Close Range, starring her then-husband Sean Penn. True Blue produced five top five singles on the Billboard charts namely, "Live to Tell", "Papa Don't Preach", "Open Your Heart", "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita".[41] In the same year, Madonna starred in the film Shanghai Surprise and made her theatrical debut in a production of David Rabe's Goose and Tom-Tom, both co-starring Sean Penn.[42]
In 1987, Madonna starred in Who's That Girl, and contributed four songs to its soundtrack; including the title track and the United States number-two single, "Causing a Commotion".[43] In the same year, she embarked on the Who's That Girl World Tour. It marked her first conflict with the Vatican, as Pope John Paul II urged Catholic fans not to attend her concerts.[44] Later that year, Madonna released a remix album of past hits, You Can Dance. In 1988, city officials in the town of Pacentro began to construct a 13-foot (4 m) statue of Madonna in a bustier.[45] The statue commemorates the fact that her ancestors had lived in Pacentro.[46] In 1988, Madonna starred as Karen in a Broadway play by David Mamet called Speed-the-Plow.[47]
In early 1989, Madonna signed an endorsement deal with soft drink manufacturer Pepsi. She debuted her new song, "Like a Prayer", in a Pepsi commercial and also made a music video for it. The video, which featured many Catholic symbols such as stigmata and burning crosses, was condemned by the Vatican.[31] Since the commercial and music video were nearly identical, Pepsi was unable to convince the public that their commercial had nothing that could be deemed inappropriate. They revoked the commercial and cancelled their sponsorship contract with Madonna. However, she was allowed to retain her fee for the contract.[48] The same year Madonna's marriage to Sean Penn also ended. After filing and withdrawing divorce papers in December 1987, they separated on New Year's Eve 1988 and divorced in January 1989.[49] Of her marriage to Penn, Madonna said, "I was completely obsessed with my career and not ready to be generous in any shape or form."[36]
Madonna's fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, released in 1989, was co-written and co-produced by Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray.[50] Rolling Stone hailed it as "...as close to art as pop music gets".[51] Like a Prayer peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart and sold seven million copies worldwide, with four million copies sold in the United States alone.[52] The album produced three top five singles namely the title track (her seventh number-one single on the Hot 100), "Express Yourself" and "Cherish".[41]
In 1990, Madonna starred as "Breathless" Mahoney in a film adaptation of the comic book series Dick Tracy.[53] To accompany the launching of the film in May 1990, she released I'm Breathless that includes songs inspired by the film's 1930s setting. It featured her eighth US number-one single, "Vogue",[54] and her Academy Award-winning song "Sooner or Later".[55] The second single released from I'm Breathless was "Hanky Panky", which peaked in the United States at number nine.[56] While shooting for the film, Madonna began a relationship with actor Warren Beatty.[57] Beatty also appeared on the cover of I'm Breathless and in her documentary Truth or Dare. The couple broke up in the fall of 1990, after a year and a half together.[58][59]
In April 1990, Madonna began her Blond Ambition World Tour. Featuring religious and sexual themes, the tour drew controversy for her performance of "Like a Virgin" during which two male dancers caressed her body before she simulated masturbation.[60] The Pope again encouraged Catholics not to attend to it.[61] A private association of Catholics, called Famiglia Domani, also boycotted the tour for featuring eroticism.[62] In response, Madonna said, "I am Italian American and proud of it" and that the Church "completely frowns on sex... except for procreation."[63]
In November 1990, Madonna released her first greatest hits compilation album, The Immaculate Collection, which included two new songs called "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me".[64] "Rescue Me" became the highest-debuting single by a female artist in Billboard chart history at that time, entering at number fifteen and peaking at number nine.[16] "Justify My Love" became a Madonna's ninth US number-one single. Its music video featured scenes of sadomasochism, bondage,[65] same-sex kissing and brief nudity.[66] It was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and banned from the station.[65] In December, it was announced that Madonna had pulled out of the controversial Jennifer Lynch film Boxing Helena.[67][68]
In 1991, Madonna starred in her first documentary film, Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with Madonna outside North America), which chronicled her Blond Ambition World Tour, as well as her personal life.[69] The following year, she appeared in the baseball film A League of Their Own with a portrayal of Italian American Mae Mordabito, and recorded the film's theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground" which became her tenth Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit.[70]
From late 1990 to early 1991[71], Madonna dated Tony Ward,[72] a model and porn star who starred in her music videos for "Cherish" (1989) and "Justify My Love" (1990). Madonna also had an eight-month relationship with rapper Vanilla Ice[72] in 1991, and dated basketball player Dennis Rodman in the mid 1990s.[72] Madonna also dated Andy Bird in the late 1990s, who sold his story about their eighteen-month relationship in 2000.[73]
1992–1996: Maverick, release of Sex book and Evita
Madonna at the Madrid premiere of
Evita - November 20, 1996.
In 1992, Madonna founded her own entertainment company, Maverick, consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and also music publishing, television, merchandising and book-publishing divisions. It was a joint venture with Time Warner as part of a $60 million recording and business deal. The deal gave her a twenty percent royalty, equal at the time to Michael Jackson's.[27] The first release from the venture was Madonna's first publication Sex, a book consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images photographed by Steven Meisel. It caused media controversy but sold 1,500,000 copies at $50 each in a matter of days.[74][75] At the same time she released her fifth studio album Erotica. It peaked at number two in the United States, becoming one of her least successful records.[75][76] Its title track peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[41] The album also produced five further singles namely "Deeper and Deeper", "Bad Girl", "Fever", "Rain" and "Bye Bye Baby".[77]
During 1993, she starred in two films. First was the erotic thriller Body of Evidence. The film contained S&M and bondage and was poorly received by critics.[78][79] The second was the first production for Maverick Films, Dangerous Game. It was released straight-to-video in North America but received some good reviews for Madonna's performance. The New York Times described that "She submits impressively to the emotions raging furiously around her."[80] Madonna expressed her disappointment regarding the final cut of the film, claiming that the director had cut many of her key scenes and completely changed the ending.[81] Madonna embarked on The Girlie Show World Tour at the end of 1993. It featured her dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix, surrounded by topless dancers.[82] The controversy continued in Puerto Rico when she rubbed its flag between her legs on stage, while Orthodox Jews protested against her first ever show in Israel.[83]
In the spring of 1994, Madonna released the single "I'll Remember" which she recorded for Alek Keshishian's film With Honors. That year, she also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, using four-letter words and asking Letterman to smell her underwear.[84] That same year she began dating rap artist Tupac Shakur, who she wanted to have a child with. The two would continue to date through that year into 1995 during his incarceration.[85] Later that year, she released her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories. It produced four singles— "Secret", "Take a Bow" which spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100,[70] "Bedtime Story" and "Human Nature".[86] In September 1994, in Central Park, Madonna met fitness trainer Carlos Leon who became her trainer and lover.[87]
In November 1995, Madonna released Something to Remember, a collection of her ballads which featured her cover of the Marvin Gaye song "I Want You" and the top ten hit song "You'll See". In 1996, Madonna’s most critically successful film, Evita, was released.[88] She portrayed the main part of Eva Perón, a role first played by Elaine Paige in the West End.[89] The soundtrack album contained three of her singles, of which "You Must Love Me" won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song From a Motion Picture. Madonna also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.[90] On October 14, 1996, Madonna gave birth to her and Carlos Leon's daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon.[91]
1997–2001: Ray of Light, Music, second marriage and Drowned World Tour
Madonna with her then husband Guy Ritchie at the premiere of his film
Revolver - September 11, 2005.
Madonna's 1998 studio album Ray of Light debuted at number two in the United States.[86] Allmusic called it her "most adventurous record."[92] The album produced two US top five singles: "Frozen", which reached number two and "Ray of Light", which reached five.[41] It also won three Grammy Awards the same year.[93] The title track "Ray of Light" won a Grammy for "Best Short Form Music Video", Best Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards and was used by Microsoft in its advertising campaign to introduce Windows XP.[94][95] The first single "Frozen" was adjudicated to be a plagiarism of Belgian songwriter Salvatore Acquaviva's 1993 song "Ma Vie Fout L'camp", and the album banned in Belgium.[96] The album has been ranked number 363 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[97] In 1998, Madonna was signed to play a violin teacher in the film Music of the Heart but left the project, citing "creative differences" with director Wes Craven.[98] Madonna followed the success of Ray of Light with the single "Beautiful Stranger",[99] recorded for the 1999 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack. It reached number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 with airplay alone.[100]
In 2000, Madonna starred in the movie The Next Best Thing. She contributed two songs to the film's soundtrack, "Time Stood Still" and the international hit "American Pie", a cover version of the 1970s Don McLean single.[101] Madonna's eighth studio album, Music, was released in 2000 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.[102] It produced three successful singles in the U.S.; "Music", which became Madonna's twelfth number one single as well as "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like for a Girl".[103] The latter's music video depicted Madonna committing murders and accidents with cars and was banned by MTV and VH1 from airing.[104] The same year Madonna became involved with Guy Ritchie, whom she had met in 1999 through mutual friends Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler. On August 11, 2000, she gave birth to their son, Rocco.[105] On December 22, 2000, Madonna and Ritchie were married in Scotland.[106]
In 2001, Madonna began her first world tour since 1993, the Drowned World Tour, visiting cities in North America and Europe. The tour was a success as one of the highest grossing of the year.[107] It grossed $75 million from 47 sold-out shows.[108] She also released her second greatest hits collection, GHV2 to coincide with the home video release of the tour. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200.[109]
2002–2006: American Life, Confessions on a Dance Floor and adoption case
Madonna performing at the
Live 8 benefit concert - July 2, 2005.
In 2002, Madonna starred in the film Swept Away directed by her husband Guy Ritchie. The film was a commercial and critical failure and released straight-to-video in the UK.[110] Later that year, she released the title song "Die Another Day" to the 20th James Bond film, in which she had a cameo role. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Raspberry for Worst Song.[41][111][112]
In 2003, Madonna collaborated with fashion photographer Steven Klein on an exhibition installation named X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS. It included photography from a photoshoot in W Magazine and seven video segments. The installation ran from March 28 to May 3, 2003, in New York's Deitch Projects gallery. It then traveled the world in an edited form.[113] Madonna released her ninth studio album American Life, themed on American society. It received mixed reviews.[114] The title song peaked at number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100.[115] Having sold four million copies,[116] American Life became the lowest selling album of her career.[117] Later that year, Madonna performed the song "Hollywood" with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna kissed Spears and Aguilera during the performance, resulting in tabloid press frenzy.[118][119] That fall, Madonna provided guest vocals on Spears' single "Me Against the Music".[120] During the Christmas season of 2003, Madonna released Remixed & Revisited, a remix EP that included rock versions of songs from American Life, and "Your Honesty", a previously unreleased track from the Bedtime Stories recording sessions.[121]
In March 2004, Madonna and Maverick sued Warner Music Group and its former parent company, Time Warner, claiming that mismanagement of resources and poor bookkeeping had cost the company millions of dollars. In return, WMG filed a countersuit, alleging that Maverick had lost tens of millions of dollars on its own.[122][123] On June 14, 2004, the dispute was resolved when Maverick shares owned by Madonna and Ronnie Dashev were purchased. The company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music but Madonna is still signed to Warner under a separate recording contract.[122] Later that year, Madonna embarked on the Re-Invention World Tour in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It became the highest-grossing tour of 2004, earning $125 million.[124] She made a documentary about the tour named I'm Going to Tell You a Secret.[125] That same year, Rolling Stone ranked her number thirty-six on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[126]
In January 2005, Madonna performed a cover version of the John Lennon song "Imagine" on the televised concert "Tsunami Aid", which raised money for the tsunami victims in Asia.[127] The same year, Madonna performed at the Live 8 benefit concert in London in July, supporting the aims of the UK's Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty.[128] Her performances of "Like a Prayer", "Ray of Light" and "Music" were included in the Live 8 DVD.[129] Her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor was released that year and has sold more than eight million copies.[130] The album received positive reviews with critics claiming it as a return to commercial prominence for her.[131] However, Israeli rabbis condemned the song "Isaac" from the album because they believed it was a tribute to Rabbi Isaac Luria and claimed that Jewish law forbids commercialising a rabbi's name. Madonna claimed that she had named it after an Israeli singer and said, "The album isn't even out, so how could Jewish scholars in Israel know what my song is about?"[132] The first single from the album, "Hung Up" went on to reach number-one in a record breaking forty-five countries.[133] "Sorry", the second single became Madonna's twelfth number one in the UK,[134][135] Other singles from the album are "Get Together" and "Jump".
In mid-2006, Madonna became the worldwide model for H&M.[136] The next year, the clothing line M by Madonna was launched internationally.[137] Madonna's Confessions Tour began in May 2006. It had a global audience of 1.2 million people and, with reported gross sales of $260.1 million.[138] The use of religious symbols such as the crucifix and Crown of Thorns in the performance of "Live to Tell" caused the Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia to urge all their members to boycott her concert.[139] Vatican officials claimed her mock crucifixion was an open attack on Catholicism,[140] to which Madonna responded that, "My performance is neither anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole."[141]
In October 2006, Madonna traveled to Malawi to help build an orphanage, which she also funded as part of the Raising Malawi initiative.[142] On October 10, 2006, she filed adoption papers for a boy named David Banda Mwale, born on September 24, 2005 and renamed David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie.[143][144] Banda was flown out of Malawi on October 16.[145] The adoption raised strong public reaction because Malawian law requires would-be parents to reside in Malawi for one year before adopting.[146] The effort was highly publicised and culminated in legal disputes.[147]
Madonna refuted the allegations on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She said that there are no written adoption laws in Malawi that regulate foreign adoption and that Banda had been suffering from pneumonia after surviving malaria and tuberculosis when she met him.[148][149] Singer and humanitarian activist, Bono, defended her by saying, "Madonna should be applauded for helping to take a child out of the worst poverty imaginable."[150] Some said that Banda's biological father Yohane did not understand what adoption meant and had assumed that the arrangement was fostering. He said, "These so-called human rights activists are harassing me every day, threatening me that I am not aware of what I am doing." He also said, "They want me to support their court case, a thing I cannot do for I know what I agreed with Madonna and her husband."[151] Madonna responded that Banda had rejected her offer of financial support and preferred adoption.[152] The adoption was finalized on May 28, 2008.[153]
2007–present: Live Nation, Hard Candy and the Sticky & Sweet Tour
In May 2007, Madonna released the download-only song "Hey You", in anticipation of Live Earth, which was free for its first week. She also performed it at the London Live Earth concert in July 2007.[154] In October 2007, Madonna announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records and a new $120 million, ten year contract with Live Nation. She was the founding recording artist for the new music division, Live Nation Artists.[155]
In December 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Madonna as one of the five inductees of 2008.[156] The ceremony took place on March 10, 2008.[157] Madonna also directed her first film, Filth and Wisdom and produced and wrote I Am Because We Are, a documentary on the problems faced by Malawians directed by her former gardener Nathan Rissman.[158][159] Filth and Wisdom received mixed reviews from the British press. The Times Online said she has "done herself proud" while The Daily Telegraph described the film as "not an entirely unpromising first effort [but] Madonna would do well to hang on to her day job."[160][161] The Guardian praised I Am Because We Are, saying that she "came, saw and conquered the world's biggest film festival."[159]
In 2008, Madonna released her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It was lauded by Rolling Stone as an "impressive taste of her upcoming tour."[162] The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, where Madonna achieved ten number one albums.[163] It also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with over 280,000 copies sold.[164] The album received mostly positive reviews worldwide,[165] though some critics panned it as "an attempt to harness the urban market".[166] Its lead single "4 Minutes" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100.[41] The single scored Madonna her thirty-seventh Billboard Hot 100 top ten hit, making her the artist with the most top ten hits in the history of the chart, surpassing Elvis Presley.[167] In the United Kingdom, she retained her record for the most number one singles for a female artist, this being her thirteenth.[168]
On August 23, 2008, Madonna embarked on the Sticky & Sweet Tour, her first major venture with Live Nation. It became the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist with gross of $US280 million, surpassing the title previous held by her 2006 Confessions Tour.[169][170] The tour also set new records in several countries for attendance and ticket sales.[171][172][173] On January 30, 2009, it was announced the tour would be extended, adding new European dates commencing on July 4, 2009 at the O2 Arena in London.[174]
Life with My Sister Madonna, a controversial book by Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, was released on July 14, 2008. The book debuted at number two on the New York Times Best Seller List.[175] The book was not authorized by Madonna and led to a rift between the siblings.[176] Madonna filed for divorce from husband Guy Ritchie in October 2008.[177] A preliminary decree of divorce was granted Friday, November 21, 2008, and became final on Friday, January 2, 2009.[178] By December 15, 2008, the couple had agreed to a divorce settlement, the terms of which grant Richie between £50million and £60million, a figure that includes the value of the couple's country house in England.[179] After the divorce, Madonna was linked with Jesus Luz,[180] a Brazilian male model who is nearly 30 years her junior.[181]
On March 2, 2009, Madonna was honored with the Japan Gold International Artist of the Year award at the RIAJ Gold Disc Awards for her album Hard Candy.[182] In April, Madonna donated $500,000 USD to the victims of the L'Aquila earthquake in Italy.[183] Madonna decided to adopt again from Malawi in 2009. The country's High Court initially approved the adoption of Chifundo "Mercy" James, born January 22, 2006.[184] However the adoption was later ruled out with court registrar Ken Manda stating that the adoption was rejected since Madonna is not a resident of Malawi.[185] This ruling was overturned by the country's highest court in June 2009. Chinula immediately began working on passport arrangements for Mercy James.[186] However, on Friday, June 12, 2009, the Supreme Court of Malawi granted Madonna the rights to adopt Mercy James.[187]
Madonna started working on her upcoming greatest hits album, her closing album with Warner Bros. Records. Her manager Guy Oseary has asked for the inputs of the fans regarding what songs should make into the final tracklisting. Madonna is also reportedly recording new material for the album which is tentatively due out in September.[188] In June, Forbes Magazine has named her as the third most powerful celebrity of the year.[189]
Musical style and influences
Madonna's Catholic background and relationship with her parents were reflected in the album Like a Prayer.[190][191] It is also an evocation of the impact religion had on her career.[192] Her video for the title track contains Catholic symbolism, such as the stigmata. During The Virgin Tour, she wore a rosary and also prayed with it in the music video for "La Isla Bonita".[193]
Madonna has also referred to her Italian heritage in her work. The video for "Like a Virgin", features Venetian settings.[194] The "Open Your Heart" video sees her boss scolding her in Italian. In Ciao, Italia! - Live from Italy, the video release of her Who's That Girl Tour, she dedicates the song "Papa Don't Preach" to the Pope ("Papa" is the Italian word for "Pope".)[195]
In 1985, Madonna commented that the first song to ever make a strong impression on her was "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra and that it summed up her "take-charge attitude."[196] As a young woman, she attempted to broaden her taste in literature, art, and music, and during this time became interested in classical music. She noted that her favorite style was baroque, and loved Mozart and Chopin because she liked their "feminine quality".[197] In 1999, Madonna identified musical influences that impacted her such as Debbie Harry, Karen Carpenter, The Supremes and Led Zeppelin, and dancers like Martha Graham and Rudolf Nureyev.[198] In an interview with The Observer, Madonna professed her inspirations—Detroit natives The Raconteurs and The White Stripes, as well as New York band The Jett Set.[199]
During her childhood, Madonna was inspired by actors, later saying, "I loved Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday and Marilyn Monroe. They were all incredibly funny...and I saw myself in them...my girlishness, my knowingness and my innocence".[196] Her "Material Girl" music video recreated Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and she later studied the screwball comedies of the 1930s, particularly those of Lombard, in preparation for her film Who's That Girl. The video for "Express Yourself" (1989) was inspired by Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis (1927). The video for "Vogue" recreated the style of Hollywood glamour photographers, in particular Horst P. Horst, and imitated the poses of Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard and Rita Hayworth, while the lyrics referenced many of the stars who had inspired her.[200] Among them was Bette Davis, described by Madonna as an idol, along with Louise Brooks and Dita Parlo.[201] Madonna was also influenced by Andy Warhol for the 1992 music videos for "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper".
Madonna has also been influenced by the art world, most notably by Frida Kahlo.[202] Her 1995 music video to "Bedtime Story" featured images inspired by the paintings of Kahlo and Remedios Varo.[203] Her 2003 video to "Hollywood" was a homage to the work of photographer Guy Bourdin which led to a lawsuit by Bourdin's son due to the use of his father's work without permission.[204]
Legacy
Author Mary Cross documented in her book, Madonna a Biography (2007), that "the year 1984 was unbelievable for Madonna. Indisputably, she was now the Queen of Pop".[205] Rodger Streitmatter reported in his book Sex Sells! (2004) that "from the moment Madonna burst onto the nation's radar screen in the mid-1980s, she did everything in her power to shock the public, and her efforts paid off".[206] He further commented, "The reigning Queen of Pop thrived on the criticism, and continued, throughout the decade, to reiterate the most fundamental of her issues by consistently celebrating women's sexual power".[206] There has been speculation about her relationships with other women, including Naomi Campbell and Sandra Bernhard. The book Sex depicts her in sexual situations with men and women, and she has been credited with educating people about bisexuality.[207] Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge (2000) stated, "Madonna may have preached control, but she created an illusion of sexual availability that many female pop artists felt compelled to emulate".[208] The book further documented she served as a role model as a businesswoman, "achieving the kind of financial control that women had long fought for within the industry" generating over $1.2 billion dollars in sales within the first decade of her career.[208] According to Rolling Stone, Madonna "remains one of the greatest pop acts of all time".[209] Madonna is also "the world's highest earning female singer on earth".[210]
Madonna's 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour became the highest grossing concert tour by a solo artist.[211] In the United Kingdom, she is the most successful female in the singles chart history and has more number one singles than any other female solo artist.[212] In 2008, she surpassed Elvis Presley as the artist with most top ten hits in the history of Billboard Hot 100.[213] In 2007, Madonna was listed by VH1 as eighth in the Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.[214] On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[215]
In 2006 a new water bear species (Latin: Tardigrada), Echiniscus madonnae,[216] was named after Madonna. The paper with the description of E. madonnae was published in the international journal of animal taxonomy Zootaxa in March 2006 (Vol. 1154, pages: 1–36). The authors' justification for the name of the new species was: "We take great pleasure in dedicating this species to one of the most significant artists of our times, Madonna Louise Veronica Ritchie." The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) number of the species is 711164.[217]
Madonna has generated academic interest. Interdisciplinary research and publications address her relationship to and place within commodity culture, the mass-media spectacles she creates, and the iconography of minority groups such as gay and lesbian people, which she uses in videos such as those for "Vogue", "Like a Prayer", "La Isla Bonita" and "Borderline". These publications were so extensive that in the 1990s, academics would refer to "Madonna Studies" as a sub-field of media studies.[218]
Discography
Other works
See also
References
- ^ "Interview: Madonna Reviews Life on Larry King Live". CNN. 19 Jan 1999. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9901/19/madonna.lkl/. Retrieved on 21 Nov 2008.
- ^ Smith, Ethan (2007-12-03), "Live Nation is widening its stage; Concert titan seeks new business arenas that will help it rock", Wall Street Journal: 4, ISSN 09219986
- ^ "Queen of Pop Madonna Crowned Highest Earning Female Singer on Earth". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers Ltd). September 28, 2006. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=407501&in_page_id=1773. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ "Top Selling Artists". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTopArt. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
- ^ "The American Recording Industry Announces Its Artists of the Century". Recording Industry Association of America. November 10, 1999. http://www.riaa.com/newsitem.php?news_year_filter=1999&resultpage=2&id=3ABF3EC8-EF5B-58F9-E949-3B57F5E313DF. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
- ^ Bowman, Edith (May 26, 2007). "BBC World Visionaries: Madonna Vs. Mozart". BBC News. http://www.visionariesdebate.com/visionaries.php?id=3. Retrieved on 2008-05-12. "In 2000, Guinness World Records listed Madonna as the most successful female recording artist of all time."
- ^ "Madonna Leads List of Rock Hall Inductees". CNN. December 13, 2007. http://showhype.com/article/madonna_leads_list_of_rock_hall_inductees/. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
- ^ Worrell, Denise (May. 27, 1985). "Now: Madonna on Madonna". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957025,00.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ "The Child Who Became a Star: Madonna Timeline". The Daily Telegraph. 26 Jul 2006. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/campaigns/madonna/madonna1.xml. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
- ^ "Madonna Biography". FOX News. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193740,00.html?sPage=fnc.entertainment/madonna. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ "Madonna Biography: Part 1". People. http://www.people.com/people/madonna/biography. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ Tilden, Imogen (2001-07-04). "Madonna". The Guardian.
