This week, in honor of the 15-year anniversary of Confessions on the Dancefloor, we celebrate the many accomplishments and artistic endeavors of Madonna. Born Madonna Louise Ciccone, Madonna has become one of music’s most recognizable and iconic performers. Known as the “Queen of Pop,” Madonna is an accomplished singer, songwriter, actor, and producer, who has been recognized the world over for pushing the boundaries in every aspect of her artistic expression while always maintaining complete control over every aspect of her impressive career. Madonna is well known for exploring social, political, sexual, and religious imagery and themes in her music.
Madonna was born outside of Detroit, Michigan, in the Summer of 1958. She moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance, and became a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist for the bands Breakfast Club and Emmy. Madonna experienced almost instantaneous solo stardom with the release of her debut album Madonna, in 1983.
the early 80s
In 1984, Madonna reached global popularity with the release of her second studio album Like a Virgin. The album quickly became a number one hit in the U.S., Germany, the UK, Spain, and Italy, among others, and went on to sell over 21 million copies worldwide. Madonna received enormous media coverage for her performance of “Like a Virgin” at the first MTV Video Music Awards. Wearing a wedding dress and white gloves, Madonna performed the single atop a wedding cake and then rolled around on the stage, in what has since been recognized as one of the most iconic pop performances of all time. The album’s second single “Material Girl” reached number two on the Hot 100.
the late 80s
In June of 1986, Madonna released her third studio album, True Blue, which topped the charts in 28 countries. True Blue produced five hit singles, and remains Madonna’s best-selling album of all time, with sales of over 25 million copies. True Blue was also featured in the 1992 Guinness World Records as the best-selling album by a woman of all time. In 1987, Madonna embarked on her Who’s That Girl World Tour, which broke several attendance records, including a concert attended by over 130,000 people in Paris. Later that year, Madonna released a remix album of past hits, You Can Dance, which reached number 14 on the Billboard 200. In 1991, her first documentary, Truth or Dare, chronicling the Blonde Ambition World Tour, became and remained the highest-grossing documentary of all time until 2002.
the early 90s
After a slew of critical successes throughout the 1990s, and the founding of her multimedia company Maverick, Madonna starred as Eva Perón in 1996’s Evita. The film went on to win Madonna a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and the film’s soundtrack, containing a number of tracks featuring Madonna, was released as a double album. Madonna was also presented with the Artist Achievement Award by Tony Bennet at the 1996 Billboard Music Awards.
the late 90s
Madonna’s seventh studio album, Ray of Light, was released in 1998 after the birth of her daughter Lourdes. The album garnered critical acclaim, and was awarded four Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Album and Best Dance Recording, and was nominated for both Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Ray of Light peaked at number one in countries around the world, and went on to sell over 16 million copies. In 2000, Madonna released her eighth studio album, Music, which has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.
the 2000s
Madonna’s tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, was released in November of 2005. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album, and gave rise to the global Confessions Tour. 2008 saw the release of Madonna’s eleventh studio album, Hard Candy, which featured artists like Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, and Timbaland. Her third greatest hits album, Celebration, was released in 2009 and reached number one in a number of different countries.
the 2010s
Madonna’s life and work have revolved heavily around filmmaking and charity work since the mid-2000s, with the founding of her Raising Malawi foundation, and the release of a number of documentaries and feature films. With the release of 2012’s MDNA album, and 2015’s Rebel Heart, Madonna reached a career milestone of thirteen studio albums. She subsequently released Madame X in 2019, which produced four number one singles.
Since 2019, Madonna has been focused on touring to promote her Madame X album, however the tour was cancelled after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In September of this year, she confirmed that a film about her life is currently being written, and that it is set to be produced by Amy Pascal.
