Madonna

{{Short description|American singer and actress (born 1958)}} {{About|the musician|the religious figure|Mary, mother of Jesus|other uses}} {{Redirect|Queen of Pop}} {{Featured article}} {{Pp-blp|small=yes}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Madonna | image = MadonnaO2171023 (97 of 133) (53269593787) (cropped).jpg | caption = Madonna in 2023 | alt = Madonna standing behind a microphone | birth_name = Madonna Louise Ciccone | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|8|16}} | birth_place = Bay City, Michigan, US | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Sean Penn|1985|1989|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Guy Ritchie|2000|2008|end=divorced}} }} | partner = Carlos Leon (1995–1997) | children = 6, including Lourdes Leon | occupation = {{flatlist| * Singer * songwriter * record producer * actress }} | years_active = 1979–present | works = {{flatlist| * Albums * songs ** singles ** unreleased * videos * concerts * films * books * fashion brands }} | awards = Full list | module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes | origin = New York City | genre = {{flatlist| * Pop * electronica * dance }} | instruments = {{flatlist| * Vocals * guitar }} | label = {{flatlist| * Warner * Sire * Maverick * Interscope }} | past_member_of = {{flatlist| * Breakfast Club * Emmy }} }} | relatives = Christopher Ciccone (brother) | website = {{URL|madonna.com}} | signature = Madonna's signature.svg }}

'''Madonna Louise Ciccone'''{{efn|Madonna goes by her first name, and has used the name and trademark since 1979 according to the World Intellectual Property Organization.<ref>{{cite news |author=Geneva |date=October 16, 2000 |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/10/16/madonna.cybersquatter.reut/ |title=Madonna Wins Domain Name Battle |publisher=CNN |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119165330/http://edition.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/10/16/madonna.cybersquatter.reut/ |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |access-date=July 30, 2022}}</ref>}} ({{IPAc-en|tʃ|ᵻ|ˈ|k|oʊ|n|i}} {{respell|chih|KOH|nee}}; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "'''Queen of Pop'''", she is known for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation. Madonna broke gender barriers in popular music through works that explored social, political, sexual, and religious themes and generated both controversy and critical acclaim. She has had a significant socio-cultural impact across her career and is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of all time.

Madonna moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in dance. After performing as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in the rock bands Breakfast Club and Emmy, she rose to stardom with her debut studio album, ''Madonna'' (1983). She has since scored eighteen multi-platinum albums globally, including ''Like a Virgin'' (1984), ''True Blue'' (1986), and ''The Immaculate Collection'' (1990)—some of the best-selling albums of all time—and ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005), her 21st-century bestseller. ''Like a Prayer'' (1989), ''Ray of Light'' (1998), and ''Music'' (2000) were ranked among ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s greatest albums of all time. Madonna's top-charting singles include "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "La Isla Bonita", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Take a Bow", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes".

Madonna has starred in films such as ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), ''Dick Tracy'' (1990), ''A League of Their Own'' (1992), and ''Evita'' (1996). Although many of her films were not well-received, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for playing the titular politician in ''Evita''. Her business endeavors encompass the entertainment company Maverick (1992–2009), which included Maverick Records—one of the most successful artist-run labels. Madonna has also pursued fashion brands, written works, health clubs, and filmmaking. She contributes to various charities, having founded the Ray of Light Foundation in 1998 and Raising Malawi in 2006, and advocates for gender equality and LGBT rights.

Madonna is the best-selling female music artist of all time and the first female performer to accumulate US$1 billion from her concerts. She has twelve number-one singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and holds the record for the most chart-toppers on a singular ''Billboard'' chart.{{efn|She has fifty number-one songs on the Dance Club Songs chart.}} Her accolades include seven Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, twenty MTV Video Music Awards, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. Madonna was the world's highest-paid female musician for a record eleven years across four decades (1980s–2010s). She has become the subject of various scholarly, literary, and artistic works, giving rise to an academic subfield known as Madonna studies.

== Life and career == === 1958–1978: Early life === Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan, on August 16, 1958.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1pp=11–13|Bego|2000|2p=12|Gnojewski|2007|3p=22}} Her father, Silvio "Tony" Ciccone, worked as an optical and military engineer, as well as a physicist, for Chrysler Defense and later General Dynamics Land Systems; her mother, Madonna Louise (née Fortin), was an X-ray technician.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1p=12|Taraborrelli|2002|2pp=8, 336|Cross|2007|3pp=1–3|Gnojewski|2007|4p=25}} Tony's parents were Italian emigrants from Pacentro, while her mother was of French-Canadian descent.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1p=10|Bego|2000|2p=12}} Since Madonna shared her name with her mother, family members referred to her as "Little Nonnie".{{sfnm|Cross|2007|1p=2|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=11}} Madonna was raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills), alongside her two older brothers, Anthony and Martin, and her three younger siblings, Paula, Christopher, and Melanie.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1pp=12–13|Gnojewski|2007|2p=18}}<ref name="t627">{{cite news |last=Shepardson |first=David |title=Rep. Dingell to Madonna: Stop Trashing Michigan |newspaper=The Detroit News |date=March 24, 2015 |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/03/24/debbie-dingell-madonna/70368012/ |access-date=December 1, 2025 |archive-date=June 21, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621121226/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/03/24/debbie-dingell-madonna/70368012/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

When Madonna was five years old, her mother died of breast cancer on December 1, 1963.{{sfnm|Havranek|2008|1p=257|Bego|2000|2p=20}} In 1966, she adopted Veronica as a confirmation name upon receiving the sacrament in the Catholic Church.{{sfnm|Guilbert|2002|1p=92|Gnojewski|2007|2p=122}} That same year, Tony married the family's housekeeper, Joan Gustafson. They had three children: Joey (who died shortly after his birth in 1967 from a heart defect), Jennifer, and Mario.{{sfnm|Gnojewski|2007|1p=18}}<ref name="b454">{{cite magazine |last=DeSantis |first=Rachel |title=Madonna's Stepmom Joan Ciccone Dies at 81 of 'Very Aggressive Cancer' |magazine=People |date=September 26, 2024 |url=https://people.com/madonna-stepmother-joan-ciccone-dies-at-81-of-cancer-8719328 |access-date=December 1, 2025 |archive-date=June 15, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250615115119/https://people.com/madonna-stepmother-joan-ciccone-dies-at-81-of-cancer-8719328 |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Catholic elementary schools, as well as West Middle School.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1p=18|Pohlen|2014|2p=273}} She earned high grades—her father gave her a quarter for every A—and was notorious for her unconventional behavior. Madonna performed cartwheels and handstands in the hallways between classes, hung upside down from the monkey bars during recess, and lifted her skirt in class to amuse the boys.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1pp=21–23|Bego|2000|2p=18}}

In retrospect, Madonna described herself as a "lonely girl who was searching for something", explaining: "I wasn't rebellious in a certain way. I cared about being good at something. I didn't shave under my arms and I didn't wear makeup like normal girls do. But I studied and I got good grades{{nbsp}}[...] I wanted to be somebody."{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=14}} Her father initially enrolled her in classical piano lessons, but she eventually persuaded him to let her study ballet instead. Her ballet teacher, Christopher Flynn, inspired her to pursue a career in dance.{{sfnm|Cross|2007|1pp=10–12|Taraborrelli|2002|2pp=26–29}} While attending Rochester Adams High School, Madonna was a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad.{{sfnm|Claro|1994|1pp=24, 27|Cross|2007|2p=9}} After graduating in January 1976, she received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan and spent the summer studying at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina.{{sfnm|1a1=Gnojewski|1y=2007|1pp=29–30, 32|2a1=Parish|2a2=Pitts|2y=2003|2p=523}}

In 1978, Madonna left college and moved to New York City.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1p=78|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=34}} She called the decision "the bravest thing [she'd] ever done"; it was the first time she had ever flown or taken a taxi, and she arrived with "$35 in [her] pocket".<ref name="r547">{{cite web |title=Detroit Proud Playlist: Week of 9/29 |publisher=CBS News |date=September 29, 2014 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/detroit-proud-playlist-week-of-929-special-madonna-edition/ |access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref> She settled in the Alphabet City area of the East Village and supported herself with limited means by working various jobs—including as a hatcheck girl at the Russian Tea Room, an elevator operator at Terrace on the Park, and a member of dance troupes.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1p=37|O'Brien|2007|2p=62, 68}}<ref name="t758">{{cite news |last=Berger |first=Joseph |author-link=Joseph Berger (author) |title='64 World's Fair Leftover in Demand for Proms and Weddings |newspaper=The New York Times |url-access=limited |date=June 18, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/nyregion/64-worlds-fair-leftover-in-demand-for-proms-and-weddings.html |access-date=December 1, 2025 |archive-date=October 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002010601/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/nyregion/64-worlds-fair-leftover-in-demand-for-proms-and-weddings.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna took classes at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, performed with the Pearl Lang Dance Theater, and studied under dancer and choreographer Martha Graham.{{sfnm|O'Brien|2007|1p=62|Fuhrer|2014|2p=133|Taraborrelli|2002|3pp=37–39|Freedman|1998|4p=125}} One night, while returning from a rehearsal, two men held her at knifepoint and forced her to perform fellatio. She later found the incident to be "a taste of my weakness, it showed me that I still could not save myself in spite of all the strong-girl show. I could never forget it."{{sfn|Stein|Bartone|2020|p=62}}

=== 1979–1983: Career beginnings, rock bands, and ''Madonna'' === In 1979, Madonna entered a romantic relationship with musician Dan Gilroy.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1p=45|O'Brien|2007|2p=72}} During this period, she searched for job opportunities in publications such as ''Variety'', ''Backstage'', and ''Show Business'', leading to a successful audition as a backup singer and dancer in Paris for French disco artist Patrick Hernandez.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1pp=46–48|Bego|2000|2p=51}} With Hernandez's troupe, she traveled to Tunisia and several disco-oriented European countries before returning to New York that same year.{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=52}} Madonna relocated to an abandoned synagogue in Corona, Queens, where Gilroy and his brother Ed resided and practiced.{{sfnm|Gnojewski|2007|1p=56|Bego|2000|2p=50|Taraborrelli|2002|3p=45}} The group slept in the basement and used its meeting space both to rehearse and record music for their band, Breakfast Club, for which Madonna sang and played drums and guitar.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1p=50|Gnojewski|2007|2p=35}}

Madonna made her acting debut in the low-budget indie film ''A Certain Sacrifice'', which was shot in two parts between 1979 and 1981. She unsuccessfully attempted to block its 1985 release through legal action against director Stephen Jon Lewicki. The film was primarily criticized for its explicit sexual and violent content.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1pp=50–51, 103–104|Koopmans|2003|2p=31}} In 1980, after leaving the Breakfast Club and ending her relationship with Gilroy, Madonna reunited with drummer Stephen Bray, whom she had previously dated in Michigan, and together they formed the band Emmy.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1pp=53–54|O'Brien|2007|2p=76}} She and Bray lived and rehearsed at the Music Building in Manhattan, where they wrote songs and recorded a four-track demo tape.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1p=45|O'Brien|2007|2p=76|Gnojewski|2007|3pp=60–63}} After Madonna left Emmy, Camille Barbone, who ran Gotham Records in the Music Building, signed her to a contract with the label in March 1981, working as her manager until February 1982.{{sfnm|Morton|2001|1pp=94, 105|O'Brien|2007|2p=77}} Her creative partnership with Bray continued for many years.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Runtagh |first=Jordan |date=September 7, 2019 |title=30 Fascinating Early Bands of Future Music Legends |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/30-fascinating-early-bands-of-future-music-legends-200891/ |access-date=April 27, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=April 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427121338/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/30-fascinating-early-bands-of-future-music-legends-200891/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1982, Madonna visited nightclubs to persuade disc jockeys (DJs) to play her demo, leading Mark Kamins at Danceteria to take an interest in her music and begin a romance with her.{{Sfnm|Cross|2007|1p=25|O'Brien|2007|2pp=95–96|Bego|2000|3p=102}} He arranged a meeting with Seymour Stein, president of Sire Records—a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records—after which she signed a two-single deal.{{sfnm|Cross|2007|1p=25|Morton|2001|2p=107}} Kamins produced her debut single, "Everybody", which was released in October 1982 and promoted with television and nightclub performances.{{Sfnm|Cross|2007|1p=25|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=73|Morton|2001|3p=118}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Fiorillo |first=Victor |date=April 10, 2016 |title=Facebook Flame Wars, Legal Action, And "Death Threats": Dancin' on Air's Family Feud Boils Over |url=https://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/04/10/dancin-on-air-dance-party-usa/ |magazine=Philadelphia |access-date=April 27, 2021 |archive-date=April 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427061900/https://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/04/10/dancin-on-air-dance-party-usa/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Her second single, the double A-side "Burning Up" / "Physical Attraction", was released in March 1983. Both these singles reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs chart.{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=80}} During this period, Madonna was in a relationship with artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and living in his SoHo loft.{{sfn|Fretz|2010|pp=105–106}} Basquiat introduced her to art curator Diego Cortez, who had managed several punk bands. Cortez declined to manage Madonna when she requested that he do so.<ref name="z574">{{cite news |last=Basciano |first=Oliver |title=Diego Cortez Obituary |newspaper=The Guardian |date=July 14, 2021 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/jul/14/diego-cortez-obituary |access-date=December 2, 2025}}</ref>

Warner hired Reggie Lucas to produce her debut studio album, ''Madonna''.<ref name="x447">{{cite magazine |last=Howe |first=Sean |title=How Madonna Became Madonna: An Oral History |magazine=Rolling Stone |url-access=limited |author-link=Sean Howe |date=July 29, 2013 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/how-madonna-became-madonna-an-oral-history-94288/ |access-date=December 2, 2025 |archive-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923074053/https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/how-madonna-became-madonna-an-oral-history-94288/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna was dissatisfied with many of the tracks, prompting her to seek additional support. She enlisted DJ John "Jellybean" Benitez to help complete the album, and the two began a brief romantic relationship.{{Sfnm|Bego|2000|1p=80|Taraborrelli|2002|2pp=43, 82}} Benitez remixed most of the songs and produced "Holiday", her breakthrough song.{{sfn|Havranek|2008|p=259}} ''Madonna'' was released on July 27, 1983, to generally favorable reviews, and peaked at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' 200.<ref name="Debut30">{{cite magazine |last1=Kaulfield |first1=Keith |title=''Madonna'' Turns 30: A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/4789697/madonna-turns-30-a-look-back-at-the-queen-of-pops-debut-album |magazine=Billboard |access-date=November 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730052754/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/4789697/madonna-turns-30-a-look-back-at-the-queen-of-pops-debut-album |archive-date=July 30, 2013 |date=July 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lindores |first=Mark |date=February 26, 2015 |title=Classic Album: Madonna – ''Madonna'' |url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2015/02/madonna-classic-album/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324103051/https://www.classicpopmag.com/2015/02/madonna-classic-album/ |archive-date=March 24, 2023 |access-date=June 14, 2024 |magazine=Classic Pop |quote=Madonna's eponymous debut album was released on 27 July 1983 to largely positive reviews}}</ref> The album generated two US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top-ten singles: "Borderline" and "Lucky Star". In late 1983, Madonna's new manager, Freddy DeMann, arranged a meeting with film producer Jon Peters, who offered her the role of a club singer in the romantic drama ''Vision Quest'' (1985).{{sfn|Morton|2001|p=121}}

=== 1984–1987: ''Like a Virgin'', first marriage, ''True Blue'', and ''Who's That Girl'' === [[File:MadonnaVirginTour (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Group photo of a young Madonna in the center and smiling|Madonna with her band during the Virgin Tour in 1985]] In January 1984, Madonna gained further exposure with performances on ''American Bandstand'' and ''Top of the Pops''.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1p=91|O'Brien|2007|2p=112}} Wanting the material on her second studio album, ''Like a Virgin'', to be "stronger" than that of her debut, she selected all of the songs herself, five of which she wrote or co-wrote.{{sfn|Bego|2000|pp=94–102}} ''Like a Virgin'' was released on November 12, 1984,{{sfnm|Perone|2018|1p=112|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=86}} and became her first number-one album in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, the UK and the US.<ref name="z407">{{cite magazine |last=Lemarchand |first=Allan |title=The MTV VMAs in Five Scandalous Performances |magazine=Numéro |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260204224757/https://numero.com/en/culture-en/the-mtv-vmas-in-five-scandalous-performances/|archive-date=February 4, 2026|url-status=live|date=September 11, 2020 |url=https://numero.com/en/culture-en/the-mtv-vmas-in-five-scandalous-performances/ |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> In the lattermost nation, the album remained atop the ''Billboard'' 200 for three weeks and is the first album by a woman to sell over five million copies.<ref name="e322">{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |title=Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Prince Earns 28th Top 40 Album, Madonna's ''Like a Virgin'' Returns After 28 Years |magazine=Billboard |date=May 13, 2016 |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/billboard-200-chart-moves-prince-madonna/ |access-date=December 2, 2025 |archive-date=October 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011180653/https://www.billboard.com/pro/billboard-200-chart-moves-prince-madonna/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Grein |first=Paul |date=August 10, 1985 |title=Hot Madonna: July Fills Her Coffers with RIAA Metal |magazine=Billboard |volume=97 |issue=32 |page=7 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> ''Like a Virgin'' has sold over 21 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.{{sfn|Perone|2018|p=112}}<ref name="LAVWoldWide">{{cite news |title=Contrasting Fortunes as Madonna and Jacko Turn 50 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/people/contrasting-fortunes-as-madonna-and-jacko-turn-50-20090403-9ruh.html |newspaper=The Age |access-date=April 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811184417/http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/people/contrasting-fortunes-as-madonna-and-jacko-turn-50-20090403-9ruh.html |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |date=August 15, 2008}}</ref>

The album's title track, "Like a Virgin", was selected as its lead single.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=88}} It was her first number-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, topping the chart for six consecutive weeks.{{sfn|Smith|2009|p=179}}<ref name="hot100">{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |title=Madonna's 40 Biggest ''Billboard'' Hits |magazine=Billboard |date=August 16, 2024 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/madonnas-40-biggest-billboard-hits/ |access-date=December 3, 2025 |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004042640/https://www.billboard.com/lists/madonnas-40-biggest-billboard-hits/ |url-status=live}}</ref> "Like a Virgin" attracted the attention of conservative organizations, who complained that the song and its accompanying video promoted premarital sex and undermined family values; moralists sought to have the song and video banned.{{sfnm|Cross|2007|1p=31|Voller|1999|2p=18}} Madonna attracted significant media attention for her performance of the song at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. Dressed in a wedding gown and white gloves, she appeared atop a large wedding cake before moving across the stage in a provocative manner.{{sfnm|1a1=Shonk|1a2=McClure|1y=2017|1p=183|2a1=Taraborrelli|2y=2002|2p=88}} MTV News later described the performance as one of the most iconic in pop music history.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1978552/madonna-video-music-awards-like-a-virgin/ |title=Here's The Wardrobe Malfunction That Made Madonna's 'Like A Virgin' VMA Performance Legendary |first=Christina |last=Garibaldi |date=October 28, 2014 |publisher=MTV News |access-date=September 4, 2017 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143212/http://www.mtv.com/news/1978552/madonna-video-music-awards-like-a-virgin/}}</ref> ''Like a Virgin''{{'}}s next single, "Material Girl", peaked at number two in the US.{{sfnm|Smith|2009|1p=179|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=89}}

Madonna began a relationship with actor Sean Penn while filming the music video for "Material Girl" and the two married on her twenty-seventh birthday in 1985.<ref name="j885">{{cite magazine |last=Hatcher |first=Kirsty |title=Madonna Was 'Genuinely in Love' with Ex-Husband Sean Penn, Says 'Material Girl' Video Producer in New Doc |magazine=People |date=January 2, 2025 |url=https://people.com/madonna-was-genuinely-in-love-with-sean-penn-says-material-girl-video-producer-8768171 |access-date=December 3, 2025 |archive-date=April 3, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250403063009/https://people.com/madonna-was-genuinely-in-love-with-sean-penn-says-material-girl-video-producer-8768171 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfnm|Guilbert|2002|1p=78|Gnojewski|2007|2p=52}} That same year, she starred as the titular character in the comedy ''Desperately Seeking Susan'', depicting a free-spirited bohemian drifter whose path intersects with a bored housewife through personal ads.<ref name="g263">{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=''Desperately Seeking Susan'' Movie Review (1985) |publisher=RogerEbert.com |date=March 29, 1985 |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/desperately-seeking-susan-1985 |access-date=December 3, 2025 |archive-date=October 10, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251010215838/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/desperately-seeking-susan-1985 |url-status=live}}</ref> The film included the song "Into the Groove", her first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart.<ref name=BBC>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4753366.stm |agency=BBC News |date=February 26, 2006 |title=Madonna Scores 12th Chart Topper in the UK |access-date=June 9, 2008 |archive-date=September 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915210607/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4753366.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' was named one of the ten best films of 1985 by Vincent Canby, a ''The New York Times'' film critic.<ref>{{cite news |author-link=Lawrence Van Gelder |last=Van Gelder |first=Lawrence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/02/arts/critics-choices-cable-tv.html |title=Critic's Choices |newspaper=The New York Times |url-access=limited |date=March 2, 1986 |access-date=April 25, 2012 |archive-date=October 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017150233/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/02/arts/critics-choices-cable-tv.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In April 1985, Madonna began her first North American concert series, the Virgin Tour.{{sfn|Bego|2000|pp=126, 129}} The tour coincided with the height of the Madonna wannabe phenomenon, as many of her young female fans adopted her fashion style.{{sfn|Moore|2015|p=113}} Styled by Maripol, her look—which included lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, crucifix jewelry, stacked bracelets, and bleached hair—became widely associated with 1980s female fashion trends.{{sfnm|Clerk|2002|1p=20|Voller|1999|2p=22}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barr |first=Sabrina |date=August 16, 2020 |title=Madonna Birthday: How the 'Material Girl' Has Shaped Modern Fashion Trends |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/madonna-birthday-material-girl-fashion-influencer-style-80s-a8490701.html |access-date=April 27, 2021 |newspaper=The Independent |archive-date=August 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821093311/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/madonna-birthday-material-girl-fashion-influencer-style-80s-a8490701.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In ''Vision Quest'' (1985), Madonna appears as a nightclub singer and performs "Crazy for You"—her second ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single.{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=120}}<ref name="w440">{{cite magazine |last=Johnston |first=Maura |title=''Billboard''{{'}}s Greatest Pop Star of 1985: Madonna |magazine=Billboard |date=November 26, 2024 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-best-pop-star-1985-1235824717/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213202143/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-best-pop-star-1985-1235824717/|archive-date=December 13, 2024|url-status=live|access-date=March 3, 2026}}</ref> Around this time, Madonna released two additional singles for ''Like a Virgin'', "Angel" and "Dress You Up", both of which reached the top five of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.{{sfn|George-Warren|Romanowski|Pareles|2001|pp=595–596}} In July 1985, ''Penthouse'' and ''Playboy'' published nude photographs of Madonna taken in 1978, when she worked as an art model.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Farber |first=M. A. |date=August 2, 1985 |title=From Marilyn To Madonna, The Unglamorous Business of Posing in the Nude |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/02/nyregion/from-marilyn-to-madonna-the-unglamorous-business-of-posing-in-the-nude.html |access-date=April 28, 2021 |url-access=limited |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513114920/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/02/nyregion/from-marilyn-to-madonna-the-unglamorous-business-of-posing-in-the-nude.html |url-status=live}}</ref> She had posed for the images for modest pay, reportedly $25 per session; the photographs were later sold for up to $100,000.{{Sfn|Morton|2001|p=135}} The publication caused significant media attention, though Madonna remained unapologetic.<ref name="w578">{{cite magazine |last=Anderson |first=Stacey |title=This Week in Rock History: Cream Breaks Up, Madonna Nude Pics Surface |url-access=limited|magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 11, 2011 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/this-week-in-rock-history-cream-breaks-up-madonna-nude-pics-surface-232856/ |access-date=December 3, 2025 |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202091931/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/this-week-in-rock-history-cream-breaks-up-madonna-nude-pics-surface-232856/ |url-status=live}}</ref> At the 1985 Live Aid concert, she referenced the controversy, and refused to remove her jacket when believing that the media "might hold it against me ten years from now".{{sfnm|1a1=Vallely|1y=2025|1p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=cCpvEQAAQBAJ&pg=PT158 158]|2a1=Metz|2a2=Benson|2y=1999|2p=11}}

[[File:Madonna in concert wearing fishnets 1987.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A blonde woman onstage with curly hair holding a microphone, wearing a black dress|Madonna performing during the 1987 Who's That Girl World Tour]]

Madonna co-wrote and co-produced every track on her third studio album, ''True Blue''.<ref name="peterPiatkowski"/> Inspired by and dedicated to her husband Penn, the album was released on June 30, 1986, to critical acclaim.{{sfnm|O'Brien|2007|1pp=101–104|Bego|2000|2p=166}} It topped the charts in an unprecedented 28 countries worldwide, including the US, where it remained at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 for five weeks.{{sfn|McFarlan|1989|p=152}}<ref name="e732">{{cite magazine |last=Bronson |first=Fred |title=Chart Beat |magazine=Billboard |date=May 8, 2008 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/chart-beat-144-1045464/ |access-date=December 3, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260226142834/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/chart-beat-144-1045464/|archive-date=February 26, 2026|url-status=live}}</ref> All five singles released from the album reached the top five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; "Live to Tell", "Papa Don't Preach", and "Open Your Heart" made Madonna the second female artist to have three songs from a single album top the chart.{{sfn|Bego|2000|pp=186–189}} "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita" also topped the European singles chart; the latter became the continent's biggest single of 1987.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-07-23.pdf#page=31|title=Artist Of The Decade: Madonna|page=7|magazine=Music & Media|date=July 23, 1994|access-date=April 20, 2022|archive-date=July 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723122614/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-07-23.pdf#page=31|url-status=live|via=World Radio History}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-12-26.pdf#page=37|title=European charts of the year 1987: singles|magazine=Music & Media|date=December 26, 1987|access-date=August 4, 2023|issn=1385-612X |page=34|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308064410/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M%26M-1987-12-26.pdf#page=37|url-status=live |via=World Radio History}}</ref> ''True Blue'' was the best-selling album of 1986, the best-selling album of the 1980s by a female artist, and one of the best-selling albums of all time, with 25{{nbsp}}million copies sold globally.<ref name="q979">{{cite news |last=Emery |first=Mark |title=1986 Flashback: Remembering the Year of the Mets' Last Title, From Reagan to Ruxpin |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=October 22, 2015 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/10/22/1986-flashback-remembering-the-year-of-the-mets-last-title-from-reagan-to-ruxpin/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=January 4, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260104165904/https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/10/22/1986-flashback-remembering-the-year-of-the-mets-last-title-from-reagan-to-ruxpin/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaufman |first1=Gil |title=Madonna and Lionel Richie to Reunite on ''Billboard'' Charts? |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682061/madonna-lionel-richie-top-billboard.jhtml |publisher=MTV News |access-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331201523/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682061/madonna-lionel-richie-top-billboard.jhtml |archive-date=March 31, 2012 |date=March 29, 2012}}</ref>

Madonna appeared in the film ''Shanghai Surprise'' (1986) alongside Penn, which was critically unsuccessful and earned her the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=165}}<ref name="f123">{{cite magazine |title=Sizzle or Fizzle? Real-Life Couples On Screen |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=May 3, 2014 |url=https://ew.com/gallery/sizzle-or-fizzle-real-life-couples-screen/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=April 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406015016/http://www.ew.com/gallery/sizzle-or-fizzle-real-life-couples-screen |url-status=live}}</ref> She made her stage debut the same year in David Rabe's ''Goose and Tom-Tom'', which also starred Penn.{{sfn|Guilbert|2002|p=35}} In 1987, she starred in the film ''Who's That Girl'' and contributed four songs to its soundtrack, including "Who's That Girl" and "Causing a Commotion", which peaked at numbers one and two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, respectively.{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=198}} In June, she embarked on the Who's That Girl World Tour, which broke several attendance records, including a performance near Paris attended by over 130,000 people—the highest for a female artist at the time.<ref name="showstealer">{{cite news |first=Neil |last=Smith |date=May 24, 2004 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3704915.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Show Stealer Madonna on Tour |access-date=February 12, 2008 |archive-date=August 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804221111/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3704915.stm |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Voller|1999|p=29}} In 1987, she released ''You Can Dance'', a remix album with reworked versions of songs from her earlier releases.{{sfn|Morton|2001|p=37}} After a turbulent two-year marriage, Madonna filed for divorce from Penn on December 4, 1987, though she later withdrew the petition.{{sfn|Bego|2000|pp=200–201}}

=== 1988–1991: ''Like a Prayer'', ''Dick Tracy'', and ''The Immaculate Collection'' === Madonna made her Broadway theatre debut in the play ''Speed-the-Plow'' at the Royale Theatre, running from May to August 1988.<ref>{{multiref|{{harvnb|O'Brien|2007|pp=185, 537}}|{{Cite news |last=Winship |first=Frederic M. |date=May 4, 1988 |title=Madonna Makes Unimpressive Broadway Debut in Mamet Play |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/05/04/Madonna-makes-unimpressive-Broadway-debut-in-Mamet-play/2896578721600/ |access-date=February 1, 2022 |publisher=United Press International |archive-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202031437/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/05/04/Madonna-makes-unimpressive-Broadway-debut-in-Mamet-play/2896578721600/ |ref=none |url-status=live}}|{{Cite news |date=August 8, 1988 |title=''Speed-the-Plow'' Cast to Be Changed |newspaper=The New York Times |ref=none |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/08/theater/speed-the-plow-cast-to-be-changed.html |access-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202031436/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/08/theater/speed-the-plow-cast-to-be-changed.html |url-status=live}}}}</ref> According to the Associated Press, she filed an assault report against Penn following an alleged incident at their Malibu residence over New Year's weekend.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Jeff |date=January 11, 1989 |title=Madonna Withdraws Assault Complaint Against Sean Penn |url=https://apnews.com/article/02821457861985f54b771ded83b89ba0 |access-date=February 2, 2022 |publisher=Associated Press |archive-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202031439/https://apnews.com/article/02821457861985f54b771ded83b89ba0 |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna filed for divorce on January 5, 1989, and reportedly requested the following week that no criminal charges be pursued.{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=214}} That month, Madonna signed an endorsement agreement with soft-drink company Pepsi.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=165}} In a commercial for the company, she premiered "Like a Prayer", whose accompanying music video featured Catholic imagery such as stigmata and cross burning, as well as a dream sequence depicting intimacy with a saint, prompting condemnation from the Vatican.{{sfnm|Lofton|2017|1p=132|Bego|2000|2p=224}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Romero |first=Frances |magazine=Time |date=October 20, 2010 |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2026525_2026524_2026526,00.html |title=Top 10 Vatican Pop-Culture Moments: Madonna, Over and Over |access-date=November 21, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923172101/http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0%2C28804%2C2026525_2026524_2026526%2C00.html |archive-date=September 23, 2016}}</ref> Religious organizations called for a boycott of Pepsi products, leading the company to withdraw the commercial and terminate her sponsorship deal.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1pp=224–225|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=174}}

"Like a Prayer" was released as the lead single from her fourth studio album, also titled ''Like a Prayer''. It became her seventh number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and spent three weeks atop the chart.<ref name="h637">{{cite magazine |last=Lynch |first=Joe |title=Madonna's ''Like a Prayer'' at 30: Here's Where She Goes From Superstar to Artistic Great |magazine=Billboard |date=March 21, 2019 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-like-a-prayer-album-superstar-artist-8503430/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214150705/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-like-a-prayer-album-superstar-artist-8503430/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna drew inspiration from her turbulent relationship and divorce from Penn to create the album, co-writing and co-producing it alongside Patrick Leonard, Stephen Bray, and Prince.<ref name="q879">{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Lucy |title=Inside the Making of Madonna's Stormy 'Divorce Album' |newspaper=The Guardian |date=March 30, 2019 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/mar/30/we-argued-a-lot-inside-the-making-of-madonna-stormy-divorce-album |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330130037/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/mar/30/we-argued-a-lot-inside-the-making-of-madonna-stormy-divorce-album |url-status=live}}</ref> In the US, ''Like a Prayer'' was released on March 21, 1989, to universal acclaim from critics. ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s J. D. Considine described it as "proof not only that Madonna should be taken seriously as an artist but that hers is one of the most compelling voices of the Eighties".<ref name="u374">{{multiref|{{cite magazine |ref=none |last=Partridge |first=Kenneth |title=Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' at 25: Classic Track-By-Track Review |magazine=Billboard |date=March 20, 2014 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-s-like-a-prayer-at-25-classic-track-by-track-review-5944624/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228164810/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-s-like-a-prayer-at-25-classic-track-by-track-review-5944624/ |url-status=live}}|{{Cite magazine |ref=none |last=Lindores |first=Mark |date=March 18, 2024 |title=The Making of Madonna's ''Like A Prayer'' |url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2024/03/the-making-of-madonnas-like-a-prayer/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408170504/https://www.classicpopmag.com/2024/03/the-making-of-madonnas-like-a-prayer/ |archive-date=April 8, 2024 |access-date=June 13, 2024 |magazine=Classic Pop |quote=it was subject to unanimous critical acclaim}}|{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/reviews/album/7480/37150 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116093456/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/like-a-prayer-19890406 |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |title=Madonna: Like A Prayer: Review |ref=none |access-date=January 21, 2007 |last=Considine |first=J.D. |author-link=J.D. Considine |date=April 6, 1989 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}}}</ref> ''Like a Prayer'' spent six weeks atop the ''Billboard'' 200—the longest of any of her albums—and eventually sold 15 million copies worldwide.<ref name="talkslikeaprayer">{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |title=Madonna Producer Patrick Leonard Talks ''Like A Prayer'' at 25 |magazine=Billboard |date=March 21, 2014 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-producer-patrick-leonard-talks-like-a-prayer-at-25-5944767/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=October 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007070541/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/5944767/madonna-producer-patrick-leonard-talks-like-a-prayer-at-25 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=100 Women of the Year – 1989: Madonna |url=https://time.com/5793713/madonna-100-women-of-the-year/ |magazine=Time |access-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319163611/https://time.com/5793713/madonna-100-women-of-the-year/ |archive-date=March 19, 2020 |date=March 5, 2020}}</ref> The singles "Express Yourself" and "Cherish" both reached number two in the US, while "Keep It Together" peaked within the top ten.<ref name="talkslikeaprayer"/>

''Billboard'' and ''Musician'' had named Madonna "Artist of the Decade" (1980s).{{Sfn|Bego|2000|p=232}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Michael, Madonna Top 'Billboard' Poll |magazine=Dayton Daily News |publisher=Cox Enterprises |date=May 25, 1990 |issn=0897-0920 |page=23}}</ref> In April 1990, she launched the Blond Ambition World Tour.<ref name="q984">{{cite magazine |last=Mackie |first=Drew |title=Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour: 25 Years Later |magazine=People |date=April 13, 2015 |url=https://people.com/celebrity/madonnas-blond-ambition-tour-25-years-later/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=February 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219191538/https://people.com/celebrity/madonnas-blond-ambition-tour-25-years-later/ |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' described it as an "elaborately choreographed, sexually provocative extravaganza" and named it the best tour of 1990.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Crucifixes, Leather and Hits |date=June 1, 2006 |last=Walters |first=Barry |magazine=Rolling Stone |issn=0035-791X |volume=1067 |issue=56}}</ref> It drew criticism from religious organizations, particularly for her performance of "Like a Virgin", in which she simulated masturbation while being caressed by two male dancers.<ref name="showstealer"/> Madonna defended the show, stating that it was intended for "open minds" and encouraged audiences to view sexuality differently.<ref name="carrie">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/carrie-fisher-interviews-madonna-about-men-sex-drugs-death-w457927 |last=Fisher |first=Carrie |author-link=Carrie Fisher |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=August 1991 |title=True Confessions: The ''Rolling Stone'' Interview with Madonna |url-access=limited|access-date=November 9, 2017 |archive-date=August 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821085704/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/carrie-fisher-interviews-madonna-about-men-sex-drugs-death-w457927}}</ref> The live recording of the tour earned Madonna the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video.<ref name="r210">{{cite magazine |last=Grein |first=Paul |title=A Closer Look at the Grammys' Best Music Film Category |magazine=Billboard |date=April 23, 2019 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/grammys-best-music-film-category-beyonce-homecoming-8508337/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205211726/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/grammys-best-music-film-category-beyonce-homecoming-8508337/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Her first documentary film, ''Truth or Dare'' (titled ''In Bed with Madonna'' outside North America), was released in May 1991.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|pp=178, 214}}<ref name="d504">{{cite web |last1=Donahue |first1=Anne T. |last2=Knegt |first2=Peter |title=We Played a Game of Truth or Dare to Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Madonna's Iconic Documentary |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=May 10, 2021 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/arts/we-played-a-game-of-truth-or-dare-to-celebrate-the-30th-anniversary-of-madonna-s-iconic-documentary-1.6020032 |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=December 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251216022421/https://www.cbc.ca/arts/we-played-a-game-of-truth-or-dare-to-celebrate-the-30th-anniversary-of-madonna-s-iconic-documentary-1.6020032 |url-status=live}}</ref> Chronicling her Blond Ambition World Tour, it became the highest-grossing documentary ever at the time, a record it held until it was surpassed eleven years later.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2003/jan/03/entertainment/et-munoz3/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503095431/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jan/03/entertainment/et-munoz3/2 |archive-date=May 3, 2012 |title=Little Pictures Have a Big Year |first=Lorenza |last=Munoz |date=January 3, 2003 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=August 12, 2017}}</ref>

Madonna portrayed Breathless Mahoney in the film ''Dick Tracy'' (1990), directed by and starring Warren Beatty in the title role. The film topped the US box office for two consecutive weeks, and Owen Gleiberman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' praised Madonna's performance, saying that he wished she had been given more screen time.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1pp=150–153|Bego|2000|2pp=253–254}}<ref name="t317">{{cite magazine |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |author-link=Owen Gleiberman |title=''Dick Tracy'' |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=June 15, 1990 |url=https://ew.com/article/1990/06/15/dick-tracy-4/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=January 20, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120120508/https://ew.com/article/1990/06/15/dick-tracy-4/ |url-status=live}}</ref> To accompany the film, she released the soundtrack album ''I'm Breathless'', with songs largely inspired by 1930s music.{{sfn|Rooksby|2004|pp=37, 70}} It spawned the single "Vogue", which topped the charts in more than 30 countries, including the US, where it peaked at number one on the Hot 100 for three weeks.<ref name="yahoo">{{cite news |url=http://sg.news.yahoo.com/madonna-beth-ditto-great-113000046.html |title=Madonna: Beth Ditto Is Great |publisher=Cover Media |via=Yahoo! News |date=July 29, 2011 |access-date=November 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615191144/http://sg.news.yahoo.com/madonna-beth-ditto-great-113000046.html |archive-date=June 15, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="t028">{{cite web |title=The Number Ones: Madonna's 'Vogue' |website=Stereogum |date=October 26, 2025 |url=https://stereogum.com/2160894/the-number-ones-madonnas-vogue/columns/the-number-ones |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=January 3, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260103103922/https://stereogum.com/2160894/the-number-ones-madonnas-vogue/columns/the-number-ones |url-status=live}}</ref> During production, Madonna and Beatty began a relationship that ended shortly after the film's premiere.{{sfn|Bego|2000|pp=233–238}} In October 1990, she recorded a public service announcement supporting Rock the Vote's voter registration campaign.<ref name="r707">{{cite web |last=Satenstein |first=Liana |title=A Look Back at the Very '90s 'Rock the Vote' Campaign |website=Vogue |date=November 2, 2020 |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/rock-the-vote-90s-madonna-lenny-kravitz-sarah-jessica-parker |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=November 6, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251106145838/https://www.vogue.com/article/rock-the-vote-90s-madonna-lenny-kravitz-sarah-jessica-parker |url-status=live}}</ref>

Madonna's first greatest-hits compilation album, ''The Immaculate Collection'', was released in November 1990.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|pp=202–206}} The album has sold 30{{nbsp}}million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling compilation album by a solo artist and one of the best-selling albums of all time.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2012/0323/1224313742569.html |newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=January 6, 2015 |title=Girl Gone Wild: Is It Time for Madonna to Grow Up? |date=March 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323121356/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2012/0323/1224313742569.html |archive-date=March 23, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/3uuw8u/happy-birthday-madonna |title=Happy Birthday, Madonna! |first=John |last=Mitchell |publisher=MTV News |date=August 16, 2011 |access-date=August 18, 2011 |archive-date=September 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908103545/https://www.mtv.com/news/3uuw8u/happy-birthday-madonna}}</ref> The set included two new songs, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me".{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=260}} Model Tony Ward, Madonna's then-boyfriend, co-starred in the music video for "Justify My Love", which included imagery of sadomasochism, bondage, same-sex intimacy, and brief nudity.<ref name="r702">{{cite magazine |last=Mackie |first=Drew |title=Justify My Love Turns 25: 20 Things You Didn't Know |magazine=People |date=November 2, 2015 |url=https://people.com/celebrity/justify-my-love-turns-25-20-things-you-didnt-know/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810212221/https://people.com/celebrity/justify-my-love-turns-25-20-things-you-didnt-know/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="b547">{{cite magazine |title=The 100 Greatest Music Videos |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 30, 2021 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-music-videos-1194411/madonna-justify-my-love-2-1196226/ |access-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-date=April 17, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250417074403/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-music-videos-1194411/madonna-justify-my-love-2-1196226/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Considered too sexually explicit, the video was banned by MTV.<ref name="rebel">{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/1998/11/20/justify-my-love-was-too-raunchy-1990/ |title=Madonna Banned |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=May 27, 2008 |last=Rich |first=Joshua |date=November 20, 1998 |archive-date=September 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918111453/https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,285759,00.html}}</ref> The resulting controversy contributed to the song reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming her ninth chart-topping single.{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=260}}

=== 1992–1997: Maverick, ''Erotica'', ''Sex'', ''Bedtime Stories'', ''Evita'', and motherhood === In 1992, Madonna appeared in the film ''A League of Their Own'' as a member of an all-women's baseball team.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1p=274|O'Brien|2007|2p=535}} The film reached number one at the US box office in its second weekend of release.<ref name="p198">{{cite web |title=A League of Their Own |publisher=Box Office Mojo |date=July 1, 1992 |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3529475585/weekend/ |access-date=December 5, 2025 |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030233605/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3529475585/weekend/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna also recorded its theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground", which became her tenth ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single, the most for a woman at the time.{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=281}}<ref name="r026">{{cite web |title=The Number Ones: Madonna's 'This Used to Be My Playground' |website=Stereogum |date=October 26, 2025 |url=https://stereogum.com/2173474/the-number-ones-madonnas-this-used-to-be-my-playground/columns/the-number-ones |access-date=December 5, 2025 |archive-date=December 12, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251212014052/https://stereogum.com/2173474/the-number-ones-madonnas-this-used-to-be-my-playground/columns/the-number-ones |url-status=live}}</ref> In April 1992, Madonna established the entertainment company Maverick, which included a record label, film production unit, and divisions for music publishing, television, book publishing, and merchandising. The venture was a partnership with Time Warner and provided her with a $60 million advance and a 20 percent royalty rate—the highest in the industry at the time.<ref name="NYT - $60 million">{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=Holden |author-link=Stephen Holden |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/20/arts/madonna-makes-a-60-million-deal.html |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Madonna Makes a $60 Million Deal |access-date=May 27, 2008 |date=April 20, 1992 |archive-date=May 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511013845/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/20/arts/madonna-makes-a-60-million-deal.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Maverick went on to become one of the most successful artist-run labels in history, signing successful acts such as Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2004/06/15/madonna-sells-her-record-label/ |title=Madonna Sells Her Record Label |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |first=Gary |last=Susman |date=June 15, 2004 |access-date=December 30, 2020 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310152428/https://ew.com/article/2004/06/15/madonna-sells-her-record-label/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File: ExpressYourselfGirlieShowunderGround2 sh (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Madonna performing at the Girlie Show in 1993|alt=Madonna with short blonde hair, wearing a green bra and purple pants, singing to a microphone, held in her left hand.]]

Later in 1992, Madonna co-sponsored the first museum retrospective of her former partner, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.<ref>{{Cite news |last=D'Arcy |first=David |date=November 1, 1992 |title=Whitney Compares Basquiat to Leonardo Da Vinci in New Retrospective |url=http://www.theartnewspaper.com/archive/basquiat-as-leonardo-da-vinci |access-date=August 2, 2020 |newspaper=The Art Newspaper |archive-date=October 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022010900/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/archive/basquiat-as-leonardo-da-vinci |url-status=live}}</ref> She released her fifth studio album, ''Erotica'', on October 20, 1992, in the US, and published her coffee table book ''Sex'' a day later.<ref name="BBEroticaTrackbyTrack">{{cite magazine |last=Arnold |first=Chuck |title=Madonna's 'Erotica' Album at 30: Every Song Ranked From Worst to Best |magazine=Billboard |date=October 20, 2022 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/madonna-erotica-album-songs-ranked/ |access-date=December 6, 2025 |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020220647/https://www.billboard.com/lists/madonna-erotica-album-songs-ranked/ |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|pp=220–225}} ''Sex'' featured sexually provocative and explicit images photographed by Steven Meisel and drew strong negative reactions from both the media and the general public; initial interest propelled the book to the top of ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1pp=220, 224|Bego|2000|2pp=283–285}} A writer from ''The Washington Post'' described it as an "oversized, overpriced, [and boring] coffee table book of hardcore sexual fantasies".{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=224}}

The widespread backlash overshadowed ''Erotica'', which became her lowest-selling album at the time.{{sfnm|O'Brien|2007|1p=267|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=225}} It debuted and peaked at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, and received favorable reviews from critics.<ref name="BBEroticaTrackbyTrack"/> Its singles "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper" reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one in Italy.{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=287}}<ref name="musicaedischi">{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=Musica e dischi|language=it|access-date=July 9, 2022|archive-date=December 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201160637/http://musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|url-status=live}} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Madonna"</ref> During this period, Madonna was in a relationship with rapper Vanilla Ice, to whom she proposed.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=DeSantis |first=Rachel |title=Vanilla Ice Reflects on Marriage Proposal He Received from Madonna: 'Things Were Going... So Fast' |magazine=People |date=January 31, 2023 |url=https://people.com/music/vanilla-ice-reflects-on-marriage-proposal-he-received-from-madonna/ |access-date=December 6, 2025 |archive-date=January 1, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101013331/https://people.com/music/vanilla-ice-reflects-on-marriage-proposal-he-received-from-madonna/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The pair separated following the release of ''Sex'', with Vanilla Ice claiming he had been included in the book without his consent.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|p=249}} Madonna extended her provocative themes in the 1993 erotic thriller ''Body of Evidence'', which featured scenes of sadomasochism and bondage, and was poorly received by critics.<ref name="d947">{{cite magazine |title=Take a Bow: Madonna's Extraordinary Career |magazine=Time |date=February 4, 2012 |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/02/04/take-a-bow-madonnas-extraordinary-music-career/photo/msdboof-ec017-2/ |access-date=December 6, 2025}}</ref>

In September 1993, Madonna played an abused wife in a troubled marriage to a filmmaker in ''Dangerous Game'', though her performance in the film was met with negative reception.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1p=289|O'Brien|2007|2pp=70, 275}}<ref name="r803">{{cite web |title=''Snake Eyes'' |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |date=November 19, 1993 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1047940-dangerous_game |access-date=December 6, 2025 |archive-date=December 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251219002326/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1047940-dangerous_game |url-status=live}}</ref> She launched her fourth concert tour, the Girlie Show, that month, during which she appeared as a whip-cracking dominatrix and performed alongside topless dancers.<ref name="showstealer" /> She made a highly publicized appearance on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' in March 1994, using profanity that required broadcast censorship and handing Letterman a pair of her underwear while urging him to smell it. The sexually explicit releases of ''Sex'' and ''Erotica'', along with her film roles and controversial Letterman appearance, prompted commentators to question her dependence on provocative imagery.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|pp=232–235}} Madonna briefly dated rapper Tupac Shakur and basketball player Dennis Rodman around this time.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|p=302–303}}

Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli viewed Madonna's ballad "I'll Remember"—recorded for the film ''With Honors'' (1994)—as an effort to soften her provocative image.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=242}} With her sixth studio album, ''Bedtime Stories'', Madonna embraced a gentler sound and image to regain public favor.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|pp=235–236}} Released in the US on October 25, 1994, the album debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and produced two top-three US singles: "Secret" and "Take a Bow"; the latter spent seven weeks atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it her longest-running number-one.{{sfn|Bego|2000|pp=293–294}} Madonna sponsored the first major retrospective of Tina Modotti's work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1995,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Outwater |first=Myra Y. |date=November 12, 1995 |title=Modotti Photos Capture Mexican Life |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722040635/https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1995-11-12-3063752-story.html|archive-date=July 22, 2019|url-status=live|newspaper=The Morning Call |url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1995-11-12-3063752-story.html |access-date=February 1, 2022}}</ref> and later supported exhibitions of Basquiat's paintings at London's Serpentine Gallery and Cindy Sherman at New York's Museum of Modern Art.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Jean-Michel Basquiat |magazine=New York |volume=29 |page=[https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_York/9nspAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22Serpentine+Gallery%22+%22basquiat%22+%22madonna%22&dq=%22Serpentine+Gallery%22+%22basquiat%22+%22madonna%22&printsec=frontcover 15]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Vogel |first=Carol |date=February 16, 2012 |title=Cindy Sherman Unmasked |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/arts/design/moma-to-showcase-cindy-shermans-new-and-old-characters.html |access-date=February 1, 2022 |url-access=limited |archive-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201101740/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/arts/design/moma-to-showcase-cindy-shermans-new-and-old-characters.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Quote box|width=20%|align=left|quote=This is the role I was born to play. I put everything of me into this because it was much more than a role in a movie. It was exhilarating and intimidating at the same time. And I am prouder of ''Evita'' than anything else I have done.|source=—Madonna talking about her role in ''Evita''{{sfn|Michael|2004|p=67}}}}

In February 1996, Madonna began filming the musical ''Evita'' in Argentina.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Madonna's Role as Evita Angers Many Argentines |newspaper=Tampa Bay Times |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/01/20/madonna-s-role-as-evita-angers-many-argentines/ |access-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201202448/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/01/20/madonna-s-role-as-evita-angers-many-argentines/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Having long aspired to portray Argentine political leader Eva Perón, she wrote to director Alan Parker to express her interest in the role. After being cast, she undertook vocal training and studied Argentina's history and Perón's life. During production, Madonna experienced several bouts of illness related to pregnancy and the emotional demands of the film.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|pp=246–256}} Upon its release in December 1996, her performance was met with positive reviews from critics.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=285}}<ref name="evitany">{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B02E0D91E31F936A15751C1A960958260 |title=Madonna, Chic Pop Star, As Chic Political Leader |date=December 6, 1996 |newspaper=The New York Times |url-access=limited |last=Maslin |first=Janet |access-date=May 26, 2009 |author-link=Janet Maslin |archive-date=August 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824182854/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B02E0D91E31F936A15751C1A960958260 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="msn">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,295501,00.html |title=''Evita'' (1997) |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |author-link=Owen Gleiberman |date=December 20, 1996 |access-date=June 9, 2008 |archive-date=September 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918111557/https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,295501,00.html}}</ref> Richard Corliss, writing for ''Time'', described the film as well cast and visually impressive, lauding Madonna's ability to exceed expectations.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985711,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717024917/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985711,00.html |archive-date=July 17, 2007 |title=Cinema: Madonna and Eva Peron: You Must Love Her |last=Corliss |first=Richard |date=December 16, 1996 |access-date=May 26, 2010 |magazine=Time}}</ref> Her portrayal earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1p=314|Guilbert|2002|2p=93|Taraborrelli|2002|3p=286}}

The ''Evita'' soundtrack, which peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, contained songs primarily performed by Madonna. These included "You Must Love Me" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", the latter of which topped the European singles chart.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=286}}<ref name="euro">{{cite magazine |title=Hits of the World: Eurochart Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |date=February 8, 1997 |volume=109 |issue=6 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wA4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41 41]}}</ref> On October 14, 1996, she gave birth to her daughter, Lourdes "Lola" Maria Ciccone Leon, with fitness trainer Carlos Leon.{{sfnm|Bego|2000|1pp=307–310|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=260–262, 280}} According to biographer Mary Cross, Madonna—who had expressed concern that her pregnancy might jeopardize ''Evita''—fulfilled significant personal goals: "Madonna had at last triumphed on screen and achieved her dream of having a child, both in the same year{{nbsp}}[...] reinventing herself and her image with the public".{{sfn|Cross|2007|p=71}} Her relationship with Carlos ended in May 1997, and she stated that they were "better off as best friends".{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1p=288|Cross|2007|2p=134}}

=== 1998–2002: ''Ray of Light'', ''Music'', second marriage, and touring comeback === After the birth of Lourdes, Madonna developed an interest in Eastern mysticism and Kabbalah, introduced to her by actress Sandra Bernhard.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/kabbalah-is-madonna-losing-her-religion-6095969.html |title=Kabbalah: Is Madonna Losing Her Religion? |last=Barnes |first=Anthony |date=July 9, 2006 |access-date=May 26, 2010 |newspaper=The Independent |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305102102/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/kabbalah-is-madonna-losing-her-religion-6095969.html |url-status=live}}</ref> This change in perception influenced her seventh studio album, ''Ray of Light''.{{sfnm|Rooksby|2004|1p=50|O'Brien|2007|2p=319}} She collaborated with electronic music producer William Orbit to create a fusion of dance, pop, and British rock.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=302}}<ref name="wync"/> Music critic Ann Powers said Madonna sought "a kind of lushness" for the album rather than the party-oriented sounds of 1990s techno and rave genres, opting instead for a more singer-songwriter approach that Orbit helped her achieve.<ref name="wync">{{cite web |url=http://soundcheck.wnyc.org/story/madonna-ray-of-light/ |title=''Ray Of Light'' Was Madonna's 'Mid-Life Enlightenment' Record |date=September 13, 2013 |access-date=February 14, 2014 |last=Powers |first=Ann |author-link=Ann Powers |work=Soundcheck |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210144342/http://soundcheck.wnyc.org/story/madonna-ray-of-light/ |archive-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> ''Ray of Light'' was released on February 22, 1998.<ref name="v208">{{cite magazine |last=Lynch |first=Joe |title=Madonna's ''Ray of Light'' at 20: Her Collaborators Look Back on the Electronic Pop Milestone |magazine=Billboard |date=February 23, 2018 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-ray-of-light-album-anniversary-8214329/ |access-date=December 8, 2025 |archive-date=December 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251223064835/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-ray-of-light-album-anniversary-8214329/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 with the highest first-week sales for a woman at the time,<ref name="bb1998">{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HwoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA100 |title=Between the Bullets |date=November 14, 1998 |access-date=July 11, 2010 |magazine=Billboard |issn=0006-2510 |volume=110 |issue=46 |page=100 |archive-date=March 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306005549/https://books.google.com/books?id=HwoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA100 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RS-Titanic">{{cite magazine |last=Connelly |first=Christopher |title=Even Madonna Can't Sink the Titanic |url-access=limited|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/even-madonna-cant-sink-the-titanic-247033/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=March 12, 1998 |access-date=April 18, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514173705/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/even-madonna-cant-sink-the-titanic-247033/ |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> topped the charts of 17 countries,<ref name="v757">{{cite news |last=Levine |first=Nick |title='Her Vulnerability Still Resonates Deeply': Why Madonna's Ray of Light Is 2025's Hottest Album |publisher=BBC News |date=July 31, 2025 |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250730-why-madonnas-ray-of-light-is-2025s-hottest-album |access-date=December 8, 2025 |archive-date=December 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251209165343/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250730-why-madonnas-ray-of-light-is-2025s-hottest-album |url-status=live}}</ref> and eventually sold over 16{{nbsp}}million copies globally.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jul/05/william-orbit-tennyson-poem-verb|title=Orbit Switches from Madonna to Tennyson with Live Radio 3 Epic|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Vanessa|last=Thorpe|date=July 5, 2009|access-date=January 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002143713/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jul/05/william-orbit-tennyson-poem-verb|archive-date=October 2, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Critically acclaimed,<ref name="a461">{{cite magazine |title=Revisiting ''Ray of Light'', Madonna's Most Forward-Thinking Album, 20 Years On |magazine=Dazed |date=February 22, 2018 |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/39140/1/madonna-ray-of-light-20-anniversary |access-date=December 8, 2025 |archive-date=August 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828154710/https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/39140/1/madonna-ray-of-light-20-anniversary |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Ray of Light'' is widely regarded as Madonna's ''magnum opus''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Hé |first=Kristen S. |date=March 24, 2020 |title=Madonna in 2000: Reinventing Pop 'Music' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-in-2000-reinventing-pop-music-9341347/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304162638/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-in-2000-reinventing-pop-music-9341347/ |archive-date=March 4, 2025 |access-date=March 4, 2025 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref><ref name="j666">{{cite news | title=Get into the groove! Writers go head-to-head to declare Madonna's best album | newspaper=The Guardian | date=October 9, 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/09/get-into-the-groove-writers-go-head-to-head-to-declare-madonnas-best-album | access-date=May 6, 2026}}</ref><ref name="e199">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madonna-like-a-prayer/ |title=Madonna: Like a Prayer |website=Pitchfork |date=August 16, 2017 |access-date=November 19, 2017 |first=Maura |last=Johnston |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310065707/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madonna-like-a-prayer/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The album's two highest-charting singles, "Frozen" and "Ray of Light", peaked at numbers two and five on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with the former becoming her first song to debut at number one in the UK.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1p=302|Bego|2000|2p=322}}<ref name="l361">{{cite web |last=Copsey |first=Rob |title=Official Charts Flashback 1998: Madonna |date=March 1, 2018 |publisher=Official Charts |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/official-charts-flashback-1998-madonna-frozen__22005/ |access-date=December 8, 2025 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806190232/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/official-charts-flashback-1998-madonna-frozen__22005/ |url-status=live}}</ref> At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, Madonna won four awards, including Best Pop Album for ''Ray of Light'', and Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video for the title track.{{sfnm|Taraborrelli|2002|1p=304|O'Brien|2007|2pp=332, 529–532}} In 1998, Madonna established the Ray of Light Foundation, a non-profit for women, education, global development, and humanitarian aid.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/glitzy-giving/madonna.html |title=Madonna |website=Inside Philanthropy |access-date=August 27, 2018 |archive-date=August 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827075601/https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/glitzy-giving/madonna.html |url-status=live}}</ref> She recorded the single "Beautiful Stranger" for the film ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999), which earned her a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=304}} She starred as a yoga teacher in the comedy-drama ''The Next Best Thing'' (2000), which received negative reviews and opened at number two at the US box office.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|pp=337, 348}} For the soundtrack, she recorded a cover of Don McLean's "American Pie", her ninth UK number-one single.<ref name="v925">{{cite web |title=Madonna Songs and Albums |publisher=Official Charts |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28948/madonna/ |access-date=December 10, 2025 |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203194634/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28948/madonna/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

On September 18, 2000, Madonna released her eighth studio album, ''Music'', to critical acclaim.<ref name="z661">{{cite web |title=''Music'' Turns 20 |website=Stereogum |date=October 26, 2025 |url=https://stereogum.com/2098583/music-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary |access-date=December 10, 2025 |archive-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201011241/https://www.stereogum.com/2098583/music-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hé |first=Kristen |date=March 24, 2020 |title=Madonna in 2000: Reinventing Pop ''Music'' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-in-2000-reinventing-pop-music-9341347/ |access-date=April 3, 2025 |magazine=Billboard |quote=Music found broad critical acclaim upon its release, and was even voted number 452 on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s original Greatest Albums of All Time list. |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812181528/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9341347/madonna-in-2000-reinventing-pop-music |url-status=live}}</ref> She collaborated with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï, and expressed a preference for working with unconventional, lesser-known artists who "are making music unlike anyone else out there".{{sfnm|O'Brien|2007|1pp=338–343|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=328}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Madonna Offers Upbeat ''Music'' on Maverick |magazine=Billboard |date=August 5, 2000 |page=98 |volume=112 |issue=32}}</ref> The album reached number one in over 20 countries and sold four million copies within the first ten days of release.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/10/wb.madonna.album/index.html |title=Madonna's Secret to Making ''Music'' |date=November 10, 2000 |access-date=October 29, 2023 |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002052652/http://edition.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/10/wb.madonna.album/index.html |archive-date=October 2, 2023}}</ref> In the US, ''Music'' debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming her first number-one album in eleven years since ''Like a Prayer''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/news/after-11-year-absence-madonnas-back-876212.story |title=After 11 Year Absence, Madonna's Back At No. 1 |date=September 28, 2000 |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |magazine=Billboard |access-date=January 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110063144/http://www.billboard.com/news/after-11-year-absence-madonnas-back-876212.story |archive-date=November 10, 2011}}</ref> The singles "Music" and "Don't Tell Me" peaked at numbers one and four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, respectively; the former became her twelfth song to peak atop the chart.<ref name="hot100"/><ref name="m272">{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |title=This Week in Billboard Chart History: In 2000, Madonna's 'Music' Hit No. 1 |magazine=Billboard |url-access=subscription |date=September 14, 2015 |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/this-week-in-billboard-chart-history-in-2000-madonnas-music-hit/ |access-date=December 10, 2025 |archive-date=February 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205083012/https://www.billboard.com/pro/this-week-in-billboard-chart-history-in-2000-madonnas-music-hit/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Since its release, ''Music'' has sold over 11{{nbsp}}million units worldwide.<ref name="wwsales">{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/local/madonnas_hard_candy_strikes_sour_note/1838933/|title=Madonna's 'Hard Candy' Strikes Sour Note|last=Gerard|first=Chris|date=July 15, 2009|access-date=August 10, 2010|publisher=WRC-TV|archive-date=May 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528063551/https://www.nbcwashington.com/local/madonnas_hard_candy_strikes_sour_note/1838933/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Madonna met director Guy Ritchie in mid-1998 at a dinner party hosted by mutual friends Sting and Trudie Styler.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Madonna's Dating History: From Sean Penn to Guy Ritchie |url=https://people.com/music/madonna-dating-history/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250628232520/https://people.com/music/madonna-dating-history/ |archive-date=2025-06-28 |access-date=2026-06-01 |work=People.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Pidd |first=Helen |date=2008-10-15 |title=It's official: Madonna and Guy Ritchie to divorce |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/16/celebrity |access-date=2026-06-01 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> She gave birth to their son, Rocco John Ritchie, in Los Angeles on August 11, 2000.{{sfnm|Guilbert|2002|1p=106|Taraborrelli|2002|2p=310}} She and Rocco experienced complications during the birth due to her placenta praevia.{{sfn|Cross|2007|p=88}} He was christened at Dornoch Cathedral in Scotland on December 21, 2000, and Madonna married Ritchie the following day at nearby Skibo Castle.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|pp=309–310}} In June 2001, she launched the Drowned World Tour, her first tour in eight years. It visited cities across the US and Europe, becoming the highest-grossing tour of the year by a solo artist with $75 million in revenue.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|pp=356–366}}<ref name="h538">{{cite web | title=Madonna kicks off world tour | publisher=BBC News | date=June 10, 2001 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1381180.stm | access-date=April 27, 2026}}</ref><ref name=grossdwt>{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=December 29, 2001 |title=The Year in Touring |magazine=Billboard |volume=113 |issue=52 |page=44 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> That same year, she released her second greatest-hits album, ''GHV2'', featuring a selection of her successful songs from the 1990s onward. It debuted at number seven in the US and sold seven million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2007/2007-10-27-Music-Week.pdf#page=3 |last=Cardew |first=Ben |date=October 27, 2007 |title=Warner Finds Solace in Farewell CD |via=World Radio History|magazine=Music Week |access-date=August 29, 2022 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231060008/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2007/2007-10-27-Music-Week.pdf#page=3 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=usdebut>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/77645/garths-scarecrow-shoots-straight-to-no-1 |title=Garth's ''Scarecrow'' Shoots Straight To No. 1 |last=Bronson |first=Fred |author-link=Fred Bronson |date=November 22, 2001 |access-date=February 16, 2016 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=July 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731141002/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/77645/garths-scarecrow-shoots-straight-to-no-1 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2002, Madonna starred in Ritchie's ''Swept Away'', a remake of Lina Wertmüller's 1974 film.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|pp=366–368}} The film was commercially unsuccessful and universally panned,<ref name="f730">{{cite web |title=Swept Away |publisher=Box Office Mojo |date=October 11, 2002 |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl762676737/ |access-date=December 10, 2025}}</ref><ref name="i653">{{cite web |title=''Swept Away'' |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |date=October 11, 2002 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1116774-swept_away |access-date=December 10, 2025 |archive-date=December 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251219002326/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1116774-swept_away |url-status=live}}</ref> with A. O. Scott, writing for ''The New York Times'', stating that "a role like this one requires the surrender of emotional control, something Madonna seems constitutionally unable to achieve".<ref name="v146">{{cite news |last=Scott |first=A. O. |author-link=A. O. Scott |title=Film Review: No Madonna Is an Island |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 11, 2002 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/11/movies/film-review-no-madonna-is-an-island.html |access-date=December 10, 2025 |archive-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202114803/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/11/movies/film-review-no-madonna-is-an-island.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2002, she appeared in the West End play ''Up for Grabs'' at the Wyndhams Theatre, which was poorly received by critics.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|pp=368, 537}}<ref name="p597">{{cite web |title=''Up for Grabs'' |publisher=WhatsOnStage.com |date=May 26, 2002 |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/up-for-grabs_27634/ |access-date=December 10, 2025 |archive-date=December 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251211225409/https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/up-for-grabs_27634/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Billington |author-link=Michael Billington (critic) |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2002/may/24/theatre.artsfeatures2 |title=''Up for Grabs'', Wyndham's Theatre, London Stage |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=December 7, 2012 |date=May 25, 2002 |archive-date=December 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216191855/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2002/may/24/theatre.artsfeatures2 |url-status=live}}</ref> Later that year, Madonna released "Die Another Day", the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name, in which she also had a cameo role that Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' described as "incredibly wooden".<ref>{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Bradshaw |author-link=Peter Bradshaw |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/nov/15/artsfeatures.jamesbond |title=Film: Die Another Day |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=December 7, 2012 |date=September 13, 2006 |archive-date=December 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206215037/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/nov/15/artsfeatures.jamesbond |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="k446">{{cite news |last=Farmer |first=Brian |title=From Duxford with Love: James Bond Aston Martin Sold for £46 000 |publisher=BBC News |date=October 9, 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4y39nyzdwo |access-date=December 10, 2025 |archive-date=March 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330084509/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4y39nyzdwo |url-status=live}}</ref> The song reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100,<ref name="hot100"/> and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and two Grammy Awards.<ref>{{multiref|{{cite magazine |ref=none |last1=Susman |first1=Gary |title=Here Are the Golden Globes Winners |url=https://ew.com/article/2003/01/19/here-are-golden-globes-winners/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=March 6, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222154535/https://ew.com/article/2003/01/19/here-are-golden-globes-winners/ |archive-date=December 22, 2023 |date=January 19, 2003}}|{{cite magazine |ref=none |last1=Henderson |first1=Eric |last2=Cinquemani |first2=Slant |title=Grammy 2004 winner predictions |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/the-46th-annual-grammy-awards-winner-predictions/ |magazine=Slant Magazine |access-date=March 6, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629182702/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/the-46th-annual-grammy-awards-winner-predictions/ |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |date=January 8, 2004}}|{{cite news |ref=none |title=The Grammy Award Winners of 2004 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/09/arts/the-grammy-award-winners-of-2004.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 3, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721074007/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/09/arts/the-grammy-award-winners-of-2004.html |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |date=February 9, 2004 |url-access=subscription}}}}</ref>

=== 2003–2006: ''American Life'' and ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' === [[File:ReInventionJason_(cropped2).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Madonna performing at the Re-Invention World Tour in 2004|alt=Madonna and her backup dancers in military costumes performing onstage with their right hands held upright into a fist.]] In 2003, Madonna worked with fashion photographer Steven Klein on an exhibition installation titled ''X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS''. The project was presented from March to May at New York's Deitch Projects gallery and was later shown internationally in a revised version.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lieberman |first1=Rhonda |title=Weighty Madonna |journal=Artforum |date=2003 |volume=41 |issue=9 |pages=27 |oclc=930354138 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260226064912/https://www.artforum.com/columns/rhonda-lieberman-on-madonna-166521/|archive-date=February 26, 2026|url-status=live|url=https://www.artforum.com/columns/rhonda-lieberman-on-madonna-166521/}}</ref>

Madonna reunited with Ahmadzaï to produce her ninth studio album, ''American Life''—a reflection of her views on American society. The record, released on April 21, 2003, was met with mixed reception and debuted atop the US ''Billboard'' 200.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|p=343}}<ref name="americanlifeyearslater">{{cite magazine |last=Arnold |first=Chuck |title=Madonna's ''American Life'': Revisiting the Divisive Album 15 Years Later |magazine=Billboard |date=April 21, 2018 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-american-life-revisit-8359092/ |access-date=December 11, 2025 |archive-date=December 4, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251204183504/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-american-life-revisit-8359092/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Ratliff |first1=Ben |title=''American Life'' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/american-life-115577/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 22, 2003 |access-date=December 24, 2019 |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219131209/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/american-life-115577/ |url-status=live}}</ref> ''American Life'' became her lowest-selling release, with worldwide sales of four million copies by 2005.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hastings |first=Chris |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1500733/Thank-you-for-the-music-How-Madonnas-new-single-will-give-Abba-their-greatest-ever-hit.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115051005/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1500733/Thank-you-for-the-music-How-Madonnas-new-single-will-give-Abba-their-greatest-ever-hit.html |archive-date=November 15, 2011 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Thank You for the Music! How Madonna's New Single Will Give Abba Their Greatest-Ever Hit |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=October 16, 2005 |access-date=January 7, 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Four singles were released from the album: "American Life", "Hollywood", "Nothing Fails", and "Love Profusion". "American Life" was its only track to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 37.<ref name="americanlifeyearslater"/> The tracks fared better internationally; "American Life" topped the charts in Canada and Italy,<ref name=AllMusicCanada>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madonna-p64565/charts-awards/billboard-singles |title=Madonna – Charts & Awards – ''Billboard'' Singles |publisher=AllMusic |date=1983–2009 |access-date=November 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021021900/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madonna-p64565/charts-awards/billboard-singles |archive-date=October 21, 2010}}</ref><ref name="italiancharts">{{cite web|url=https://italiancharts.com/search.asp?cat=s&search=Madonna|title=Italian charts portal: Madonna|publisher=Italian Charts|access-date=December 2, 2009|archive-date=February 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207181736/https://italiancharts.com/search.asp?cat=s&search=Madonna|url-status=live}}</ref> while "Nothing Fails" and "Love Profusion" reached number one in Spain.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA64 |title=Hits of the World: Spain |date=December 27, 2003 |access-date=August 24, 2010 |magazine=Billboard|volume=115 |issue=52 |page=64 |archive-date=February 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217105945/https://books.google.com/books?id=bA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA64 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Madonna&titel=Love+Profusion&cat=s |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224215001/https://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?cat=s&interpret=Madonna&titel=Love+Profusion|archive-date=February 24, 2026|url-status=live|title=Madonna - Love Profusion (Song) |publisher=Spanish Charts |access-date=March 28, 2026}}</ref> "American Life" and "Hollywood" both reached number two in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28948/madonna/ |title=Madonna |publisher=Official Charts |access-date=March 28, 2026 |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203194634/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28948/madonna/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The original music video of "American Life" caused controversy due to its violence and anti-war movement imagery, and was withdrawn after the 2003 invasion of Iraq began. Madonna voluntarily censored herself due to the political climate of the country.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=124267 |title=Exclusive: Madonna's Latest Makeover |date=January 6, 2006 |publisher=ABC News |access-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122184357/https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=124267 |url-status=live}}</ref> Her performance at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards—in which she kissed singers Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera while performing "Hollywood"—was highly publicized.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|pp=383–384}}<ref name="x026">{{cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |title=Ex-MTV Boss Says Christina Aguilera's Team Asked Him to Re-Edit Her Into Madonna-Britney Spears VMA Triple-Kiss |magazine=Billboard |date=August 23, 2023 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/christina-aguilera-team-asked-mtv-reinstate-madonna-vma-triple-kiss-spears-1235398062/ |access-date=December 11, 2025 |archive-date=January 9, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260109053303/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/christina-aguilera-team-asked-mtv-reinstate-madonna-vma-triple-kiss-spears-1235398062/ |url-status=live}}</ref> She then released ''Remixed & Revisited'', an extended play featuring new remixes of songs from ''American Life'' and the unreleased "Your Honesty".<ref name="ew">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C547933%2C00.html |title=Music Capsule Review: ''Remixed and Revisited'' (2003) |last=Fonseca |first=Nicholas |date=November 28, 2003 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=August 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325194920/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,547933,00.html}}</ref> Madonna signed a contract with Callaway Arts & Entertainment to write five children's books. The first, titled ''The English Roses'', was published in September 2003 and tells the story of four English schoolgirls struggling with envy and jealousy. The book became the fastest-selling children's picture book at the time, with all proceeds donated to a children's charity.{{sfnm|1a1=Cross|1y=2007|1p=97|2a1=Horton|2a2=Simmons|2y=2007|2pp=196–198}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2003/09/26/why-madonnas-new-book-worth-checking-out/ |title=Why Madonna's New Book Is Worth Checking Out |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |first=Missy |last=Schwartz |date=September 26, 2003 |access-date=June 14, 2020 |archive-date=June 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614023952/https://ew.com/article/2003/09/26/why-madonnas-new-book-worth-checking-out/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2004, Madonna and Maverick filed a lawsuit against Warner Music Group and its former parent company, Time Warner, alleging financial mismanagement and poor accounting practices that resulted in significant losses. Warner countersued, claiming Maverick had incurred substantial losses independently. The dispute was settled when Warner acquired the Maverick shares held by Madonna and Ronnie Dashev, making the company a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music. Madonna remained signed to Warner under a separate recording contract.<ref name=labelsuit>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3570563.stm |title=Madonna's Label Sues Record Giant |publisher=BBC News |date=March 26, 2004 |access-date=June 7, 2008 |archive-date=October 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017094500/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3570563.stm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/madonna-421-1337028 |title=Madonna Sells Record Company |magazine=NME |date=August 26, 2007 |archive-date=November 19, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119022613/http://www.nme.com/news/madonna/30546 |url-status=live |access-date=January 5, 2017}}</ref> She launched the Re-Invention World Tour in May, performing across North America and Europe.<ref name=NYTimes>{{cite news |last1=Sanneh |first1=Kalefa |title=Pop Review; Madonna's Latest Self, A Mix of Her Old Ones |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/arts/pop-review-madonna-s-latest-self-a-mix-of-her-old-ones.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111075757/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/arts/pop-review-madonna-s-latest-self-a-mix-of-her-old-ones.html |archive-date=November 11, 2010 |date=May 26, 2004 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="y976">{{cite web |title=Madonna Starts 50-Date World Tour |publisher=BBC News |date=May 26, 2004 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3741889.stm |access-date=December 11, 2025 |archive-date=January 3, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260103070814/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3741889.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> The tour became 2004's highest-grossing, earning over $120 million, and was later chronicled in her documentary ''I'm Going to Tell You a Secret'' (2005).{{Sfn|O'Brien|2007|pp=387–390, 437}} In November 2004, she was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame as one of its five founding members.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/cliff-richard-and-robbie-williams-join-british-musics-hall-of-fame-19889.html |title=Cliff Richard and Robbie Williams Join British Music's Hall of Fame |newspaper=The Independent |first=Louise |last=Jury |date=November 12, 2004 |access-date=March 12, 2014 |archive-date=October 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017093947/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/cliff-richard-and-robbie-williams-join-british-musics-hall-of-fame-19889.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:HungUpFresno (cropped).jpg|alt=Madonna wearing sunglasses and a disco-inspired bodysuit performing|thumb|upright|Madonna performing at the Confessions Tour in 2006]]

In January 2005, Madonna performed John Lennon's "Imagine" at Tsunami Aid and appeared at the Live 8 benefit concert in London six months later.{{Sfn|O'Brien|2007|pp=450–451}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-01-16/hollywood-music-stars-join-forces-in-tsunami/619556 |title=Hollywood, Music Stars Join Forces in Tsunami Telethon |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Company |access-date=June 14, 2008 |date=January 16, 2005 |archive-date=September 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920095810/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-01-16/hollywood-music-stars-join-forces-in-tsunami/619556 |url-status=live}}</ref> She initially worked with Ahmadzaï to produce her tenth studio album, ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'', but later turned to Stuart Price to attain the sound she was seeking.<ref name="madonnaconfessionsnov">{{cite magazine |title=Madonna Confesses |magazine=Billboard |date=November 7, 2005 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-confesses-60773/ |access-date=December 11, 2025 |archive-date=August 8, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250808082325/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-confesses-60773/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Structured like a continuous DJ mixed club set, the album was released in the US on November 15, 2005, to critical acclaim.<ref name="madonnaconfessionsnov"/> Keith Caulfield, writing in ''Billboard'', heralded the album as a "welcome return to form for the Queen of Pop".<ref name="bbalbum">{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=November 19, 2005 |title=Albums: Confessions on a Dance Floor |magazine=Billboard |volume=117 |issue=47 |page=45 |issn=0006-2510 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5RQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45 |access-date=July 27, 2009 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107150814/https://books.google.com/books?id=5RQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' topped the charts in a record-breaking 40 countries, won Madonna the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, and sold over 10{{nbsp}}million copies worldwide.{{sfn|Glenday|2007|p=187}}<ref name="t281">{{cite magazine |last=Mazzoleni |first=Giulio |title=Madonna's 'Confessions on a Dance Floor' at 20: Here's 9 Things You Don't Know About It |magazine=Billboard |date=November 5, 2025 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/madonna-confessions-on-a-dance-floor-album/ |access-date=December 11, 2025 |archive-date=November 7, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251107213929/https://www.billboard.com/lists/madonna-confessions-on-a-dance-floor-album/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WWsales">{{cite news |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/music/feature/a586401/madonnas-new-album-what-we-know-so-far/ |title=Madonna's New Album: What We Know so Far |publisher=Digital Spy |date=July 25, 2014 |access-date=August 22, 2017 |first=Lewis |last=Corner |archive-date=August 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822230922/http://www.digitalspy.com/music/feature/a586401/madonnas-new-album-what-we-know-so-far/}}</ref>

The lead single, "Hung Up", reached number one in a record-breaking 41 countries. It sampled ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", marking the second time the band permitted such use. ABBA songwriter Björn Ulvaeus called it "a wonderful track—100 per cent solid pop music".{{sfnm|Glenday|2007|1p=187|O'Brien|2007|2p=426}}<ref name="b085">{{cite web |title=Madonna 'Begged' ABBA for Sample |publisher=BBC News |date=October 18, 2005 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4354028.stm |access-date=December 12, 2025 |archive-date=December 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226034608/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4354028.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> The album's second single, "Sorry", became Madonna's twelfth number-one single in the UK.<ref name="BBC" /> Madonna launched the Confessions Tour in May 2006, which grossed more than $193.7 million, making it the highest-grossing tour by a woman at the time.<ref name="BBGross">{{cite magazine |title=Madonna's 'Confessions' Tour Sets Record |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/57197/madonnas-confessions-tour-sets-record |magazine=Billboard |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128123356/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonnas-confessions-tour-sets-record-57197/ |archive-date=November 28, 2021 |date=September 20, 2006}}</ref> During the performance of "Live to Tell", she used religious imagery, including a crucifix and a crown of thorns, prompting the Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia to call for a boycott.{{sfn|Chapman|2010|p=333}}

While touring, Madonna founded the charitable organization Raising Malawi and helped fund an orphanage in the country.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|pp=452–456}} There, she decided to adopt a boy named David Banda in 2006. The adoption provoked public debate, as Malawian law required prospective parents to reside in the country for one year before adopting, a condition Madonna did not meet.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|p=18}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/04/madonna.adoption/index.html |title=Madonna's Adoption Appeal Begins in Malawi |publisher=CNN |date=April 4, 2009 |access-date=February 24, 2010 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041504/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/04/madonna.adoption/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Malawi's Minister of Women and Child Development, Kate Kainja, had also blocked officials from traveling to meet Madonna and Ritchie as potential adopters.<ref name=katek>{{Cite news |date=August 2007 |title=Madonna's Adoption of Malawi Boy Hits Snag |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260304090155/https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/madonnas-adoption-of-malawi-boy-hits-snag-idUSL05459475/|archive-date=March 4, 2026|url-status=live|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/madonnas-adoption-of-malawi-boy-hits-snag-idUSL05459475/ |access-date=May 7, 2025 |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> Speaking on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', Madonna explained that Malawi had no formal adoption laws for foreigners and described how Banda had been suffering from pneumonia after surviving malaria and tuberculosis.<ref name="h980">{{cite news |title=Madonna's Oprah Interview: In Quotes |publisher=BBC News |date=October 25, 2006 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6085032.stm |access-date=December 23, 2025 |archive-date=June 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630073129/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6085032.stm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Ed |last=Pilkington |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/oct/26/arts.usa |title=Confessions on a TV Show: Oprah Hears Madonna's Side of the Story |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=June 9, 2008 |date=October 26, 2006 |archive-date=October 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017093830/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/oct/26/arts.usa |url-status=live}}</ref> Banda's father, Yohane, defended the adoption, saying he understood and supported the arrangement. The adoption was finalized in May 2008.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-10-23-madonna-oprah_x.htm?csp=27 |title=Madonna Speaks out over Furor |newspaper=USA Today |last=Thomas |first=Karen |date=October 26, 2006 |access-date=June 14, 2008 |archive-date=March 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327234745/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-10-23-madonna-oprah_x.htm?csp=27 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/court-rules-that-madonna-may-adopt-malawi-girl/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 |title=Court Rules That Madonna May Adopt Malawi Girl |last=Itzkoff |first=David |date=June 12, 2009 |access-date=March 29, 2014 |url-access=limited |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112210954/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/court-rules-that-madonna-may-adopt-malawi-girl/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2007–2011: Filmmaking, ''Hard Candy'', and business ventures === [[File:Madonna by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Madonna at the premiere of ''I Am Because We Are'' in 2008|alt=Madonna wearing a loose dress with black and brown prints on it. She is looking to the right and smiling.]] In July 2007, Madonna released and performed "Hey You" at the London Live Earth concert.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Mark |last=Sutherland |date=July 7, 2007 |title=Live Earth London Wraps With Madonna Spectacular |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1051072/live-earth-london-wraps-with-madonna-spectacular |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 31, 2016 |archive-date=December 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216124605/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1051072/live-earth-london-wraps-with-madonna-spectacular |url-status=live}}</ref> She subsequently announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records and signed a ten-year, $120 million 360 deal with Live Nation.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1048045/update-madonna-confirms-deal-with-live-nation |title=Update: Madonna Confirms Deal With Live Nation |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=October 16, 2007 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=February 25, 2010 |archive-date=February 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211095738/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1048045/update-madonna-confirms-deal-with-live-nation |url-status=live}}</ref> She produced, wrote, and narrated ''I Am Because We Are'' (2008), a documentary directed by Nathan Rissman that addressed social issues in Malawi.{{sfn|Morgan|2015|p=362}} That same year, she directed her first feature film, ''Filth and Wisdom'', which follows three friends pursuing their ambitions.{{sfn|Morgan|2015|p=346}} Reviews were largely negative,<ref>{{cite web |title=''Filth and Wisdom'' Movie Reviews |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/filth_and_wisdom/ |access-date=June 19, 2025 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |archive-date=December 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251219002320/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/filth_and_wisdom |url-status=live}}</ref> with ''The Times'' describing it as a commendable debut and ''The Daily Telegraph'' calling it a promising but imperfect first effort.<ref>{{cite web |last=Christopher |first=James |date=February 14, 2008 |title=Review: Madonna's Filth and Wisdom |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article3364108.ece |access-date=December 31, 2016 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510113457/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article3364108.ece |archive-date=May 10, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Filth and Wisdom: Don't Give up the Day Job, Madonna |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/3671154/Filth-and-Wisdom-Dont-give-up-the-day-job-Madonna.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/3671154/Filth-and-Wisdom-Dont-give-up-the-day-job-Madonna.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=June 14, 2008 |last=Johnston |first=Sheila |date=February 14, 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On March 10, 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the second female solo artist to achieve it in her first year of eligibility, after Janis Joplin in 1995.<ref name="rsinducted">{{cite magazine |date=September 27, 2007 |first=Jonathan |last=Cohen |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1048851/madonna-beasties-mellencamp-up-for-rock-hall |title=Madonna, Beasties, Mellencamp Up For Rock Hall |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 31, 2016 |archive-date=December 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216013847/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1048851/madonna-beasties-mellencamp-up-for-rock-hall |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2017/09/51_first-ballot_rock_roll_hall.html|title=51 first-ballot Rock & Roll Hall of Famers|first=Troy L.|last=Smith|newspaper=The Plain Dealer|date=September 26, 2017|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref>

Madonna worked with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Pharrell Williams to produce her eleventh studio album, ''Hard Candy''.<ref name="timbalandhot">{{cite news |last=Reid |first=Shaheem |date=August 8, 2007 |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1566579/timbaland-talks-about-his-and-justin-timberlakes-hot-collabo-with-madonna/ |title=Timbaland Talks About His And Justin Timberlake's 'Hot' Collabo With Madonna |publisher=MTV |archive-date=October 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001063705/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1566579/20070807/timbaland.jhtml |access-date=December 31, 2016}}</ref> Released on April 29, 2008,<ref name="j999">{{cite magazine |last=Arnold |first=Chuck |title=Why ''Hard Candy'' Is Madonna's Last Great Album |magazine=Billboard |date=April 28, 2018 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-hard-candy-10-year-anniversary-last-great-album-8401373/ |access-date=December 14, 2025 |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114000122/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-hard-candy-10-year-anniversary-last-great-album-8401373/ |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Hard Candy'' debuted atop the charts of 37 countries, including the US ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kiely |first1=Amanda |title=Madonna's 'Sticky & Sweet' Concert to Premiere on EPIX |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aFihZquS2D7c |publisher=Bloomberg Television |access-date=December 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105075512/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aFihZquS2D7c |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |date=October 6, 2009}}</ref><ref name="s506">{{cite magazine |last=Jessen |first=Wade |title=Madonna's the Queen of Charts |magazine=Billboard |date=May 7, 2008 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonnas-the-queen-of-charts-1308961/ |access-date=December 14, 2025 |archive-date=April 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428182641/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonnas-the-queen-of-charts-1308961/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The lead single, "4 Minutes", peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming her thirty-seventh top-ten entry in the US and surpassing Elvis Presley's record for the most top-ten songs.<ref name="mariahmadonna">{{cite magazine |date=April 2, 2008 |first=Silvio |last=Pietroluongo |title=Mariah, Madonna Make Billboard Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1045998/mariah-madonna-make-billboard-chart-history |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 31, 2016 |archive-date=June 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629212719/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1045998/mariah-madonna-make-billboard-chart-history |url-status=live}}</ref> In the UK, "4 Minutes" extended her record as the female artist with the most number-one singles.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schmidt |first=Veronica |date=April 21, 2008 |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3789058.ece |title=Madonna Goes to No. 1 For the 13th Time |newspaper=The Times |access-date=December 31, 2016 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=July 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719031639/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3789058.ece}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s Caryn Ganz described ''Hard Candy'' as "an impressive preview of her upcoming tour",<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-debuts-hard-candy-with-justin-timberlake-at-new-york-club-show-20080501 |title=Madonna Debuts ''Hard Candy'' With Justin Timberlake at New York Club Show |magazine=Rolling Stone |first=Caryn |last=Ganz |date=May 1, 2008 |access-date=December 31, 2016 |archive-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422144459/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-debuts-hard-candy-with-justin-timberlake-at-new-york-club-show-20080501}}</ref> while BBC correspondent Mark Savage criticized it as "an attempt to capture the urban market".<ref>{{cite news |last=Savage |first=Mark |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7336448.stm |title=Review: Madonna's Hard Candy |publisher=BBC News |date=April 8, 2008 |access-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-date=April 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414214003/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7336448.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> She launched the Sticky & Sweet Tour in August 2008, her first major venture with Live Nation. Grossing over $408 million, it became the second highest-grossing tour of all time and the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist.<ref name="The Wall Live">{{cite magazine |first=Bob |last=Allen |date=October 4, 2013 |title=Roger Waters Passes Madonna For Solo Boxscore Record With 459 M Wall Live |url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/5748070/roger-waters-passes-madonna-for-solo-boxscore-record-with-459m-wall-live |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 31, 2016 |archive-date=June 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614073359/https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/5748070/roger-waters-passes-madonna-for-solo-boxscore-record-with-459m-wall-live |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Ray |last=Waddell |date=January 30, 2009 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269509/madonna-resuming-sticky-sweet-tour-this-summer |title=Madonna Resuming Sticky & Sweet Tour This Summer |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216100733/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269509/madonna-resuming-sticky-sweet-tour-this-summer |archive-date=December 16, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2008, Madonna's brother Christopher published the book ''Life with My Sister Madonna'', which created a rift between the two due to its unauthorized release.<ref>{{cite news |title=Madonna's Brother's Book Explores Guy Ritchie Marriage |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/2279132/Madonnas-brothers-book-explores-Guy-Ritchie-marriage.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/2279132/Madonnas-brothers-book-explores-Guy-Ritchie-marriage.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=July 10, 2008 |access-date=January 1, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In October, Madonna filed for divorce from Ritchie, citing irreconcilable differences.<ref>{{cite news |title=Madonna and Ritchie Confirm Split |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7672083.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=October 16, 2008 |access-date=November 15, 2008 |archive-date=September 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918093615/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7672083.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> Two months later, her spokesperson confirmed that a settlement had been reached, granting Ritchie between £50–60 million (${{to USD|50|GBR}}–{{to USD|60|GBR}} million), including the couple's London pub, residence, and Wiltshire estate.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7784519.stm |title=Madonna Gives Guy £50m in Divorce |publisher=BBC News |date=December 15, 2008 |access-date=March 19, 2010 |archive-date=February 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215095900/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7784519.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> The marriage was formally dissolved through a ''decree nisi'' at the Principal Registry of the Family Division in High Holborn, London. Custody of their sons, Rocco and David, then aged eight and three, was shared between Ritchie's London home and Madonna's residence in New York, where they lived alongside Lourdes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/nov/22/madonna-guy-ritchie-divorce |title=Madonna and Ritchie Granted Quickie Divorce |first=Jo |last=Adetunji |newspaper=The Guardian |date=November 22, 2008 |access-date=March 19, 2010 |archive-date=July 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729175438/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/nov/22/madonna-guy-ritchie-divorce |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/11/21/madonna.ritchie.divorce/?iref=hpmostpop |title=Madonna, Ritchie Granted Quick Divorce |publisher=CNN |date=December 15, 2008 |access-date=March 19, 2010 |archive-date=May 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522170101/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/11/21/madonna.ritchie.divorce/?iref=hpmostpop |url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2009, Madonna applied to adopt Chifundo "Mercy" James from Malawi, but the country's High Court denied the request on the grounds that she was not a resident.<ref name="mercyjames">{{cite news |first1=Mabvuto |last1=Banda |first2=Michael |last2=Georgy |date=May 25, 2009 |editor-first=Louise |editor-last=Ireland |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269052/madonna-loses-adoption-bid-in-malawi |title=Madonna Loses Adoption Bid in Malawi |magazine=Billboard |agency=Reuters |access-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-date=December 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216073758/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269052/madonna-loses-adoption-bid-in-malawi |url-status=live}}</ref> She appealed the decision, and in June, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling and granted her permission to adopt her.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madonna-wins-adoption-battle/ |title=Madonna Wins Adoption Battle |publisher=CBS News |date=June 12, 2009 |access-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-date=January 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125213331/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/madonna-wins-adoption-battle/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Human Nature @ Sticky & Sweet Tour (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Madonna, wearing a silver top hat while holding a black guitar. She is singing into a microphone|Madonna performing during the Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2008]]

Madonna concluded her contract with Warner Records with the release of her third greatest-hits album, ''Celebration'', in September 2009. The compilation included two new tracks, along with thirty-four songs spanning her career with the label.<ref name="celebraterelease">{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=July 23, 2009 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267968/madonnas-celebration-hits-collection-to-feature-two-new-songs |title=Madonna's ''Celebration'' Hits Collection to Feature Two New Songs |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 23, 2009 |archive-date=June 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629175333/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267968/madonnas-celebration-hits-collection-to-feature-two-new-songs |url-status=live}}</ref> The album reached number one in multiple countries, including Canada, Germany, Italy, and the UK.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Sexton |first=Paul |date=October 2, 2009 |title=Madonna's ''Celebration'' Tops Euro Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267210/madonnas-celebration-tops-euro-chart |magazine=Billboard |access-date=May 20, 2016 |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313203949/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267210/madonnas-celebration-tops-euro-chart |url-status=live}}</ref> She appeared at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards to deliver a tribute to the deceased singer Michael Jackson.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Crosley |first1=Hillary |first2=Gil |last2=Kaufman |date=September 13, 2009 |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1621390/madonna-pays-tearful-tribute-to-michael-jackson-at-2009-vmas/ |title=Madonna Pays Tearful Tribute To Michael Jackson At 2009 VMAs |publisher=MTV News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004084438/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1621390/20090913/jackson_michael.jhtml |archive-date=October 4, 2009 |access-date=January 1, 2017}}</ref> By the end of the decade, Madonna was recognized as the most successful singles artist of the 2000s in the US and the most-played artist of the decade in the UK.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/decadeendcharts/2009/singles-sales-artists |title=Decade End Charts: Singles Sales Artists |magazine=Billboard |year=2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227231038/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/decadeendcharts/2009/singles-sales-artists |archive-date=December 27, 2012 |access-date=January 1, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8603409.stm |title=Madonna 'Most Played' Artist of Decade |agency=BBC News |date=April 5, 2010 |access-date=November 13, 2010 |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201033746/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8603409.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Billboard'' ranked her as the third highest-grossing touring artist of the 2000s, with earnings exceeding $801 million, over 6.3 million attendees, and 244 sold-out performances out of 248 shows.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top Touring Artists of the Decade |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266415/top-touring-artists-of-the-decade |magazine=Billboard |date=December 11, 2009 |access-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316061805/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266415/top-touring-artists-of-the-decade |url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2010, Madonna performed at Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief concert.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Maura |author-link=Maura Johnston |date=January 22, 2010 |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1630335/madonna-brings-classic-like-a-prayer-to-hope-for-haiti-now-telethon/ |title=Madonna Brings Classic 'Like A Prayer' To ''Hope for Haiti Now'' Telethon |publisher=MTV News |access-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-date=September 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923023954/http://www.mtv.com/news/1630335/madonna-brings-classic-like-a-prayer-to-hope-for-haiti-now-telethon/}}</ref>

Madonna's third live album, ''Sticky & Sweet Tour'', was released in April 2010, debuting at number ten in the US.<ref name="p883">{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |title=Justin Bieber Back On Top With ''World 2.0'' |magazine=Billboard |date=April 14, 2010 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/justin-bieber-back-on-top-with-world-20-1208536/ |access-date=December 14, 2025 |archive-date=September 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250919185711/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/justin-bieber-back-on-top-with-world-20-1208536/ |url-status=live}}</ref> That year, she authorized the television series ''Glee'' to feature her entire music catalog, leading to an episode composed exclusively of her songs.<ref name="EW">{{cite magazine |last=Stack |first=Tim |date=October 21, 2009 |url=https://ew.com/article/2009/10/21/glee-exlcusive-madonna-is-in-is-adam-lambert-next/ |title=''Glee'' Exclusive: Madonna Is on Board! Is Adam Lambert Next? |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-date=March 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323100815/http://www.ew.com/article/2009/10/21/glee-exlcusive-madonna-is-in-is-adam-lambert-next |url-status=live}}</ref> She also collaborated with her daughter Lourdes to launch the Material Girl clothing line, inspired by her 1980s fashion.<ref name="mgclothing">{{cite news |first=Jill |last=Serjeant |editor-first=Bob |editor-last=Tourtellotte |date=August 20, 2010 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-madonna-idUSTRE67J3YP20100820 |title=Madonna Sued over 'Material Girl' Clothing Line |publisher=Reuters |access-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-date=January 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102081443/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-madonna-idUSTRE67J3YP20100820 |url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2010, she founded the global fitness chain Hard Candy Fitness, and in November 2011 introduced a second lifestyle brand, Truth or Dare, offering footwear, fragrances, lingerie, and accessories.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Joyce |date=October 26, 2010 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madonna-to-open-hard-candy-gym-chain/ |title=Madonna to Open Hard Candy Gym Chain |access-date=January 1, 2017 |publisher=CBS News |archive-date=September 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916095708/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madonna-to-open-hard-candy-gym-chain/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.madonna.com/news/title/madonna-and-mg-icon-announce-the-launch-of-the-truth-or-dare-by-madonna-brand- |title=Madonna And MG Icon Announce The Launch of The 'Truth or Dare by Madonna' Brand |date=November 3, 2011 |publisher=Madonna |access-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-date=April 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404032134/http://www.madonna.com/news/title/madonna-and-mg-icon-announce-the-launch-of-the-truth-or-dare-by-madonna-brand- |url-status=live}}</ref> Her second directorial feature was ''W.E.'' (2011), a biographical drama about the relationship between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/madonna-directing-w-e-1118015190/ |title=Madonna Directing 'W.E.' |last=Jafaar |first=Ali |date=February 13, 2010 |magazine=Variety |access-date=February 15, 2010 |archive-date=November 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126224408/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118015190?refCatId=16 |url-status=live}}</ref> The film received an unfavorable critical and commercial response.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/we_2011 |title=''w.e.'' (2012) |access-date=November 10, 2025 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |archive-date=November 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251127092456/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/we_2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Its soundtrack included the ballad "Masterpiece", which earned Madonna a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.<ref name="c948">{{cite magazine |first=Marc |last=Schneider |title=Madonna Wins Best Song at Golden Globes, Jabs ''Girl'' Ricky Gervais |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=January 16, 2012 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/madonna-masterpiece-best-song-golden-globe-282257/ |access-date=December 14, 2025 |archive-date=November 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251130064453/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/madonna-masterpiece-best-song-golden-globe-282257/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2012–2016: Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, ''MDNA'', and ''Rebel Heart'' === [[File:2012 Super Bowl halftime show (6844800645).jpg|thumb|left|Madonna, joined by Cee Lo Green and a marching band, performing during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show on February 5, 2012|alt=A group of performers onstage, with Madonna and Cee Lo Green at the front. They are all wearing black costumes with red and white stripes.]] In February 2012, Madonna headlined the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.<ref name="nfl12">{{cite web |url=https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-xlvi-halftime-show-will-feature-madonna-09000d5d824bf8ea |title=Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show Featured Madonna |date=December 4, 2011 |publisher=National Football League |access-date=December 5, 2011 |archive-date=January 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107053712/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d824bf8ea/article/super-bowl-xlvi-halftime-show-will-feature-madonna |url-status=live}}</ref> Produced in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil and choreographer Jamie King, the performance featured guest appearances by LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A. and CeeLo Green. The broadcast drew 114 million viewers, making it the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show at the time, surpassing the viewership of the game itself.<ref name="t575">{{cite web |title=Beyoncé Confirms Super Bowl Halftime Gig |publisher=CBC News |date=October 16, 2012 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/beyonc%C3%A9-confirms-super-bowl-halftime-gig-1.1193214 |access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref><ref name="j172">{{cite web |title=Super Bowl, Madonna Set New TV Audience Records |publisher=CNBC |date=February 7, 2012 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2012/02/06/super-bowl-madonna-set-new-tv-audience-records.html |access-date=January 10, 2026 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122131313/https://www.cnbc.com/2012/02/06/super-bowl-madonna-set-new-tv-audience-records.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna primarily produced her twelfth studio album, ''MDNA'', with Orbit and Martin Solveig.<ref>{{cite web |last=Vena |first=Jocelyn |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1677918/madonna-mdna-william-orbit/ |title=Madonna Made 'Magic' With William Orbit On M.D.N.A. |publisher=MTV News |date=January 26, 2012 |access-date=March 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012221600/http://www.mtv.com/news/1677918/madonna-mdna-william-orbit/ |archive-date=October 12, 2014}}</ref> It was released on March 26, 2012, to generally favorable critical reception.<ref name="o428">{{cite magazine |last=Goodwyn |first=Tom |title=This Week's New Music Releases: March 26 2012 |magazine=NME |date=March 26, 2012 |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/this-week-releases-26-1268308 |access-date=December 14, 2025 |archive-date=December 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251222231150/https://www.nme.com/news/music/this-week-releases-26-1268308 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="e296">{{cite web |title=''MDNA'' by Madonna |publisher=Metacritic |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/mdna/madonna |access-date=December 14, 2025 |archive-date=November 26, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251126081952/https://www.metacritic.com/music/mdna/madonna |url-status=live}}</ref> ''MDNA'' was Madonna's first release under a three-album agreement with Interscope Records, signed as part of her 360 deal with Live Nation, which could not distribute recorded music.<ref name="InterscopeDeal">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/madonna-interscope-live-nation-deal-273943 |title=Madonna's Interscope-Live Nation Deal Worth $40 Million; Album Due Out in March |last=Halperin |first=Shirley |date=December 15, 2011 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=December 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107195417/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/madonna-interscope-live-nation-deal-273943 |archive-date=January 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7385849/live-nation-michael-rapino-upselling-360-deals |title=Live Nation's Michael Rapino Wants to Upsell You, Talks Streaming and Madonna-Like 360 Deals |date=May 26, 2016 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=May 28, 2018 |archive-date=May 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529135107/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7385849/live-nation-michael-rapino-upselling-360-deals |url-status=live}}</ref>

''MDNA'' became her fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/497329/madonna-debuts-at-no-1-on-billboard-200-lionel-richie-at-no-2 |title=Madonna Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200, Lionel Richie at No. 2 |magazine=Billboard |date=September 14, 2009 |access-date=April 7, 2012 |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |archive-date=March 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330220114/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/497329/madonna-debuts-at-no-1-on-billboard-200-lionel-richie-at-no-2 |url-status=live}}</ref> The lead single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'", became her record-extending thirty-eighth top-ten single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/505114/madonna-scores-record-extending-38th-hot-100-top-10 |title=Madonna Scores Record-Extending 38th Hot 100 Top 10 |magazine=Billboard |date=September 14, 2009 |access-date=February 26, 2012 |archive-date=March 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329105138/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/505114/madonna-scores-record-extending-38th-hot-100-top-10 |url-status=live}}</ref> She promoted the album with the MDNA Tour, which began in May 2012 and addressed themes such as violence, human rights, and politics. Grossing over $305 million from 88 sold-out shows, it was the highest-earning tour of 2012 and became one of the most profitable at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url-status=live |last=Cadan |first=Dan |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-kicks-off-mdna-tour-in-tel-aviv-20120601 |title=Madonna Kicks Off 'MDNA' Tour in Tel Aviv |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 1, 2012 |access-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-date=October 25, 2017 |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025132401/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-kicks-off-mdna-tour-in-tel-aviv-20120601}}</ref><ref name="mdna boxscore">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1526267/madonnas-mdna-tour-makes-billboard-boxscores-all-time-top-10 |title=Madonna's 'MDNA' Tour Makes Billboard Boxscore's All-Time Top 10 |magazine=Billboard |first=Ray |last=Waddell |date=January 24, 2013 |access-date=May 19, 2013 |archive-date=February 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201084714/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1526267/madonnas-mdna-tour-makes-billboard-boxscores-all-time-top-10 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Richin |first=Leslie |title=Our 5 Favorite Moments from Madonna's MDNA Tour |magazine=Billboard |date=December 22, 2014 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-mdna-tour-best-moments-6413818/ |access-date=December 14, 2025 |archive-date=March 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320095043/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-mdna-tour-best-moments-6413818/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna collaborated with Steven Klein and directed a seventeen-minute film, ''secretprojectrevolution'', which was released on BitTorrent in September 2013.<ref name="w530">{{cite magazine |last=Gardner |first=Eriq |title=Madonna to Release Short Film Via BitTorrent to Aid Global 'Artistic Expression' |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=September 17, 2013 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/madonnas-secret-project-revealed-pop-630428/ |access-date=December 14, 2025 |archive-date=December 31, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251231100550/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/madonnas-secret-project-revealed-pop-630428/ |url-status=live}}</ref> With the film, she launched the Art for Freedom initiative, which promotes art and free speech to combat global persecution and injustice. The project's website garnered over 3,000 submissions by January 2014.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-names-katy-perry-art-for-freedom-guest-curator-20140107 |url-status=live |title=Madonna Names Katy Perry Art for Freedom Guest Curator |url-access=limited |last=Blistein |first=John |date=January 7, 2014 |access-date=May 23, 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612163423/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-names-katy-perry-art-for-freedom-guest-curator-20140107}}</ref>

[[File:Rebel Heart Tour 2016 - Brisbane 1 (26194050412) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Madonna performing at the Rebel Heart Tour in 2016|alt=Madonna looking to her right while singing onstage, with her right hand on her waist.]]

By 2013, Madonna's Raising Malawi had built ten schools educating 4,000 children in Malawi worth of $400,000.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Goldstein |first1=Sasha |title=Madonna Sends Malawi President an Error-Filled Handwritten Letter, Leaves the Country Without Meeting Joyce Banda |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/madonna-leaves-malawi-charity-visit-article-1.1310137 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=March 22, 2021 |date=April 7, 2013 |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415170353/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/madonna-leaves-malawi-charity-visit-article-1.1310137 |url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2014, she donated to her bankrupt hometown of Detroit, and that year launched her MDNA Skin care line in Tokyo.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Madonna Aims to Help Detroit Hometown by Funding Charities |url-access=limited |url-status=live |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-aims-to-help-detroit-hometown-by-funding-organizations-20140630 |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=June 30, 2014 |access-date=July 1, 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=October 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004191615/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-aims-to-help-detroit-hometown-by-funding-organizations-20140630}}</ref><ref name="skin">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-premiering-skin-care-brand-in-japan-5901239/ |title=Madonna Premiering Skin Care Brand in Japan |last=Rutherford |first=Kevin |date=February 14, 2014 |access-date=February 14, 2014 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=March 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302044928/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-hook/5901239/madonna-premiering-skin-care-brand-in-japan |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna released her thirteenth studio album, ''Rebel Heart'', on March 10, 2015, three months after thirteen demos leaked online.<ref name="v918">{{cite magazine |last=Cinquemani |first=Sal |title=Review: Madonna, Rebel Heart |magazine=Slant Magazine |date=February 26, 2015 |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/madonna-rebel-heart/ |access-date=December 14, 2025 |archive-date=November 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251130061802/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/madonna-rebel-heart/ |url-status=live}}</ref> She collaborated with a large range of producers, including Avicii, Diplo, and Kanye West.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/my-seven-minute-speed-date-interview-with-madonna/article16897104/ |title=My Seven-Minute, Speed-Date Interview with Madonna |first=Sarah |last=Hampson |date=February 14, 2014 |access-date=March 1, 2014 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |archive-date=March 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317111230/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/my-seven-minute-speed-date-interview-with-madonna/article16897104/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Madonna Hits Studio with Kills |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/madonna-hits-studio-with-kills-30177378.html |newspaper=Belfast Telegraph |date=November 4, 2014 |access-date=April 15, 2014 |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416191756/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/madonna-hits-studio-with-kills-30177378.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The central theme of the album was introspection along with "genuine statements of personal and careerist reflection".<ref name="slant3">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/house/article/madonna-releases-three-more-songs-from-rebel-heart-joan-of-arc-iconic-hold-tight |title=Madonna Releases Three More Songs from Rebel Heart: 'Joan of Arc', 'Iconic', & 'Hold Tight' |last=Mac |first=Sam C. |magazine=Slant Magazine |access-date=February 26, 2015 |date=February 9, 2015 |archive-date=February 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211100550/http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/article/madonna-releases-three-more-songs-from-rebel-heart-joan-of-arc-iconic-hold-tight |url-status=live}}</ref> Music critics responded positively towards ''Rebel Heart'', calling it Madonna's best effort in a decade.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reviews for Rebel Heart |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/rebel-heart/madonna |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=March 20, 2015 |archive-date=March 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315160531/http://www.metacritic.com/music/rebel-heart/madonna |url-status=live}}</ref>

Madonna began her Rebel Heart Tour in September 2015, which visited North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and grossed $169.8 million from 82 shows.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Spanos |first1=Brittany |title=Madonna Plots Rebel Heart Tour for North America, Europe |url-access=limited |magazine=Rolling Stone |url-status=live |date=March 2, 2015 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-plots-rebel-heart-tour-for-north-america-europe-20150302 |access-date=March 2, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150304174410/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-plots-rebel-heart-tour-for-north-america-europe-20150302}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Madonna Completes Her Rebel Heart Tour in Sydney Amid Criticism |last=Bhandari |first=Subel |magazine=Borneo Bulletin |date=March 22, 2015 |url=http://borneobulletin.com.bn/madonna-completes-her-rebel-heart-tour-in-sydney-amid-criticism/ |access-date=March 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227150407/http://borneobulletin.com.bn/madonna-completes-her-rebel-heart-tour-in-sydney-amid-criticism/ |archive-date=February 27, 2017}}</ref><ref name="rebelheartgross">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/madonna-extends-record-highest-grossing-solo-touring-artist/ |title=Madonna Extends Record as Highest-Grossing Solo Touring Artist: $1.31 Billion Earned |last=Allen |first=Bob |date=March 24, 2016 |access-date=March 24, 2016 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=December 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204051754/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7271843/madonna-extends-record-highest-grossing-solo-touring-artist |url-status=live}}</ref> While touring, Madonna became involved in a legal dispute with Ritchie regarding custody of their son Rocco. The conflict arose when Rocco chose to remain in England with Ritchie rather than continue traveling with Madonna. Court proceedings were held in both New York and London, but after several hearings, Madonna withdrew her custody application and opted to settle the matter privately.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35862049 |title=Judge Rules on Madonna Custody Dispute |last=Savage |first=Mark |date=March 21, 2016 |access-date=March 22, 2016 |agency=BBC News |archive-date=March 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321185626/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35862049 |url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2016, ''Billboard'' named her its Woman of the Year. Her candid and outspoken speech addressing ageism and sexism garnered extensive media attention.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Madonna Is Billboard's 2016 Woman of the Year |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/women-in-music/7541832/madonna-2016-woman-of-the-year |access-date=October 14, 2016 |magazine=Billboard |date=October 14, 2016 |archive-date=October 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014204125/http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/women-in-music/7541832/madonna-2016-woman-of-the-year |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="woman2016">{{cite magazine |title=Madonna Delivers Her Blunt Truth During Fiery, Teary Billboard Women In Music Speech |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/women-in-music/7616927/madonna-billboard-woman-of-the-year-labrinth |access-date=January 24, 2017 |magazine=Billboard |date=December 9, 2016 |last=Lynch |first=Joe |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202072939/http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/women-in-music/7616927/madonna-billboard-woman-of-the-year-labrinth |url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2016, she performed an impromptu acoustic concert at Washington Square Park in support of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.<ref name="impromptu">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-surprise-performance-washington-square-park-new-york-7565917/ |title=Madonna Gives Surprise Performance in New York's Washington Square Park in Support of Hillary Clinton |last=Shouneyia |first=Alexa |date=November 7, 2016 |access-date=November 8, 2016 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=November 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108023426/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7565917/madonna-surprise-performance-washington-square-park-new-york |url-status=live}}</ref> After Donald Trump's election victory, Madonna delivered a speech at the 2017 Women's March on Washington, where a remark about "blowing up the White House" drew controversy.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7662586/watch-madonna-drop-f-bomb-womens-march-on-washington-donald-trump-protest |title=Watch Madonna Drop F-Bomb On Live TV at Women's March on Washington |magazine=Billboard |date=January 20, 2017 |access-date=January 21, 2017 |archive-date=January 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170123071701/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7662586/watch-madonna-drop-f-bomb-womens-march-on-washington-donald-trump-protest |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/21/politics/madonna-speech-march/ |title=In R-Rated Anti-Trump Rant, Madonna Muses About 'Blowing up White House' |publisher=CNN |first=Eric |last=Levenson |date=January 21, 2017 |access-date=January 22, 2017 |archive-date=January 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170123213118/http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/21/politics/madonna-speech-march |url-status=live}}</ref> She later clarified that her comments had been taken out of context and emphasized that she was not advocating violence.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-clarifies-out-of-context-remark-from-womens-march-w462373 |date=January 22, 2017 |access-date=January 22, 2017 |title=Madonna Clarifies 'Out of Context' Remark From Women's March |first=Daniel |last=Krepps |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327010827/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-clarifies-out-of-context-remark-from-womens-march-w462373}}</ref>

=== 2017–2021: Move to Lisbon and ''Madame X'' === In February 2017, Madonna adopted four-year-old twin sisters, Estere and Stella, from Malawi, and relocated to Lisbon, Portugal, later that year with her children.<ref name="k866">{{cite magazine |last=LaCroix |first=Emy |title=Madonna's 6 Children: All About Lourdes, Rocco, David, Mercy, Stella and Estere |magazine=People |date=September 1, 2022 |url=https://people.com/parents/all-about-madonna-children/ |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=June 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607011932/https://people.com/parents/all-about-madonna-children/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/05/entertainment/madonna-portugal/index.html |title=Madonna Is Happy She Moved |first=Lisa |last=Respers |publisher=CNN |access-date=September 6, 2017 |date=September 5, 2017 |archive-date=September 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905221315/http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/05/entertainment/madonna-portugal/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> That July, she inaugurated the Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care in Malawi, a hospital established by her Raising Malawi foundation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-madonna/malawi-hails-madonnas-motherly-spirit-at-opening-of-new-hospital-idUSKBN19W1XX |title=Malawi Hails Madonna's 'Motherly Spirit' at Opening of New Hospital |publisher=Reuters |first=Frank |last=Phiri |date=July 11, 2017 |access-date=May 28, 2018 |archive-date=June 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624232821/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-madonna/malawi-hails-madonnas-motherly-spirit-at-opening-of-new-hospital-idUSKBN19W1XX |url-status=live}}</ref> Her live album ''Rebel Heart Tour'' was released in September 2017 and won Best Music Video for Western Artists at the 32nd Japan Gold Disc Awards.<ref name="j792">{{cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |title=Madonna Announces ''Rebel Heart Tour'' Concert Film/Live Album Date |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=May 12, 2017 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-announces-rebel-heart-tour-concert-film-live-album-date-113682/ |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707045658/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-announces-rebel-heart-tour-concert-film-live-album-date-113682/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.golddisc.jp/award/32/Prize_2.html#gd32_24 |title=The 32nd Japan Gold Disc Award |publisher=Japan Gold Disc Award |language=ja |access-date=February 27, 2018 |archive-date=October 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004145125/http://www.golddisc.jp/award/32/Prize_2.html#gd32_24 |url-status=live}}</ref> That same month, she launched her skincare brand MDNA Skin in selected US stores.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/beauty/7980721/madonna-skincare-line-everything-to-know-about-mdna-skin |title=Everything You Need to Know About Madonna's Newest Venture, MDNA Skin |last=Gray |first=Yasmin |date=September 26, 2017 |access-date=May 13, 2018 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523043525/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/beauty/7980721/madonna-skincare-line-everything-to-know-about-mdna-skin |url-status=live}}</ref> Earlier in the year, the auction house Gotta Have Rock and Roll attempted to sell Madonna's personal items, including letters from Tupac Shakur. Although she sought legal action to halt the sale, the court ruled in favor of art dealer Darlene Lutz due to a 2004 agreement authorizing the sale of the items.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/24/madonna-loses-legal-battle-prevent-auction-tupac-letter-personal/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/24/madonna-loses-legal-battle-prevent-auction-tupac-letter-personal/ |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Madonna Loses Legal Battle to Prevent Auction of Tupac Letter and Other Personal Items |date=April 24, 2018 |access-date=May 13, 2018 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

While residing in Lisbon, Madonna met Portuguese musician Dino D'Santiago, who introduced her to local artists performing fado, morna, and samba music. She frequently attended their informal "living room sessions", which inspired her fourteenth studio album, ''Madame X''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Madonna Talks Giving 'Zero You-Know-Whats' On New 'Madame X' Album at London 'Medellin' Video Premiere |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-medellin-video-premiere-london-inside-interview-madame-x-8508668/ |magazine=Billboard |last=Smirke |first=Richard |access-date=September 11, 2019 |date=April 24, 2019 |archive-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425060614/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8508668/madonna-medellin-video-premiere-london-inside-interview-madame-x |url-status=live}}</ref> The album was released on June 14, 2019, and Madonna produced it with various musicians, primarily her longtime collaborator Mirwais and Mike Dean.<ref name="u462">{{cite magazine |last=Rowley |first=Glenn |title=Everything We Know About Madonna's New Album ''Madame X'' |magazine=Billboard |date=April 17, 2019 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-madame-x-album-what-we-know-8507435/ |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=November 29, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251129125522/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-madame-x-album-what-we-know-8507435/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8515947/madonna-madame-x-stream-it-now |title=Madonna's ''Madame X'' Is Here: Stream It Now |date=June 14, 2019 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=September 11, 2020 |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920183550/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8515947/madonna-madame-x-stream-it-now |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Madame X'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, her ninth to do so.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/madonna-madame-x-no1-debut-billboard-200-chart/ |title=Madonna Achieves Ninth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With ''Madame X'' |magazine=Billboard |first=Keith |last=Caulfield |date=June 23, 2019 |access-date=June 23, 2019 |archive-date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022063058/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8517120/madonna-madame-x-No1-debut-billboard-200-chart |url-status=live}}</ref> Its four singles—"Medellín", "Crave", "I Rise" and "I Don't Search I Find"—each reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart, further extending her record for the most chart-topping entries.<ref name="DanceRecord">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8551014/madonna-milestone-50th-no-1-dance-club-songs-chart |title=Madonna Achieves Milestone 50th No. 1 on Dance Club Songs Chart With 'I Don't Search I Find' |last=Murray |first=Gordon |date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=March 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307211140/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8551014/madonna-milestone-50th-no-1-dance-club-songs-chart |url-status=live}}</ref>

Madonna appeared as the interval act at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 and performed "Like a Prayer", and then "Future" with rapper Quavo.<ref name="excruciatingeuro">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/19/madonna-was-excruciating-eurovision-2019 |title=Madonna Was Excruciating: What We Learned from Eurovision 2019 |last=Belam |first=Martin |date=May 18, 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=September 11, 2020 |archive-date=September 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929085239/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/19/madonna-was-excruciating-eurovision-2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Her Madame X Tour, an all-theater concert series held in select cities across North America and Europe, began in September 2019 and grossed over $51.4{{nbsp}}million in revenue.<ref name="e693">{{cite web |last=Haring |first=Bruce |title=Madonna Cancels Final U.S. Tour Date, But Europe Shows Still on for Next Month |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=December 27, 2019 |url=https://deadline.com/2019/12/madonna-cancels-us-tour-date-europe-still-on-1202817414/ |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=June 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601132558/https://deadline.com/2019/12/madonna-cancels-us-tour-date-europe-still-on-1202817414/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="excruciatingeuro"/> That December, Madonna began a relationship with dancer Ahlamalik Williams, who had previously joined her Rebel Heart Tour in 2015.<ref name="l726">{{cite magazine |last=Léger |first=Marie |title=Who Is Ahlamalik Williams, Madonna's Boyfriend? |magazine=Vogue France |date=August 20, 2021 |url=https://www.vogue.fr/wedding/article/ahlamalik-williams-madonnas-boyfriend |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=August 15, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250815192030/https://www.vogue.fr/wedding/article/ahlamalik-williams-madonnas-boyfriend |url-status=live}}</ref> The tour later faced multiple cancellations due to Madonna's recurring knee injury and concluded prematurely on March 8, 2020, after the French government prohibited large gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.spin.com/2020/03/madonna-cancels-paris-tour-date-after-stage-fall/ |title=Madonna Cancels Paris Tour Date After Stage Fall |magazine=Spin |date=March 2, 2020 |access-date=September 11, 2020 |archive-date=September 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918235859/https://www.spin.com/2020/03/madonna-cancels-paris-tour-date-after-stage-fall/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/madonna-coronavirus-madame-x-tour-cancelled-paris-dates-refund-a9389156.html |title=Madonna Forced to End Madame X Tour Early Due to Coronavirus Restrictions |first=Clémence |last=Michallon |newspaper=The Independent |date=March 9, 2020 |access-date=September 11, 2020 |archive-date=March 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310183519/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/madonna-coronavirus-madame-x-tour-cancelled-paris-dates-refund-a9389156.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Later that month, she drew criticism for posting a now-deleted video on Instagram and Twitter; in it, she sat naked amid rose petals and candles, calling COVID-19 "the great equalizer" that makes everyone equal regardless of status.<ref name="t595">{{cite news |last=Owoseje |first=Toyin |title=Coronavirus Is 'The Great Equalizer,' Madonna Tells Fans from Her Bathtub |publisher=CNN |date=March 23, 2020 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/entertainment/madonna-coronavirus-video-intl-scli |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=October 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012093711/https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/entertainment/madonna-coronavirus-video-intl-scli |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="s638">{{cite news |last=Garrand |first=Danielle |title=Madonna Posts Video Calling Coronavirus 'The Great Equalizer' From a Bathtub Filled with Rose Petals |publisher=CBS News |date=March 23, 2020 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madonna-posts-video-calling-coronavirus-the-great-equalizer-from-a-bathtub-filled-with-rose-petals/ |access-date=December 20, 2025}}</ref>

In April 2020, Madonna announced financial contributions to the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and Mastercard, and donated an additional $1 million to vaccine research.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Au-Yeung |first=Angel |date=April 3, 2020 |title=A Bill Gates-Backed Accelerator For COVID-19 Therapeutics Treatment Partners With Madonna And Mark Zuckerberg's Chan Zuckerberg Initiative |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/angelauyeung/2020/04/03/a-bill-gates-backed-accelerator-for-covid-19-coronavirus-therapeutics-treatment-partners-with-madonna-and-mark-zuckerbergs-chan-zuckerberg-initiative/ |access-date=September 10, 2023 |magazine=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/madonna-donates-1-million-to-fund-hoping-to-create-coronavirus-vaccine-2640982 |title=Madonna Donates $1 Million to Fund Hoping to Create Coronavirus Vaccine |date=April 4, 2020 |magazine=NME |access-date=September 11, 2020 |first=Will |last=Richards |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809190302/https://www.nme.com/news/music/madonna-donates-1-million-to-fund-hoping-to-create-coronavirus-vaccine-2640982 |url-status=live}}</ref> A month later, Madonna revealed she had tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=May 6, 2020 |last=Nolfi |first=Joey |title=Madonna Reveals She Tested Positive for Coronavirus Antibodies, But Is 'Not Currently Sick' |url=https://ew.com/music/madonna-coronavirus-antibodies/ |access-date=September 11, 2020 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=October 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008222118/https://ew.com/music/madonna-coronavirus-antibodies/ |url-status=live}}</ref> She and Missy Elliott contributed guest vocals to Dua Lipa's single "Levitating", featured on Lipa's 2020 remix album ''Club Future Nostalgia''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/dua-lipa-announces-levitating-remix-featuring-madonna-and-missy-elliott__30336 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224183339/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/dua-lipa-announces-levitating-remix-featuring-madonna-and-missy-elliott__30336/ |archive-date=February 24, 2026 |url-status=live |title=Dua Lipa Announces New Single Ft. Madonna and Missy Elliott |publisher=Official Charts |last=White |first=Jack |date=July 27, 2020 |access-date=August 1, 2020}}</ref> Madonna then began developing a biographical film about her life, which she planned to direct.<ref name = Grobar>{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2023/01/madonna-biopic-at-universal-not-moving-forward-1235239722/ |title=Madonna Biopic At Universal Not Moving Forward |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=January 24, 2023 |access-date=January 24, 2023 |last=Grobar |first=Matt |archive-date=January 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124205616/https://deadline.com/2023/01/madonna-biopic-at-universal-not-moving-forward-1235239722/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Screenwriters Erin Cressida Wilson and Diablo Cody worked on the script at different stages, and actress Julia Garner was cast in the lead role before the project was postponed.<ref name = Grobar/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/movies/madonna-biopic-diablo-cody-movie-screenplay/ |title=Madonna Reveals Plot Details for Biopic Movie: Andy Warhol, 'Vogue' Dancers, Evita, More |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |first=Joey |last=Nolfi |date=September 11, 2020 |access-date=September 11, 2020 |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527142704/https://ew.com/movies/madonna-biopic-diablo-cody-movie-screenplay/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 25, 2023 |title=Madonna Biopic Scrapped After Singer's World Tour Announced |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/25/madonna-biopic-scrapped-after-singers-world-tour-announced |access-date=January 25, 2023 |first=Michael |last=Sun}}</ref> In October 2021, Madonna released ''Madame X'', a documentary film about her concert tour of the same name, through Paramount+.<ref name="f041">{{cite magazine |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |title=''Madame X'' Review: A Madonna Concert Film That's Heavy on Message, Light on Euphoria |magazine=Variety |date=October 8, 2021 |author-link=Owen Gleiberman |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/madame-x-review-madonna-1235083994/ |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008130224/https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/madame-x-review-madonna-1235083994/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2022–present: Remix albums and ''Confessions II'' ===

In August 2021, coinciding with her 63rd birthday, Madonna announced her return to Warner Records—the rebranded successor to Warner Bros. Records—in a global partnership. The deal granted the label rights to her entire recorded music catalog, including her three most recent albums originally released under Interscope. As part of the agreement, she began a series of catalog reissues in 2022 to mark the fortieth anniversary of her recording career. The remix album ''Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones'' was released in August, following a 16-track abridged edition made available for streaming two months prior.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-warner-music-career-spanning-reissue-campaign-partnership-1212466/ |title=Madonna Partners with Warner Music for Career-Spanning Reissue Campaign |first=Daniel |last=Kreps |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=August 16, 2021 |access-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531020634/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-warner-music-career-spanning-reissue-campaign-partnership-1212466/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Featuring her 50 number-one songs on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Dance Club Songs chart, the album celebrated Madonna's long-standing connection to dance music and became her 23rd top-ten entry on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://people.com/music/madonna-releases-finally-enough-love-50-number-ones-remix-album/ |title=Madonna Unveils 'Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones', An Epic Career-Spanning Remix Compilation |first=Jack |last=Irvin |magazine=People |date=August 19, 2022 |access-date=August 27, 2022 |archive-date=June 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250611193949/https://people.com/music/madonna-releases-finally-enough-love-50-number-ones-remix-album/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/madonna-first-woman-with-billboard-200-top-10-albums-each-decade-1235132467/ |title=Madonna Becomes First Woman to Earn Billboard 200 Top 10 Albums Each Decade Since the '80s |first=Keith |last=Caulfield |magazine=Billboard |date=August 29, 2022 |access-date=September 12, 2022 |archive-date=August 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829150338/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/madonna-first-woman-with-billboard-200-top-10-albums-each-decade-1235132467/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Madonna - The Celebration Tour live London14 10 2023 (53272335025) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Madonna with long, wavy blonde hair singing into a microphone on stage.|Madonna performing during the Celebration Tour in 2023]]

Between 2022 and 2023, Madonna issued several standalone singles, including "Back That Up to the Beat", a previously unreleased demo from the ''Rebel Heart'' sessions that went viral on social media.<ref name="v587">{{cite web |last=Savage |first=Mark |title=Madonna Announces a Career-Spanning Greatest Hits Tour |publisher=BBC News |date=January 17, 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64306753 |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117141312/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64306753 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="applemusic">{{cite web |title=Back That Up to the Beat |author=Madonna |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/back-that-up-to-the-beat-single/1661718432 |publisher=Apple Music |access-date=January 1, 2023 |archive-date=December 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231110349/https://music.apple.com/us/album/back-that-up-to-the-beat-single/1661718432 |url-status=live}}</ref> She also contributed to three tracks on Christine and the Queens' album ''Paranoïa, Angels, True Love'' (2023), and collaborated with the Weeknd and Playboi Carti on the single "Popular", featured on the soundtrack to the television drama ''The Idol''.<ref name="p605">{{cite web |last=Curto |first=Justin |title=Madonna Is Christine's Newest Queen |website=Vulture |date=March 8, 2023 |url=https://www.vulture.com/2023/03/madonna-christine-and-the-queens-new-album.html |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=April 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250423194736/https://www.vulture.com/2023/03/madonna-christine-and-the-queens-new-album.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/the-weeknd-madonna-playboi-carti-popular-the-idol-vol-1-soundtrack-listen-1235344191/ |title=The Weeknd, Madonna & Playboi Carti Come Together on 'Popular' Track: Stream It Now |magazine=Billboard |last=Mamo |first=Heran |date=June 2, 2023 |access-date=June 2, 2023 |archive-date=December 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213151533/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/the-weeknd-madonna-playboi-carti-popular-the-idol-vol-1-soundtrack-listen-1235344191/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2023, Madonna announced the Celebration Tour, her first greatest hits concert tour.<ref name="ultimategreatest">{{cite magazine |last1=Paul |first1=Larisha |title=Madonna Unveils Ultimate Greatest Hits Show 'The Celebration Tour' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-the-celebration-tour-announcement-1234662120/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=July 19, 2023 |date=January 17, 2023 |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117140840/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-the-celebration-tour-announcement-1234662120/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The tour was to begin in July, but a month prior, she was hospitalized after being found unresponsive at her New York City residence.<ref name="ultimategreatest"/><ref name="q644">{{cite magazine |last=Russell |first=Shania |title=Madonna Calls Her Recovery 'A F---Ing Miracle' After Hospitalization |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=October 23, 2023 |url=https://ew.com/music/madonna-calls-recovery-miracle-june-hospitalization/ |access-date=January 10, 2026 |archive-date=June 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250609010915/https://ew.com/music/madonna-calls-recovery-miracle-june-hospitalization/ |url-status=live}}</ref> She spent five days in intensive care and was placed in a medically induced coma for 48 hours due to a serious bacterial infection following a low-grade fever.<ref name="n106">{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Lucy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260217034020/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/20/madonna-evolution-of-the-zeitgeist-capturing-dance-diva |archive-date=February 17, 2026 |url-status=live |title=Madonna: Evolution of the Zeitgeist-Capturing Dance Diva |newspaper=The Guardian |date=August 20, 2023 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/20/madonna-evolution-of-the-zeitgeist-capturing-dance-diva |access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref><ref name="y019">{{cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |title=Madonna 'On Road to Recovery' Following Infection That Required Intensive Care |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260301103358/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/10/madonna-on-road-to-recovery-following-infection-intensive-care |archive-date=March 1, 2026 |url-status=live |newspaper=The Guardian |date=July 10, 2023 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/10/madonna-on-road-to-recovery-following-infection-intensive-care |access-date=December 20, 2025}}</ref>

The Celebration Tour commenced in October 2023 in London, receiving widespread critical acclaim.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67098882 |title=Madonna's Celebration Tour Reviewed: The Queen of Pop Brings out Her Crown Jewels |agency=BBC News |last=Savage |first=Mark |date=October 15, 2023 |access-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015041341/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67098882 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/15/madonna-review-queen-of-pop-greatest-hits-o2-london-celebration |title=Madonna Review – Queen of Pop Dazzles with Her Greatest Hits |newspaper=The Guardian |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |date=October 15, 2023 |access-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015104955/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/15/madonna-review-queen-of-pop-greatest-hits-o2-london-celebration |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/14/arts/music/madonna-celebration-tour-london.html |title=Madonna Celebrates Four Decades of Hits With Career-Spanning Spectacle |newspaper=The New York Times |url-access=limited |date=October 14, 2023 |access-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015024053/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/14/arts/music/madonna-celebration-tour-london.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It concluded the following May with a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, which drew an audience of 1.6 million—setting records for both the largest standalone concert in history and the highest attendance ever for a female artist.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2024/05/madonna-1-6million-crowd-rio-de-janeiro-copacabana-beach-final-night-celebration-tour-1235904728/ |title=Madonna Makes History With 1.6million Crowd In Rio On Final Night Of Tour |date=May 5, 2024 |access-date=May 5, 2024 |website=Deadline Hollywood |first=Caroline |last=Frost |archive-date=May 13, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250513080308/https://deadline.com/2024/05/madonna-1-6million-crowd-rio-de-janeiro-copacabana-beach-final-night-celebration-tour-1235904728/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="record1">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-celebration-tour-record-setting-1-6-million-fans-brazil-1235015393/ |title=Madonna Closes Out Celebration Tour in Front of Record-Setting 1.6 Million Fans in Brazil |date=May 5, 2024 |access-date=May 5, 2024 |first=Daniel |last=Kreps |magazine=Rolling Stone |url-access=limited |archive-date=May 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505142758/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-celebration-tour-record-setting-1-6-million-fans-brazil-1235015393/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The tour grossed over $225{{nbsp}}million across eighty shows, making Madonna the first woman to surpass $100{{nbsp}}million in earnings from six separate concert tours.<ref name="onlywomantoacheieveboxscore"/> Around this time, Madonna experienced the deaths of several family members, beginning with that of her eldest brother, Anthony, in February 2023.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64779134 |title=Madonna's Older Brother Anthony Ciccone Dies Aged 66 |first=Nathan |last=Williams |publisher=BBC News |date=February 22, 2023 |access-date=October 6, 2024 |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227190745/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64779134 |url-status=live}}</ref> Her younger brother, Christopher, died in October 2024, two weeks after that of their stepmother, Joan.<ref name=relativesdie>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-brother-christopher-ciccone-dead-1235794103/ |title=Madonna's Younger Brother Christopher Ciccone Dies at 63 |first=Mitchell |last=Peters |magazine=Billboard |date=October 6, 2024 |access-date=October 6, 2024 |archive-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203081200/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-brother-christopher-ciccone-dead-1235794103/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2024, Madonna resumed development on the biopic, and later expressed frustration with producers who urged her to downscale the project.<ref name="WTGtitle">{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/madonna-returns-work-biopic-screenplay-reveals-title-whos-that-girl-8678656 |title=Madonna Returns to Work on Delayed Biopic, Reveals Movie Title ''Who's That Girl'' with Julia Garner Still Set to Star |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |first=Joey |last=Nolfi |access-date=February 27, 2025 |date=July 16, 2024 |archive-date=April 12, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250412154958/https://ew.com/madonna-returns-work-biopic-screenplay-reveals-title-whos-that-girl-8678656 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Nolfi |first1=Joey |title=Madonna 'Struggling' over Producers Wanting to 'Downsize' Biopic, Teases Potential TV Series Instead: 'We Cannot Shrink' |url=https://ew.com/madonna-biopic-movie-potential-tv-series-8747273 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=December 16, 2024 |date=November 18, 2024 |archive-date=December 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219152337/https://ew.com/madonna-biopic-movie-potential-tv-series-8747273 |url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2025, ''Deadline Hollywood'' reported that Madonna had partnered with Netflix and producer Shawn Levy to develop a separate television series based on her life.<ref name="Mnetflix">{{cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=Madonna Teams With Shawn Levy For Limited Series About Her Life In Works At Netflix |url=https://deadline.com/2025/05/madonna-shawn-levy-biopic-limited-series-netflix-1236390151/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=May 12, 2025 |date=May 12, 2025 |archive-date=May 12, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250512162739/https://deadline.com/2025/05/madonna-shawn-levy-biopic-limited-series-netflix-1236390151/ |url-status=live}}</ref> During 2025, she released the remix album ''Veronica Electronica'' and the extended play ''Bedtime Stories: The Untold Chapter'', both of which contain her previously unreleased demos.<ref name="b806">{{cite magazine |last=Murray |first=Robin |title=Madonna Is Finally Releasing 'Veronica Electronica' |magazine=Clash |date=June 5, 2025 |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/madonna-is-finally-releasing-veronica-electronica/ |access-date=December 20, 2025 |archive-date=July 24, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250724020733/https://www.clashmusic.com/news/madonna-is-finally-releasing-veronica-electronica/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-bedtime-stories-untold-chapter-reissue-demos-rarities-1236085260/ |title=Madonna Announces ''Bedtime Stories – The Untold Chapter'' 30th Anniversary Reissue Featuring Demos, Alternative Versions, And Rarities |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=October 9, 2025 |access-date=October 9, 2025 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=October 10, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251010173843/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-bedtime-stories-untold-chapter-reissue-demos-rarities-1236085260/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2026, Madonna became the face of the One, a Dolce & Gabbana fragrance. She covered Patty Pravo's 1968 single "La bambola" as part of the campaign, which included a short film and photographs.<ref name="g516">{{cite magazine |last=Cafolla |first=Anna |title=Madonna and Stefano Gabbana on How Italian Icons and Their Own History Inspire Beauty |magazine=Vogue |date=January 8, 2026 |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/madonna-dolce-and-gabbana-the-one-fragrance-interview |access-date=January 9, 2026 |archive-date=January 8, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260108233759/https://www.vogue.com/article/madonna-dolce-and-gabbana-the-one-fragrance-interview |url-status=live}}</ref> She is to make a guest appearance in the second season of ''The Studio''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Donnelly |first=Matt |date=April 7, 2026 |title=Madonna Biopic Lives (Sort Of): How 'The Studio' Season 2 Revives the Axed Movie and Ends the Icon's 23-Year Acting Break |url=https://variety.com/2026/film/news/madonna-movie-the-studio-season-2-julia-garner-1236710682/ |access-date=May 15, 2026 |magazine=Variety}}</ref>

Madonna reunited with Price for her fifteenth studio album, ''Confessions II'', which will be released on July 3.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/it-looks-like-madonna-is-finally-about-to-launch-confessions-on-a-dancefloor-ii-3940340 |title=It Looks like Madonna Is Finally About to Launch 'Confessions On A Dancefloor II' |magazine=NME |last=Pilley |first=Max |date=April 14, 2026 |access-date=April 15, 2026}}</ref> A follow-up to ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005), the album was preceded by promotional single "I Feel So Free".<ref name="v988">{{cite web |last=Savage |first=Mark |title=Madonna Announces Long-Awaited Sequel to Confessions On A Dancefloor Album |publisher=BBC News |date=April 15, 2026 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg00rl04x2o |access-date=April 16, 2026}}</ref> In April, she joined Sabrina Carpenter at the Coachella festival to perform "Vogue", "Like a Prayer", and a new duet, "Bring Your Love".<ref name="Coachella26">{{cite news |last=Rhoden-Paul |first=Andre |title=Madonna Joins Sabrina Carpenter to Surprise Coachella |publisher=BBC News |date=April 18, 2026 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77my6gnpy4o |access-date=April 18, 2026}}</ref> "Bring Your Love" was released that same month, and debuted at number seventy-four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref name="z900">{{cite magazine | last=Trust | first=Gary | title=Madonna Returns to Billboard Hot 100 with Sabrina Carpenter Collab 'Bring Your Love' | magazine=Billboard | date=May 11, 2026 | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/madonna-sabrina-carpenter-bring-your-love-hot-100-debut-1236244447/ | access-date=May 17, 2026}}</ref> A musical film accompanying the album is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Tangcay |first=Jazz |date=May 12, 2026 |title=Madonna to Premiere ''Confessions II'' Visual Film at Tribeca Festival |url=https://variety.com/2026/music/news/madonna-confessions-ii-visual-film-tribeca-festival-1236745891/ |access-date=May 17, 2026 |magazine=Variety}}</ref> On May 14, it was announced that Madonna would perform along with South Korean boy band BTS and Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira on the first ever halftime show on the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, to take place at the New Jersey Stadium on July 19.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/world-cup-halftime-bts-madonna-shakira-1236247959/|title=Madonna, Shakira & BTS to Headline 2026 World Cup Final Halftime Show|date=May 14, 2026|access-date=May 14, 2026|magazine=Billboard|first=Katie|last=Atkinson}}</ref>

== Artistry == === Influences === {{Multiple image | total_width = 420 | direction = horizontal | align = left | image1 = Monroe 1953 publicity (cropped).jpg | alt1 = Black-and-white photo of a woman with short, blonde hair | image2 = Frida Kahlo, by Guillermo Kahlo (cropped).jpg | alt2 = Black-and-white photo of a young woman | image3 = David Bowie - Zagreb.jpg | alt3 = A man performing on stage holding a guitar | footer = Madonna has been inspired by film stars such as Marilyn Monroe (left), artists such as Frida Kahlo (center), and musicians like David Bowie (right). }} When initially starting her career, Madonna's primary musical inspirations were Debbie Harry of Blondie and David Bowie, whose Diamond Dogs Tour concert was the first performance she ever attended.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDgDMC4orNw&t=150s |title=Finally Enough Talk: 50 Questions With Madonna |date=August 31, 2022 |time=2:30 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref name="q580">{{cite magazine |last=Morse |first=Erik |title=Debbie Harry and Chris Stein Look Back on Blondie's Wild Ride |magazine=Vogue |date=August 23, 2022 |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/blondie-against-the-odds-debbie-harry-chris-stein-interview |access-date=December 21, 2025 |archive-date=December 21, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251221172631/https://www.vogue.com/article/blondie-against-the-odds-debbie-harry-chris-stein-interview |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="o084">{{cite magazine |last=Brown |first=Eric Renner |title=Madonna Shares David Bowie Tribute |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=January 11, 2016 |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/01/11/madonna-david-bowie-tribute/ |access-date=December 21, 2025 |archive-date=December 29, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251229235606/https://ew.com/article/2016/01/11/madonna-david-bowie-tribute/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna has cited Nancy Sinatra as one of her idols and said that her song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (1965) left a strong impression on her.<ref name="hot">{{cite magazine |last=Worrell |first=Denise |date=May 27, 1985 |title=Now: Madonna On Madonna |url=https://time.com/vault/issue/1985-05-27/page/91/ |magazine=Time |access-date=May 24, 2023 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=May 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524153424/https://time.com/vault/issue/1985-05-27/page/91/ |url-status=live}}</ref> As a young woman, she sought to expand her artistry through literature, art, and music, developing a particular interest in classical compositions.{{sfn|Michael|2004|pp=34–35}} She identified Baroque as her preferred style and admired Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Frédéric Chopin, praising the "feminine quality" in their work.{{sfn|Michael|2004|pp=35, 40}} Among Madonna's other principal influences are Chrissie Hynde,<ref name="c632">{{cite magazine |last=Nelson |first=Jeff |title=Chrissie Hynde Memoir Paperback: Madonna, Sexism, Feminism, Kardashians |magazine=People |date=August 10, 2016 |url=https://people.com/tv/chrissie-hynde-memoir-paperback-madonna-sexism-feminism-kardashians/ |access-date=December 21, 2025 |archive-date=December 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251230170846/https://people.com/tv/chrissie-hynde-memoir-paperback-madonna-sexism-feminism-kardashians/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Aretha Franklin,<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Xgbh2E0NM&t=210 |title=Madonna Woman of The Year Full Speech {{!}} Billboard Women in Music 2016 |date=December 15, 2016 |magazine=Billboard|via=YouTube|time=3:30}}</ref> Patti Smith,{{sfn|Garber|2025|p=279}} Karen Carpenter,<ref name="g366">{{cite magazine |last=Grein |first=Paul |title=Remembering Carpenters, 50 Years After Their Hot 100 Debut |magazine=Billboard |date=February 12, 2020 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/carpenters-50-years-hot-100-debut-8550341/ |access-date=December 21, 2025 |archive-date=December 21, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251221172633/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/carpenters-50-years-hot-100-debut-8550341/ |url-status=live}}</ref> the Supremes,<ref name="h269">{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |title=Madonna Goes Heavy on Heart |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 29, 1986 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/29/arts/madonna-goes-heavy-on-heart.html |access-date=December 21, 2025 |url-access=limited |archive-date=December 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225000758/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/29/arts/madonna-goes-heavy-on-heart.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Joni Mitchell,<ref name="d502">{{cite news |last=Walker |first=Andrew |title=Joni Mitchell |publisher=BBC News |date=April 9, 2007 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6532705.stm |access-date=December 21, 2025 |archive-date=December 21, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251221172631/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6532705.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> and Led Zeppelin,{{sfn|Edmondson|2013|p=680}} as well as dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Martha Graham, the latter of which she considers one of her biggest mentors.<ref name=":1" />{{sfnm|O'Brien|2007|1pp=242, 284|Edmondson|2013|2p=680}}

Madonna has also been inspired by the works of American writer James Baldwin.<ref name="d690">{{cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |title='We Cannot Lose Our Humanity': Madonna Addresses Israel-Hamas War on Stage in London |newspaper=The Guardian |date=October 18, 2023 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/18/we-cannot-lose-our-humanity-madonna-addresses-israel-hamas-war-on-stage-in-london |access-date=December 21, 2025 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021213938/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/18/we-cannot-lose-our-humanity-madonna-addresses-israel-hamas-war-on-stage-in-london |url-status=live}}</ref> As a child, Madonna drew inspiration from Hollywood actresses such as Carole Lombard, Judy Holliday, and Marilyn Monroe, admiring their blend of femininity, strength, and sex appeal, and remarking that she "saw [her]self in them".<ref name="hot"/> Her music video for "Material Girl" recreated Monroe's performance of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the film ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953).{{sfnm|Guilbert|2002|1p=43|Elias|2024|2p=12}} In preparation for her role in ''Who's That Girl'', Madonna studied the 1930s screwball comedies of Lombard, whose style she sought to emulate.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=85}} The visual concept for her "Express Yourself" (1989) video drew influence from Fritz Lang's silent film ''Metropolis'' (1927),{{sfn|Guilbert|2002|pp=120–121}}<ref name="w381">{{cite magazine |title=The Making of Madonna's 20 Greatest Videos: 1. Express Yourself (1989) |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=February 25, 2015 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/express-yourself-the-making-of-madonnas-20-greatest-music-videos-140803/express-yourself-1989-68572/ |access-date=December 22, 2025 |archive-date=December 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251219050654/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/express-yourself-the-making-of-madonnas-20-greatest-music-videos-140803/express-yourself-1989-68572/ |url-status=live}}</ref> while "Vogue" paid homage to the golden age of Hollywood glamor, referencing the photography of Horst P. Horst and channeling the screen presence of Marlene Dietrich, Lombard, and Rita Hayworth.{{sfn|Victor|2001|p=23}}

{{Quote box| | width = 25em | quote = Historians, musicians, and anthropologists trace her influences—from African American gospel music to Japanese fashion, Middle Eastern spirituality to feminist art history—and the ways she borrows, adapts, and interprets them. | source = —National Geographic Society on Madonna's influences.<ref name="Natgeo">{{cite web |url=http://ipod-ngsta.test.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/aug16/happy-birthday-madonna/ |title=Aug 16, 1958 CE: Happy Birthday, Madonna |access-date=August 16, 2022 |archive-date=June 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613083457/http://ipod-ngsta.test.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/aug16/happy-birthday-madonna/ |publisher=National Geographic Society}}</ref> }}

Madonna also drew inspiration from the visual arts, particularly Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.<ref name="l919">{{cite magazine |last=Cano |first=Natalia |title=M Is for Mexico: Madonna Justifies Her Love for Frida Kahlo, Brings Celeb Guests Onstage at Mexico City Concert |magazine=Billboard |date=April 24, 2024 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/madonna-celebration-tour-mexico-frida-kahlo-celebrity-guests-1235665422/ |access-date=December 22, 2025 |archive-date=May 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510230730/https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/madonna-celebration-tour-mexico-frida-kahlo-celebrity-guests-1235665422/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The music video for "Bedtime Story" (1995) incorporated imagery influenced by the works of Kahlo and Remedios Varo.{{sfn|Gabriel|2023|p=385}} A collector of Tamara de Lempicka's Art Deco paintings, Madonna has featured them throughout her music videos and stage productions.{{sfn|Cross|2007|p=47}}<ref name="s310">{{cite news |last=Mimms |first=Walker |title=Art Deco's Bad Girl, Still Ahead of Her Time |newspaper=The New York Times |url-access=limited |date=November 7, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/arts/design/tamara-de-lempicka-san-francisco-madonna-survey-de-young.html |access-date=December 22, 2025 |archive-date=September 8, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250908084304/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/arts/design/tamara-de-lempicka-san-francisco-madonna-survey-de-young.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Her video for "Hollywood" (2003) paid tribute to the photography of Guy Bourdin, though it later prompted a lawsuit filed by Bourdin's son over the unauthorized use of his father's images.<ref name="j380">{{cite magazine |title=Madonna Sued for Copying Images for Video |magazine=Billboard |date=September 30, 2003 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-sued-for-copying-images-for-video-68868/ |access-date=December 22, 2025}}</ref> The sadomasochistic motifs in pop artist Andy Warhol's underground films were echoed in the videos for "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper".{{sfn|Guilbert|2002|p=69}}

Madonna's Catholic upbringing has remained a consistent influence throughout her career, from her use of the rosary as a fashion piece to her musical inputs, including albums such as ''Like a Prayer'' (1989).{{sfnm|1a1=O'Brien|1y=2007|1pp=126–131|2a1=Fouz-Hernández|2a2=Jarman-Ivens|2y=2004|2pp=67–70}} In 2011, she attended meetings and services at an Opus Dei center, a Catholic institution that promotes sanctity through daily life.<ref name="p553">{{cite news |last=Groote |first=Michael De |title=Spiritual Girl: Madonna's Shifting Beliefs |newspaper=Deseret News |url-access=limited |date=May 10, 2011 |url=https://www.deseret.com/2011/5/10/20190702/spiritual-girl-madonna-s-shifting-beliefs/ |access-date=December 22, 2025 |archive-date=February 17, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260217001614/https://www.deseret.com/2011/5/10/20190702/spiritual-girl-madonna-s-shifting-beliefs/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In a 2015 interview with ''Rolling Stone'', Madonna remarked that she has always felt an "inexplicable connection" to Catholicism and stated that it consistently manifests throughout her work.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Andy |last=Greene |title=Madonna Talks Rebel Heart Tour, Why She Likes Pope Francis |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=October 7, 2015 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-talks-rebel-heart-tour-why-she-wants-to-have-tea-with-the-pope-177516/4/ |access-date=January 10, 2026 |archive-date=March 5, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260305014915/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-talks-rebel-heart-tour-why-she-wants-to-have-tea-with-the-pope-177516/4/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Musical style and composition === {{quote box||align=|width=25em|quote=[Madonna] is a brilliant pop melodist and lyricist. I was knocked out by the quality of the writing [during ''Ray of Light'' sessions]... I know she grew up on Joni Mitchell and Motown, and to my ears she embodies the best of both worlds. She is a wonderful confessional songwriter, as well as being a superb hit chorus pop writer.|source=—Rick Nowels, on co-writing with Madonna.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idolator.com/7444244/madonna-ray-of-light-anniversary-15-backtracking |title=Madonna's ''Ray Of Light'' Turns 15: Backtracking |first=Stephen |last=Sears |date=March 4, 2013 |publisher=Idolator |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> }}

Madonna's work has been the subject of critical analysis and debate. Robert M. Grant, author of ''Contemporary Strategy Analysis'' (2005), observed that her musical career is a continual process of experimentation with new sounds and images.{{sfn|Grant|2005|p=3}} In ''Pop Goes the Decade: The Eighties'', Thomas Harrison described her as "an artist who pushed the boundaries" of what a female performer could achieve, both visually and lyrically.{{sfn|Harrison|2017|p=213}} Professor Santiago Fouz-Hernández observed that, while not possessing a particularly powerful or wide-ranging voice, Madonna expanded her artistic range through diverse musical, lyrical, and visual styles, "all with the intention of presenting herself as a mature musician".{{sfn|Fouz-Hernández|Jarman-Ivens|2004|pp=55–58}}

''Rolling Stone'' included Madonna at number thirty-six on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" (2004).<ref name="c856">{{cite magazine |title=100 Greatest Artists |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=December 3, 2010 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/ |access-date=December 23, 2025 |archive-date=December 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206192537/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/ |url-status=live}}</ref> She has managed all aspects of her career; she writes and produces most of her recordings.<ref name="Rolling Biography">{{cite magazine |last=Ganz |first=Caryn |year=2004 |title=Biography – Madonna |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/madonna/biography |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315190324/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/madonna/biography |archive-date=March 15, 2011 |access-date=April 29, 2008}}</ref><ref name="music credit">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madonna-mn0000237205/credits |title=Madonna: Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=March 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803190953/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madonna-mn0000237205/credits |archive-date=August 3, 2020}}</ref> Her desire for control in creative decisions was evident as early as her debut album, during which she reportedly disagreed with producer Reggie Lucas over the final mixes. Warner Bros. Records later allowed her to produce her third studio album independently.<ref name=PopMatterLTT>{{cite magazine |last1=Chola |first1=Enio |title=The Top 15 Madonna Singles of All Time |url=http://www.popmatters.com/post/154220-the-top-15-madonna-singles-of-all-time/P2/ |magazine=PopMatters |access-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110011933/http://www.popmatters.com/post/154220-the-top-15-madonna-singles-of-all-time/P2/ |archive-date=November 10, 2014 |date=February 8, 2012}}</ref>{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=76, 117–119}} According to Stan Hawkins, author of ''Settling the Pop Score'', Madonna is among the few female artists to have entered the male-dominated space of music production, saying that she is aware of the historical exclusion of women and actively "has set out to change this".{{sfn|Hawkins|2017|page=59}} Producer Stuart Price similarly remarked that "you don't produce Madonna, you collaborate with her{{nbsp}}[...] she has her vision and knows how to get it".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popjustice.com/articles/stuart-price-interview/ |title=Stuart Price Interview |publisher=Popjustice |date=November 16, 2005 |access-date=November 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105224609/https://www.popjustice.com/articles/stuart-price-interview/ |archive-date=November 5, 2016}}</ref> Although referred to by the media and workers as a "control freak", Madonna has stated that she values creative input from those she works with.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/madonna-205-1271319 |title=Madonna: 'I'm Not a Control Freak' |magazine=NME |date=March 17, 2012 |access-date=January 18, 2020 |archive-date=November 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114094415/https://www.nme.com/news/music/madonna-205-1271319 |url-status=live}}</ref> She further explained:{{sfn|Michael|2004|p=40}} {{blockquote| I like to have control over most of the things in my career but I'm not a tyrant. I don't have to have it on my album that it's written, arranged, produced, directed, and stars Madonna. To me, to have total control means you can lose objectivity. What I like is to be surrounded by really talented, intelligent people that you can trust. And ask them for their advice and get their input.}}

Madonna developed her early songwriting skills while performing with the Breakfast Club in 1979, and was the sole writer of five tracks on her debut studio album.<ref name="r084">{{cite web |last=Skolnik |first=Jj |title=How Madonna Made Herself |publisher=PBS |date=March 29, 2024 |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/how-madonna-made-herself/31922/ |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref>{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=85}}<ref name="c884">{{cite magazine |last=Lynch |first=Joe |title=Ranking All the Songs on Madonna's Iconic Debut: 'Holiday,' 'Borderline' & Beyond |magazine=Billboard |date=July 27, 2023 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/madonna-debut-album-songs-ranked/holiday-2/ |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> As a songwriter, Madonna has registered more than 300 works with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, including 18 written entirely by herself.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/writer/125053706/CICCONE%20MADONNA%20L |title=ACE Repertory: Madonna L. Ciccone |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=November 11, 2017 |archive-date=January 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102011031/https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/writer/125053706/CICCONE%20MADONNA%20L |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' deemed her "an exemplary songwriter with a gift for hooks and indelible lyrics",<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/madonna/albumguide |title=Madonna: Album Guide |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705190231/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/madonna/albumguide |archive-date=July 5, 2011}}</ref> and said that her compositions, though shaped by collaborations with producers across various genres, are consistently shaped by "her own sensibility and inflected with autobiographical detail".<ref name="RSsongwriters"/> Patrick Leonard, who co-wrote many of her songs, lauded her grasp of melodic structure and said that "many times she's singing notes that no one would've thought of but her".<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/madonnas-ray-of-light-6-things-you-didnt-know-197343/ |title=Madonna's 'Ray of Light': 6 Things You Didn't Know |first=Barry |last=Walters |date=February 22, 2018 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 18, 2020 |archive-date=August 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200822052432/https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/madonnas-ray-of-light-6-things-you-didnt-know-197343/ |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Spin''{{'}}s Barry Walters similarly credited her songwriting for the consistency of her music.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Ten That Matter Most: Madonna |date=April 19, 1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=495Bl1_hMr8C&lpg=PP1&lr&hl=en&rview=1&pg=PA48|access-date=May 29, 2026|magazine=Spin |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=48}}</ref> Madonna was nominated for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014,<ref name="i776">{{cite news |last=Michaels |first=Sean |title=Ray Davies and Donovan for Songwriters Hall of Fame List |newspaper=The Guardian |date=February 12, 2014 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/feb/12/ray-davies-donovan-songwriters-hall-of-fame |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> 2016,<ref name="w138">{{cite web |first=Mesfin |last=Fekadu |publisher=Associated Press |title=George Harrison, Madonna Among Those Nominated for Songwriters Hall of Fame |via=''Toronto Star'' |date=October 5, 2015 |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/george-harrison-madonna-among-those-nominated-for-songwriters-hall-of-fame/article_1e03f7d9-f302-5236-a8a7-81e20abc554b.html |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> and 2017,<ref name="h971">{{cite magazine |last=Dandridge-Lemco |first=Ben |title=Jay Z Has Been Nominated For The Songwriters Hall Of Fame |magazine=The Fader |date=October 20, 2016 |url=https://www.thefader.com/2016/10/20/jay-z-madonna-songwriters-hall-of-fame |access-date=December 23, 2025 |archive-date=December 29, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251229235524/https://www.thefader.com/2016/10/20/jay-z-madonna-songwriters-hall-of-fame |url-status=live}}</ref> and was ranked number fifty-six on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s list of the "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time" (2015).<ref name="RSsongwriters">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-songwriters |title=The 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=April 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813101755/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-songwriters |archive-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref>

{{Listen |type = music |title = "Live to Tell" (1986) |filename = Madonna - live to tell.ogg |pos = left |description = Madonna wrote all the lyrics and partial melodies of "Live to Tell", an adult contemporary ballad, which was noted as her first musical reinvention.<ref>{{harvnb|Taraborrelli|2002|p=122}}</ref> |title2 = "Ray of Light" (1998) |filename2 = Madonna - ray of light.ogg |pos2 = left |description2 = An uptempo electronic dance song, "Ray of Light" showcases Madonna's post-''Evita'' upper vocal register.<ref name="vocal" /> }}

Madonna's discography is often categorized as pop,{{sfnm|1a1=Taraborrelli|1y=2002|1p=86, 242|2a1=Bego|2y=2000|2p=3, 319|3a1=Metz|3a2=Benson|3y=1999|3pp=130, 162}} electronica,{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=301–302, 327–329}}<ref name="o819">{{cite magazine |last=Lynch |first=Joe |title=7 Ways Madonna Changed Dance Music |magazine=Billboard |date=July 25, 2025 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/madonna-dance-music-electronica/giving-trip-hop-an-early-chart-look/ |access-date=December 23, 2025 |archive-date=December 29, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251229235623/https://www.billboard.com/lists/madonna-dance-music-electronica/giving-trip-hop-an-early-chart-look/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and dance.{{sfnm|1a1=Taraborrelli|1y=2002|1p=129|2a1=Metz|2a2=Benson|2y=1999|2p=121}} Her earliest work began with rock-oriented projects through the bands Breakfast Club and Emmy.<ref name="rock star">{{cite news |url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23298744 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310190607/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23298744/ |archive-date=March 10, 2008 |title=Madonna: A True Blue Rock Star |last=Sclafani |first=Tony |date=March 7, 2008 |access-date=January 14, 2011 |publisher=MSNBC}}</ref> With the latter, she recorded tracks that reflected the punk rock style of the early 1980s.<ref name="x394">{{cite magazine |last=Hunt |first=El |title=Remembering The Arctic Monkeys, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen's Long-Forgotten Former Band Names |magazine=NME |date=March 4, 2020 |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/remembering-the-arctic-monkeys-madonna-and-bruce-springsteens-long-forgotten-former-band-names-2619811 |access-date=December 23, 2025 |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309011601/https://www.nme.com/blogs/remembering-the-arctic-monkeys-madonna-and-bruce-springsteens-long-forgotten-former-band-names-2619811 |url-status=live}}</ref> She abandoned rock before signing with Gotham Records, which dropped her because of their dissatisfaction with her shift to funk.{{sfn|Rooksby|2004|p=4}} In his book ''American Pop'', Arie Kaplan referred to Madonna as "a pioneer" of dance-pop.{{sfn|Kaplan|2017|p=31}} Fouz-Hernández further observed that Madonna's consistent use of dance idioms and her connection with gay and sexually liberated audiences have often been undervalued in contrast to the perceived authenticity of rock and roll, noting that her music "refuses to be defined by narrow boundaries of gender, sexuality, or genre".{{sfn|Fouz-Hernández|Jarman-Ivens|2004|pp=55–58}}

The "cold and emotional" ballad "Live to Tell" and its parent album ''True Blue'' (1986) are regarded as Madonna's first significant musical reinvention.<ref name="peterPiatkowski">{{cite web |first=Peter |last=Piatkowski |title=35 Years Ago Madonna Staged on Her (First) Bid for Artistic Credibility with ''True Blue'' |website=PopMatters |date=June 29, 2021 |url=https://www.popmatters.com/madonna-true-blue-35atr |access-date=December 23, 2025 |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629134625/https://www.popmatters.com/madonna-true-blue-35atr |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="o063">{{cite web |title=Songbook: How Madonna Became the Queen of Pop & Reinvention, From Her 'Boy Toy' Era to the Celebration Tour |publisher=Grammy Awards |date=November 20, 1998 |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/madonna-albums-songs-celebration-tour-queen-of-pop-legacy-40th-anniversary |access-date=December 23, 2025 |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801154718/https://www.grammy.com/news/madonna-albums-songs-celebration-tour-queen-of-pop-legacy-40th-anniversary |url-status=live}}</ref> ''PopMatters'' critic Peter Piatkowski described the song as a "deliberate effort to present Madonna as a mature and serious artist".<ref name="peterPiatkowski"/> Although she continued to record ballads alongside her more upbeat material, some of her albums, such as ''Madonna'' (1983) and ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005), are composed entirely of dance tracks.<ref name="hot100"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/madonnas-50-greatest-songs-w430518/ |title=Madonna's 50 Greatest Songs |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 27, 2016 |access-date=August 8, 2017 |archive-date=July 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730115550/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/madonnas-50-greatest-songs-w430518}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3570 |title=Madonna – Confessions on a Dance Floor |first=Thomas |last=Inskeep |magazine=Stylus Magazine |date=November 21, 2005 |access-date=October 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010013207/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3570 |archive-date=October 10, 2009}}</ref> With ''Ray of Light'' (1998), critics credited her with popularizing electronica and integrating it into mainstream pop music.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/lat-madonna6_evmr0mgy20080424112140,0,2759342.photo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421090736/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/lat-madonna6_evmr0mgy20080424112140,0,2759342.photo |archive-date=April 21, 2014 |title=Madonna, Ray of Light |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 30, 2014}}</ref>{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=301}} Her other stylistic departures include 1930s big-band jazz on ''I'm Breathless'' (1990);{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|p=207}} smooth R&B arrangements on ''Bedtime Stories'' (1994);<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/all-82-madonna-singles-ranked/5/ |title=All 82 Madonna Singles Ranked |date=April 14, 2020 |access-date=June 1, 2020 |magazine=Slant Magazine |archive-date=December 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227220815/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/all-82-madonna-singles-ranked/5/ |url-status=live}}</ref> operatic show tunes on ''Evita'' (1996);{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|p=307}} guitar-based folk music on ''American Life'' (2003);<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/madonna-american-life-1417 |title=Madonna: ''American Life'' |last=Cinquemani |first=Sal |date=July 11, 2008 |magazine=Slant Magazine |access-date=August 11, 2011 |archive-date=June 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624053904/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/madonna-american-life-1417 |url-status=live}}</ref> and multilingual influences on ''Madame X'' (2019).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Juzwiak |first1=Rich |title=Madonna: ''Madame X'' Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madonna-madame-x/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=January 7, 2020 |date=June 18, 2019 |archive-date=June 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618080747/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madonna-madame-x/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Voice and instruments === [[File:HungUpSticky3.jpg|thumb|alt=Madonna in a silver dress, playing electric guitar|upright|Madonna playing the guitar riff of "A New Level" by heavy metal band Pantera during the 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/featured/that-time-monte-pittman-taught-madonna-a-pantera-riff |title=That Time Monte Pittman Taught Madonna a Pantera Riff |magazine=Decibel |date=January 20, 2014 |access-date=May 18, 2016 |archive-date=June 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610171719/http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/featured/that-time-monte-pittman-taught-madonna-a-pantera-riff |url-status=live}}</ref>]] Madonna possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range and is self-conscious about her singing voice.{{sfnm|1a1=Dean|1y=2003|1p=34|2a1=Fouz-Hernández|2a2=Jarman-Ivens|2y=2004|2pp=59–61}}<ref name="e199"/> Mark Bego, author of ''Madonna: Blonde Ambition'', described her as "the perfect vocalist for lighter-than-air songs" despite not being a "heavyweight talent".{{sfn|Bego|2000|p=122}} According to Tony Sclafani of MSNBC, her vocal delivery reflects her "rock roots", explaining that, unlike most pop singers who perform songs "straight", Madonna incorporates subtext, irony, aggression, and other vocal idiosyncrasies similar to that of John Lennon and Bob Dylan.<ref name="rock star" /> In her early recordings, Madonna employed a bright, girlish timbre that she later tried to abandon after critics compared her voice to "Minnie Mouse on helium".{{sfn|Fouz-Hernández|Jarman-Ivens|2004|pp=59–61}} While filming ''Evita'' (1996), she took voice training, which expanded her vocal versatility. Of the experience, she said, "I studied with a vocal coach for ''Evita'' and realized there was a whole piece of my voice I wasn't using. Before, I just believed I had a really limited range and was going to make the most of it."<ref name="vocal">{{cite magazine |last1=Lamsweerde |first1=Inez van |first2=Barry |last2=Walters |date=April 1998 |title=Madonna Chooses Dare |magazine=Spin |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=70–76 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jq-A2xEoAHIC&pg=PA70 |access-date=February 26, 2010}}</ref>

Madonna plays several musical instruments. She first learned to play the piano as a child.{{sfn|Morton|2001|p=47}} During the late 1970s, she was taught drums and guitar by her then-boyfriend Dan Gilroy, later joining his band, the Breakfast Club, as a drummer.{{sfn|Gnojewski|2007|p=57}} Madonna then played guitar with the group Emmy.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=54}} After her commercial breakthrough, she rarely performed instruments publicly until 2000, though she was credited with playing the cowbell on ''Madonna'' (1983) and the synthesizer on ''Like a Prayer'' (1989).<ref name="music credit"/> In 1999, she undertook three months of violin training to prepare for a role as a violin teacher in the film ''Music of the Heart'' (1999), but withdrew from the project before filming.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/1999/nov/01/slashmeister-craven-tackles-different-genre-with-m/ |title='Slashmeister' Craven Tackles Different Genre with 'Music' |first=Valerie |last=Kuklenski |newspaper=Las Vegas Sun |date=November 1, 1999 |access-date=March 22, 2014}}</ref> She returned to performing with the guitar during promotion for ''Music'' (2000) with guidance from guitarist Monte Pittman to improve her technique.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/monte-pittman-reveals-what-its-like-on-tour-with-madonna-1.1030924 |title=Monte Pittman Reveals What It's like on Tour with Madonna |first=Kelly |last=Crane |newspaper=Gulf News |date=June 3, 2012 |access-date=March 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130150854/https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/monte-pittman-reveals-what-its-like-on-tour-with-madonna-1.1030924 |archive-date=November 30, 2020}}</ref> Since then, Madonna has featured guitar performances in her studio recordings and concert tours.<ref name="music credit" /><ref name="f016">{{cite magazine |last=Mier |first=Tomás |title=Madonna Performs 'Express Yourself' for First Time on Celebration Tour |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=January 9, 2024 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-performs-express-yourself-celebration-tour-1234943032/ |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> She was nominated for the Les Paul Horizon Award at the 2002 Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452328/madonna-next-guitar-god.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223145736/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452328/madonna-next-guitar-god.jhtml |archive-date=February 23, 2014 |title=Madonna: The Next Guitar God? |publisher=MTV News |first=Abbey |last=Goodman |date=February 15, 2002 |access-date=March 14, 2014}}</ref>

=== Music videos and performances === {{further|Madonna videography}} In ''The Madonna Companion'', biographers Allen Metz and Carol Benson observed that Madonna used MTV and the music video to leverage her popularity and enhance her recordings more effectively than any other contemporary pop artist. They noticed that many of her songs are closely tied to the imagery of their accompanying videos.{{sfn|Metz|Benson|1999|p=161}} Cultural critic Mark C. Taylor described the postmodern art form par excellence as the music video, declaring Madonna its "reigning queen" in his book ''Nots'' (1993).{{sfn|Taylor|1993|p=191}} He argued that "the most remarkable creation of MTV is Madonna", and that public reactions to her provocative videos were "predictably contradictory".{{sfn|Taylor|1993|p=191}} Metz and Benson said that critical and public discussions surrounding some of her most controversial songs have often focused more on their videos and cultural impact than on the songs themselves.{{sfn|Metz|Benson|1999|p=161}} According to Morton, "artistically, Madonna's songwriting is often overshadowed by her striking pop videos".{{sfn|Morton|2001|p=15}} Madonna was ranked as the greatest music video artist of all time by MTV in 2003 and ''Billboard'' in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/90893349/ |title=Madonna Tops List of 'Greatest Video Stars' on MTV |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |page=99 |date=April 25, 2003 |access-date=June 3, 2021 |first=Terry |last=Morrow}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=August 27, 2020 |title=The 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time: Staff List |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/9440075/100-best-music-video-artists |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827203952/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/9440075/100-best-music-video-artists |archive-date=August 27, 2020 |access-date=August 28, 2020 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref>

{{Multiple image | perrow = 1 | total_width = 230 | align = left | image1 = VogueBlondAmbitionUndergGround (cropped).jpg | alt1 = Madonna dancing with a group of dancers wearing black outfits | image2 = Madonna - Rebel Heart Tour Cologne 2 (22851518577).jpg | alt2 = Madonna in a jeweled black dress playing a ukulele while singing to a microphone | footer = Madonna's live performances vary from choreographed routines such as voguing (top) to stripped-down ones with only a ukulele (bottom). }}

Madonna's early music videos fused American and Hispanic street style with flamboyant glamor. Through the visuals, she introduced her avant-garde Downtown Manhattan fashion sensibility to an American audience.{{sfn|Metz|Benson|1999|pp=161–163}} The recurring use of Hispanic cultural motifs and Catholic symbolism continued into the ''True Blue'' era.{{sfn|Fouz-Hernández|Jarman-Ivens|2004|p=145}} According to author Douglas Kellner, Madonna's embrace of "multiculturalism" and her "culturally transgressive moves" proved to be effective in appealing to a wide range of young audiences.{{sfn|Kellner|1995|p=271}} Scholars have noted that through her visual narratives, Madonna often subverted traditional gender norms by symbolically reversing male dominance.{{sfn|Welton|1998|pp=53–57}} Her use of religious and racial imagery was prominent in the music video for "Like a Prayer", which depicted scenes of an African-American church choir, Madonna's attraction to a black saint statue, and her performance before burning crosses.{{sfn|Cross|2007|p=70}}

Madonna's acting has often been met with negative reviews from film critics.<ref name="filmcareerretro"/> Biographer Andrew Morton noted that Madonna publicly dismissed the criticism.{{sfn|Morton|2001|p=218}} Following the critical and commercial failure of ''Swept Away'' (2002), she vowed never to act in another film.<ref name="b232">{{cite web |title=Hey Madonna, Don't Give up the Day Job! |publisher=CNN |date=March 24, 2008 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/18/madonna.movies/ |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> In a retrospective of her screen career titled ''Body of Work'' (2016) at New York's Metrograph, ''The Guardian''{{'}}s Nigel M. Smith argued that Madonna's struggles in film were largely due to the lack of quality roles available to her, stating that she could "steal a scene for all the right reasons".<ref name="filmcareerretro">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Nigel M. |title=Is Madonna's Acting Really That Bad? A Career Retrospective Lets You Be the Judge |newspaper=The Guardian |date=August 21, 2016 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/21/madonna-acting-career-metrograph-new-york-retrospective |access-date=August 25, 2016}}</ref> Her concert tours often re-create her music videos; author Elin Diamond said that the ability to reproduce scenes from Madonna's videos in a live setting enhances the realism of the videos, arguing that "her live performances have become the means by which mediatized representations are naturalized".{{sfn|Diamond|1996|p=202}}

According to Taraborrelli, Madonna's concerts, which feature multimedia elements, advanced technology, and elaborate sound design, function as "extravagant show piece[s]" and "walking art show[s]".{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2002|p=90}} Chris Nelson of ''The New York Times'' observed that artists like Madonna redefined standards of live performance with concerts "that included not only elaborate costumes and precision-timed pyrotechnics but also highly athletic dancing"—often at the expense of live vocals.<ref name="sync">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/01/arts/music/01NELS.html?pagewanted=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251230070538/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/01/arts/music/01NELS.html?pagewanted=1 |archive-date=December 30, 2025 |url-status=live |title=Lip-Synching Gets Real |last=Nelson |first=Chris |date=February 1, 2004 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 25, 2010 |url-access=limited}}</ref> A writer for the ''Orlando Sentinel'' said that she later restructured her stage shows to balance choreography and live singing by remaining stationary during vocally demanding sections while delegating more complex dance sequences to her backup performers.<ref name="v501">{{cite news |last=Christensen |first=Thor |title=Lip-Syncing Isn't a Secret, Faux Sure |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260206093523/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2001/09/15/lip-syncing-isnt-a-secret-faux-sure/ |archive-date=February 6, 2026 |url-status=live |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |date=September 15, 2001 |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2001/09/15/lip-syncing-isnt-a-secret-faux-sure/ |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> To support simultaneous singing and movement, Madonna began using a hands-free radio-frequency headset microphone, secured over the head or ears with a boom extending to the mouth.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/wimbledons-no-1-seat-455502.html |title=Wimbledon's No 1 Seat |last=Castle |first=Andrew |date=July 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251205054036/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/wimbledon-s-no-1-seat-455502.html |archive-date=December 5, 2025 |url-status=live |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=March 17, 2010 |author-link=Andrew Castle}}</ref>

== Legacy == {{Main|Cultural impact of Madonna}} {{Quote box|align=right|width=20%|quote=She's a major historical figure and when she passes, the retrospectives will loom larger and larger in history.|source=—Academic Camille Paglia on Madonna (2017).<ref name="Paglia2017">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.chatelaine.com/living/books/camille-paglia-free-women-free-men/ |title=Camille Paglia Cuts the 'Malarkey': Women Just Need to Toughen Up |first=Sarah |last=Boesveld |magazine=Chatelaine |date=June 27, 2017 |access-date=April 4, 2021 |archive-date=May 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525091538/https://www.chatelaine.com/living/books/camille-paglia-free-women-free-men/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Madonna's profound influence on popular music has led critics and scholars to refer to her as the "Queen of Pop".<ref>{{multiref|{{cite magazine | ref=none | url-access=subscription |last=Caulfield | first=Keith | title=Four Decades of ''Madonna'': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts | magazine=Billboard | date=July 27, 2023 | url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/madonna-debut-album-chart-history/ | access-date=May 3, 2026}}|{{cite magazine |last=Blistein |first=Jon |ref=none |title=Madonna to Celebrate Five Decades of Club Dominance with ''Finally Enough Love'' Comp |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=May 4, 2022 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madonna-finally-enough-love-compilation-dance-club-remixes-1347356/ |access-date=December 23, 2025}}|{{cite news |last1=Iqbal |first1=Nosheen |last2=Ktena |first2=Natalie |last3=Khaleeli |first3=Homa |title=How Madonna changed pop culture for ever – podcast |newspaper=The Guardian |ref=none |date=December 15, 2023 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2023/dec/15/how-madonna-changed-pop-culture-for-ever-podcast |access-date=December 23, 2025}}|{{cite news |last=Craik |first=Laura |title=Madonna at 60: How the Queen of Pop Changed Fashion |ref=none |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url-access=subscription |date=August 16, 2018 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/madonna-60how-queen-pop-changed-fashion-world/ |access-date=December 23, 2025}}|{{cite web |last=Hodgkinson |first=Will |author-link=Will Hodgkinson |title=The Queen of Pop at Her Emotional Best |ref=none |newspaper=The Times |date=July 22, 2025 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/madonna-veronica-electronica-review-real-treasure-from-her-imperial-phase-3z9trvz66 |access-date=December 23, 2025}}|{{harvnb|Cross|2007|p=31}}}}</ref> Her legacy transcends music and is a subject of analysis among sociologists, historians, and other scholars, which has given rise to Madonna studies, a subfield of American cultural studies.<ref>{{multiref|{{Cite news |ref=none |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2943458/madonna-billboard-woman-of-the-year-2016/ |title=Madonna Is the Queen of Pop (And Also 2016, According to Billboard) |date=October 14, 2016 |access-date=March 29, 2021 |last=Hughes |first=Hilary |publisher=MTV News |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725194954/http://www.mtv.com/news/2943458/madonna-billboard-woman-of-the-year-2016/}}|{{cite news |url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-01-06/news/9101030989_1_madonna-ciccone-madonna-videos-thesis |title=The Madonna Thesis Is Madonna Just A Well-toned Rock Star, Or Is She Affecting Your View of the World? Graduate Student Chip Wells Thinks His Master's Thesis Holds The Answer |date=January 6, 1991 |access-date=February 10, 2015 |ref=none |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |first=Barbara |last=Stewart |pages=1–3 |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126062811/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-01-06/news/9101030989_1_madonna-ciccone-madonna-videos-thesis}}|{{cite news |ref=none |date=August 5, 1990 |title=Who's That Girl? |newspaper=Tampa Bay Times |access-date=March 1, 2022 |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/08/05/who-s-that-girl/ |first=Anne V. |last=Hull |author-link=Anne Hull |archive-date=February 21, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260221052358/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/08/05/who-s-that-girl/}}|{{harvnb|Hall|2006|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=A7LOEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA445 445–446]}}}}</ref> According to Rodrigo Fresán, describing Madonna merely as a pop star "is as inappropriate as saying that Coca-Cola is just a soda", deeming her a symbol of Made in USA.{{sfn|Aguilar Guzmán|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5fn7cpnmEQ0C&pg=PA88 88]}} The Spanish edition of ''Rolling Stone'' said that Madonna's omnipresence across television, radio, magazines, and bookstores was an unparalleled pop dynamic not seen since the Beatles.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://rollingstone.es/specials/view/mujeres-que-cambiaron-las-reglas-del-rock |title=Mujeres Que Cambiaron Las Reglas Del Rock |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=April 14, 2013 |date=April 14, 2012 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110210540/http://rollingstone.es/specials/view/mujeres-que-cambiaron-las-reglas-del-rock |archive-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref> ''The Daily Telegraph'' remarked that Madonna "changed the world's social history",<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/profiles/2530197/Madonna-mistress-of-metamorphosis.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/profiles/2530197/Madonna-mistress-of-metamorphosis.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Madonna, Mistress of Metamorphosis |first=William |last=Langley |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=August 9, 2008 |access-date=April 6, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> with scholar Diane Pecknold noticing that "nearly every poll of the greatest or most influential figures in popular culture includes Madonna".{{sfn|Hall|2006|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=A7LOEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA445 445–446]}} Critics often regard Madonna as one of the greatest musicians of all time.<ref>{{multiref|{{cite web |url=http://www.vh1.com/news/1238/the-100-greatest-women-in-music/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418005547/http://www.vh1.com/news/1238/the-100-greatest-women-in-music/ |archive-date=April 18, 2015 |ref=none |title=VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music |first=Mark |last=Graham |publisher=VH1 |date=February 13, 2012 |access-date=February 14, 2012}}|{{cite news |title=Madonna voted greatest female artist |publisher=BBC News |date=September 27, 2002 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2284705.stm |access-date=December 23, 2025}}|{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/madonna-60-birthday-how-became-famous-icon-career-imagery-feminism-lgbt-legacy-a8488336.html |title=Madonna at 60: How one woman turned herself into an icon |date=August 16, 2018 |access-date=April 1, 2021 |ref=none |newspaper=The Independent |first=Ben |last=Kelly}}|{{cite news |last=Lipchik |first=Saul |title=The King and Queen of Pop: Michael Jackson and Madonna's failed relationship |ref=none |newspaper=South China Morning Post |date=September 7, 2022 |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3191703/inside-michael-jackson-and-madonnas-failed-relationship |access-date=December 23, 2025}}|{{cite news |last=Crane |first=Kelly |title=Madonna at 54: Still the Queen of Controversy |newspaper=Gulf News |ref=none |date=August 15, 2012 |url=https://gulfnews.com/lifestyle/madonna-at-54-still-the-queen-of-controversy-1.1062118 |access-date=December 23, 2025}}}}</ref>

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wrote that Madonna helped dissolve gender boundaries.<ref name="Rockhall">{{cite web|url=https://rockhall.com/inductees/madonna/bio/|title=Madonna Biography|publisher=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame|access-date=May 21, 2022|archive-date=March 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325211827/https://rockhall.com/inductees/madonna/bio/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Spin'' wrote that the title "Queen of Pop" scarcely captures her impact, stating that "she is Pop" and that she established the blueprint for what a modern pop star should be.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.spin.com/2020/12/the-most-influential-artists-3-madonna/ |title=The Most Influential Artists: #3 Madonna |first=Bianca |last=Gracie |magazine=Spin |date=December 4, 2020 |access-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220140243/https://www.spin.com/2020/12/the-most-influential-artists-3-madonna/ |archive-date=December 20, 2020}}</ref> According to Sclafani, before Madonna, "most music mega-stars were guy rockers; after her, almost all would be female singers{{nbsp}}[...] When the Beatles hit America, they changed the paradigm of performer from solo act to band. Madonna changed it back—with an emphasis on the female."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26164523/ns/today-entertainment/t/has-madonna-surpassed-beatles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722173117/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26164523/ns/today-entertainment/t/has-madonna-surpassed-beatles |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |title=At 50, Has Madonna Surpassed the Beatles? |publisher=MSNBC |first=Tony |last=Sclafani |date=August 12, 2008 |access-date=April 29, 2012}}</ref> Many female artists in the 21st century—including Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga—have cited Madonna as an influence on their careers.<ref>{{multiref|{{cite web |ref=none |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/music/a308116/britney-wants-career-like-madonnas/ |title=Britney Wants Career like Madonna's |publisher=Digital Spy |access-date=August 27, 2024 |first=Lewis |last=Corner |date=March 10, 2011}}|{{cite news |ref=none |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-08-01/beyonce-shouts-out-madonna-queen-mother-during-show |title=Beyoncé shouts out Madonna, her 'Queen Mother', during Renaissance show in New Jersey |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=August 27, 2024 |first=Nardine |last=Saad |date=August 2, 2023}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/music/a330967/rihanna-madonna-is-my-biggest-inspiration/ |title=Rihanna: 'Madonna is my biggest inspiration' |ref=none |publisher=Digital Spy |access-date=August 27, 2024 |first=Lewis |last=Corner |date=July 21, 2011}}|{{cite magazine |title=Freddie Mercury inspired Katy Perry to 'Kiss a Girl' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/queen/40017 |magazine=NME |ref=none |date=September 26, 2008 |access-date=February 3, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106041511/http://www.nme.com/news/queen/40017 |archive-date=January 6, 2014}}|{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2012/01/13/madonna-lady-gaga-born-this-way/ |title=Madonna talks Lady Gaga, 'Born This Way' comparisons |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=August 27, 2024 |first=Erin |last=Strecker |ref=none |date=January 13, 2012}}}}</ref> Madonna has also influenced male artists, inspiring rock frontmen Liam Gallagher of Oasis and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park to become musicians.<ref name="z221">{{cite news |title=Madonna Inspired Liam Gallagher to Become a Musician |newspaper=Austin American-Statesman |date=September 1, 2017 |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/entertainment/music/madonna-inspired-liam-gallagher-become-musician-1502485449.html |access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://elvisduran.iheart.com/content/2017-07-20-remembering-our-time-with-chester-bennington/ |title=Remembering Our Time with Chester Bennington |work=Elvis Duran and the Morning Show |date=February 21, 2017 |access-date=September 1, 2017}}</ref>

Madonna's use of sexual imagery has ignited widespread discussions regarding sexuality and feminism.{{sfn|Fouz-Hernández|Jarman-Ivens|2004|pp=81, 105, 165–168}} Media scholar John Fiske remarked that the empowerment Madonna conveys is closely tied to the gratification of asserting control over self-definition, sexuality, and social dynamics.{{sfn|Fiske|1989|p=102}} As discussed in ''Doing Gender in Media, Art and Culture'' (2009), Madonna's status as a female celebrity, performer, and pop icon continues to challenge and reinterpret established feminist discourses.{{sfn|Buikema|van der Tuin|2009|p=119}} According to lesbian feminist Sheila Jeffreys, Madonna embodies what Monique Wittig terms "the category of sex" as a site of power, while deliberately embracing the performance of women's assigned sexual labor.{{sfn|Jeffreys|2005|p=96}} Similarly, communication scholar Sut Jhally has described her as "an almost sacred feminist icon".{{sfn|Jhally|2006|p=194}}

Writer Matt Cain observed that Madonna helped break social barriers and elevated marginalized groups by prominently incorporating LGBTQ, Latino, and Black culture into her artistic works.<ref name="v524">{{cite news |last=Rogers |first=As told to Jude |title=Matt Cain on Madonna: 'She Opened up Gay Culture to the Mainstream' |newspaper=The Guardian |date=July 15, 2018 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/15/matt-cain-on-madonna-homophobic-interviewers-gay-culture |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref><ref name="k560">{{cite news |last=Cain |first=Matt |title=How Madonna Transformed Pop Culture |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=July 31, 2018 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/how-madonna-transformed-pop-culture-20180731-p4zukc.html |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref><ref name="h359">{{cite magazine |last=Cinquemani |first=Sal |title=Madonna's Enduring Love Affair With Latin Culture, From 'La Isla Bonita' to 'Madame X' |magazine=Billboard |date=June 12, 2019 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-latin-music-madame-x-8515581/ |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> One author remarked that "by making culture generally available, Madonna becomes the culture of all social classes".<ref name="McMillanIndia">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=em4LAQAAMAAJ&q=Madonna |title=Madonna: The Politics of Sex |publisher=Macmillan Publishers |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4039-2988-4 |page=143 |url-access=limited |via=Google Books}}</ref> Canadian scholar Karlene Faith similarly said that Madonna's peculiarity lies in her ability to "move freely across diverse cultural terrains", describing her as a "cult figure" within multiple self-sustaining subcultures even as she achieved mainstream success.{{sfn|Faith|1997|p=88}} GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis has affirmed that Madonna "always has and always will be the LGBTQ community's greatest ally",<ref name="Ally">{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/duty-honor-madonna-reflects-decades-lgbtq-activism-n1002166 |title='A Duty and an Honor': Madonna Reflects on Decades of LGBTQ Activism |date=May 5, 2019 |access-date=March 29, 2021 |publisher=NBC News |first=Brian |last=Latimer |archive-date=June 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606050910/https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/duty-honor-madonna-reflects-decades-lgbtq-activism-n1002166 |url-status=live}}</ref> while ''The Advocate'' characterized her as "the greatest gay icon".<ref name="Advocate">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.advocate.com/print-issue/cover-stories/2012/02/02/madonna-truth-she-never-left-you |title=Madonna: The Truth Is She Never Left You |magazine=The Advocate |date=February 2, 2012 |access-date=February 3, 2012 |first=Ari |last=Karpel |archive-date=February 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203171357/http://news.advocate.com/post/16914705360/madonna-the-truth-is-she-never-left-you}}</ref>

Madonna has been praised as a role model for businesswomen, amassing over $1.2{{nbsp}}billion in sales during the first decade of her career.{{sfn|Kramarae|Spender|2004|p=1408}} According to Gini Gorlinski in ''The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time'' (2010), Madonna's authority and autonomy within the entertainment industry were unprecedented for a woman at the time.{{sfn|Gorlinski|2010|p=330}} Scholars at the London Business School described her as a "dynamic entrepreneur" whose success model is worth emulating, identifying her vision of success, understanding of the music industry, ability to recognize her own performance limits, work ethic, and adaptability as the basis for her commercial achievements.<ref name=LBS>{{cite news |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/graduate_management/article1293585.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809190104/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/graduate_management/article1293585.ece |archive-date=August 9, 2011 |title=Case Study: Madonna |first1=Jamie |last1=Anderson |first2=Martin |last2=Kupp |newspaper=The Times |date=January 18, 2007 |access-date=August 3, 2009}}</ref> Morton called the singer "opportunistic, manipulative, and ruthless—someone who will not stop until she achieves her goals".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Morton |first=Andrew |title=Madonna |publisher=St. Martin's Paperbacks |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-312-98310-9 |location=New York |page=89 |oclc=49701778}}</ref>

Madonna has been criticized from social, moral and political perspectives.{{sfnm|Schwichtenberg|1993|1pp=15–17|McLeod|2013|2pp=64–65}}<ref name="Bonita">{{cite magazine |url=https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-of-la-isla-bonita-by-madonna/ |title=The Meaning of 'La Isla Bonita' by Madonna |date=January 2024 |access-date=January 31, 2024 |first=Thom |last=Donovan |magazine=American Songwriter}}</ref> Scholars have challenged her use of racialized and minority cultures and argued that her privileged position does little to aid the communities whose imagery she adopts.{{sfn|Oleksy|Rydzewska|2004|p=136}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/madonna-bitch-im-madonna-essay/ |title=Why Is Madonna, The Grown-Ass Grammy-Winning Queen of Pop, Still Looking for Ideas to Steal? |magazine=Vice |date=June 19, 2015 |access-date=October 19, 2023 |first=Maura |last=Johnston |author-link=Maura Johnston}}</ref> Madonna has been linked to terms like "Madonna-economy" and "Madonnization", shorthand for homogenizing American mass culture similar to that of McDonaldization and Cocacolonization.{{sfnm|1a1=Berleur|1a2=Beardon|1a3=Laufer|1y=1993|1p=[https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Facing_the_Challenge_of_Risk_and_Vulnera/9LEZAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22Madonna-economy%22&dq=%22Madonna-economy%22&printsec=frontcover 307]|2a1=Guilbert|2y=2002|2pp=87–88}}<ref name="Madonnization">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/global/2003/0428/038.html?sh=5f031e7a2182 |title=Modern Mix |date=April 28, 2003 |access-date=October 5, 2022 |magazine=Forbes |author-link=Tyler Cowen |first=Tyler |last=Cowen |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Internationally, political and religious commentators have sometimes cast her as a symbol of Western cultural hegemony or "cultural terrorism", associating her with Americanization and the erosion of local traditions.{{sfnm|1a1=Lockard|1y=2011|1pp=934–935|2a1=Ruthven|2y=2004|2p=264|3a1=Cornwell|3a2=Stoddard|3y=2001|3p=80}}<ref name="x947">{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Marjorie |title=Ugly Americanization?: Big Macs. Cable. '' Malls.'' Many Israelis Fear Their Country Is Losing Its Identity. |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url-access=subscription |date=September 21, 1995 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-21-ls-48176-story.html |access-date=January 27, 2026}}</ref> Conservative groups, parental organizations and some philosophers have further criticized her as emblematic of mass culture's corrupting influence on youth, fueling moral panics over sexuality, religion and the commercialization of popular music.<ref>{{cite journal |id={{ProQuest|210252323}} |last1=Sheinfeld |first1=Lois P |title=Ratings: The Big Chill |journal=Film Comment |volume=22 |issue=3 |date=May 1986 |pages=9-12, 14, 80}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Vg_AAAAIBAJ&dq=Madonna&pg=PA71&article_id=1274,3369808 |page=C8 |title=Girls Just Wanna Be Madonna |date=June 29, 1985 |access-date=October 6, 2024 |first=John |last=Tanasychuk |newspaper=The Windsor Star}}</ref>

== Achievements == {{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Madonna|List of Madonna records and achievements}} [[File:Madonna's hands at Square of Fame.jpg|alt=Madonna's handprints in concrete|thumb|Madonna was the first person to be inducted into the Wembley Square of Fame in London.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5236386.stm |title=Madonna Gets First Wembley Honour |agency=BBC News |date=August 2, 2006 |access-date=December 7, 2010}}</ref>]]

''Forbes'' estimated Madonna's net worth at $850 million as of 2025, making her one of the wealthiest musicians in the world.<ref name="FB">{{cite magazine |title=Forbes Profile: Madonna |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/madonna/?sh=206ae89327ac |access-date=July 24, 2025 |magazine=Forbes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250724170231/https://www.forbes.com/profile/madonna/?sh=206ae89327ac |archive-date=July 24, 2025}}</ref> She became ''Forbes''{{'}}s annual highest-paid female musician 11 times across the 1980s,<ref>Annual earning list: * 1987: {{cite news |ref=none |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-07-fi-4174-story.html |title=Of the Show Biz Rich, Bill Cosby Is Top Star |date=September 7, 1987 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=July 27, 2022}} * 1988: {{cite news |ref=none |url=https://apnews.com/article/1f09f14d8a483ef74af98ecd963d44e6 |title=Michael Jackson Overtakes Cosby as Highest-Paid Entertainer |publisher=Associated Press |date=September 19, 1988 |access-date=July 27, 2022}} * 1989: {{cite magazine |ref=none |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1989/CB-1989-09-30.pdf#page=6 |title=Tickertape: Million Dollar Bash |magazine=Cash Box |page=6 |date=November 30, 1989 |first=Billy |last=Barty |author-link=Billy Barty |access-date=July 27, 2022}}</ref> 1990s,<ref>Annual earning list: * 1990: {{cite magazine |ref=none |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u68DAAAAMBAJ&dq=Madonna&pg=PA54 |title=Cosby Heads Forbes List of Highest Paid in Show Biz: The 'Forbes' Top 40 |magazine=Jet |page=54 |date=October 1, 1990 |volume=78 |number=25 |access-date=July 27, 2022}} * 1991: {{cite news |ref=none |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-26-vw-4266-story.html |title=High Life: A Weekly Forum for High School Students: Foothill Teen Wins Poster Prize |date=September 26, 1991 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=July 27, 2022}} * 1992: {{cite magazine |ref=none |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1gEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Madonna&pg=PA13 |title=Hollywood Grapevine: The 44th Annual Emmy Awards: Disaster |magazine=The Crisis |page=13 |date=October 1992 |volume=99 |number=7 |first=Ron |last=Brewington |access-date=July 27, 2022}} * 1993: {{cite magazine |ref=none |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WsEDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Madonna&pg=PA13 |title=Oprah Tops Forbes List of Highest Grossing Celebs |magazine=Jet |page=13 |date=September 27, 1993 |volume=84 |number=22 |access-date=July 27, 2022}}</ref> 2000s,<ref>Annual earning list: * 2005: {{cite magazine |ref=none |url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2005/53/Musicians_Pay_1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060307033514/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2005/53/Musicians_Pay_1.html |archive-date=March 7, 2006 |title=The Celebrity 100 > Musicians |date=March 7, 2006 |magazine=Forbes}} * 2007: {{cite magazine |ref=none |url=https://www.forbes.com/2007/09/19/music-madonna-rolling_stones-biz-media-cx_lh_0919musicians.html |title=The Top-Earning Musicians |magazine=Forbes |date=September 19, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727110557/https://www.forbes.com/2007/09/19/music-madonna-rolling_stones-biz-media-cx_lh_0919musicians.html |archive-date=July 27, 2022 |access-date=July 28, 2022 |url-status=bot: unknown}} * 2009: {{cite magazine |ref=none |url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/06/22/top-eaning-musicians-business-entertainment-musicians_slide.html |title=In Pictures: The Year's Top-Earning Musicians |magazine=Forbes |date=June 22, 2009 |access-date=July 27, 2022}}</ref> and 2010s.<ref name="earning2013">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-madonna-top-earning-celebrity-2013-forbes-mdna-20130828,0,2147727.story |title=Madonna Is Forbes' Top-Earning Celebrity Thanks to MDNA Tour |first=Nardine |last=Saad |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=August 28, 2013 |access-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831002536/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-madonna-top-earning-celebrity-2013-forbes-mdna-20130828,0,2147727.story |url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna is the best-selling female music artist of all time,{{efn|name="sales"|Since 2007, sources have recognized Madonna as the best-selling female music artist of all time.{{sfn|O'Brien|2007|p=15}}<ref name="o636">{{cite magazine |last=Thomas |first=Carly |title=Madonna Re-Certified As Biggest-Selling Female Recording Artist of All Time |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 26, 2023 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-news/madonna-re-certified-biggest-selling-female-recording-artist-1235629377/ |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref><ref name="g424">{{cite magazine |last=Moreau |first=Jordan |title=Madonna Is a Free Agent After Decade-Long Deal With Interscope Records |magazine=Variety |date=August 8, 2020 |url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/madonna-interscope-records-leaves-1234729735/ |access-date=March 4, 2026}}</ref> In 2006, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) officially announced that Madonna had sold over 200 million copies of her albums alone worldwide.<ref name="ifpi.org">{{Cite press release |url=http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat_month_20060913.html |title=Keane, Shakira, Coldplay and Madonna Scoop Summer Platinum Awards |publisher=International Federation of the Phonographic Industry |date=September 13, 2006 |access-date=November 10, 2017 |archive-date=November 4, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104041040/http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat_month_20060913.html}}</ref> Since then, her total record sales have varied from 300 million<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/madonnas-top-40-most-downloaded-tracks-revealed-1309/ |title=Madonna's Top 40 Most Downloaded Tracks Revealed! |last=Lane |first=Dan |date=March 29, 2012 |publisher=Official Charts |access-date=January 27, 2013}}</ref><ref name="f464">{{cite web |last=Guibourg |first=Clara |title=Madonna at 60: The Queen of Pop in Seven Charts |publisher=BBC News |date=August 14, 2018 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-45112992 |access-date=February 23, 2026}}</ref> to 400 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/10/madonna-cements-status-as-biggest-selling-female-recording-artist-of-all-time-760147 |title=Madonna Cements Status as Biggest-Selling Female Recording Artist of All Time |first=Vicki |last=Newman |work=Guinness World Records |date=October 25, 2023 |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/becoming-madonna-documentary-sky-1236071618/ |title='Becoming Madonna' Promises 'Immersive, Archive-Driven' Look at Singer's Rise to Stardom |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Lily |last=Ford |date=November 26, 2024 |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/entertainment/becoming-madonna-trailer-unveils-the-untold-story-of-the-queen-of-pop-1503377781.html |title='Becoming Madonna' Trailer Unveils the Untold Story of the Queen of Pop |date=December 20, 2024 |newspaper=The Statesman |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref>}} and has eighteen albums certified multi-platinum in multiple countries.{{efn|Madonna has 12 albums certified multi-platinum by the RIAA.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/barbra-streisand-other-19-top-slideshow-wp-061558932/photo-p-madonna-58-tied-streisand-photo-061558849.html |title=Barbra Streisand and the Other 19 Top-Selling Female Recording Artists of All Time |publisher=Yahoo! News |first=Paul |last=Grein |date=April 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502051052/https://ca.news.yahoo.com/barbra-streisand-other-19-top-slideshow-wp-061558932/photo-p-madonna-58-tied-streisand-photo-061558849.html |archive-date=May 2, 2020 |access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref> Her other albums certified multi-platinum outside the US are ''Who's That Girl'' (1987),<ref name="snep">{{cite certification |region=France |type=album |artist=Madonna |access-date=July 8, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-12-26.pdf |title=Gold & Platinum Awards 1987 |magazine=Music & Media |pages=44–46 |date=December 26, 1987 |access-date=July 7, 2019}}</ref> ''GHV2'' (2001),<ref name="bpi">{{cite certification |region=United Kingdom |artist=Madonna |type=album |access-date=March 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aria.com.au/Issue650.pdf |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20021001140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20021002-0000/Issue650.pdf |archive-date=October 1, 2002 |title=ARIA Report: Issue No 650 |access-date=May 18, 2018 |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005),<ref name="bpi"/><ref name="snep"/> ''Hard Candy'' (2008),<ref>{{cite web |title=Чарт Продаж. Россия 39-2009 |url=http://www.2m-online.ru/news/detail.php?ID=5479 |publisher=National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF) |access-date=December 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091218061148/http://www.2m-online.ru/news/detail.php?ID=5479 |trans-title=Sales Chart. Russia 39-2009 |archive-date=December 18, 2009 |language=ru |date=September 30, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Madonně Vychází DVD Z Nejúspěšnějšího Turné Historie |url=https://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/kultura/hudba/madonne-vychazi-dvd-z-nejuspesnejsiho-turne-historie_163733.html?showTab=nejctenejsi-7 |magazine=Týden |access-date=December 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312180319/https://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/kultura/hudba/madonne-vychazi-dvd-z-nejuspesnejsiho-turne-historie_163733.html?showTab=nejctenejsi-7 |archive-date=March 12, 2021 |language=cs |date=March 29, 2010 |trans-title=Madonna releases DVD of most successful tour in history}}</ref> ''Celebration'' (2009),<ref name="bracert"/><ref name="bpi"/> and ''MDNA'' (2012).<ref name="bracert">{{cite certification |region=Brazil |artist=Madonna |type=album |access-date=September 4, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://wyborcza.pl/1,75410,17171846,_Sterroryzowana__Madonna_wypuszcza_szesc_piosenek.html |date=December 22, 2014 |title='Sterroryzowana' Madonna Wypuszcza Sześć Piosenek Z Nowej Płyty |url-access=limited |newspaper=Gazeta Wyborcza |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214001804/https://wyborcza.pl/1,75410,17171846,_Sterroryzowana__Madonna_wypuszcza_szesc_piosenek.html |archive-date=February 14, 2021 |language=pl |url-status=live |quote=W Rosji, gdzie każdy album Madonny sprzedaje się znakomicie, "MDNA" zdobyła status siedmiokrotnie platynowej płyty i była najlepiej sprzedającym się tytułem roku.}}</ref>}} According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the fourth highest-certified female artist in the US, with 65.5 million certified album-equivalent units.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=top_tallies&ttt=TAA#search_section |title=Top Selling Artists |publisher=Recording Industry Association of America |access-date=June 9, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/newsitem.php?news_year_filter=1999&resultpage=2&id=3ABF3EC8-EF5B-58F9-E949-3B57F5E313DF |title=The American Recording Industry Announces Its Artists of the Century |publisher=Recording Industry Association of America |date=November 10, 1999 |access-date=January 30, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930200852/http://www.riaa.com/newsitem.php?news_year_filter=1999&resultpage=2&id=3ABF3EC8-EF5B-58F9-E949-3B57F5E313DF |archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref>

Madonna has generated over US$1.6 billion from ticket sales of her concert tours throughout her career.<ref name="onlywomantoacheieveboxscore">{{cite magazine |last=Frankenberg |first=Eric |url-status=live |url-access=limited |title=Madonna Is Only Woman to Achieve This Boxscore Feat as The Celebration Tour Wraps |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/madonna-the-celebration-tour-225-million-1235674536/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=May 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510023201/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/madonna-the-celebration-tour-225-million-1235674536/ |archive-date=May 10, 2024 |date=May 9, 2024}}</ref> According to ''Pollstar'', she was the highest-grossing female touring artist<ref name="Poll">{{cite magazine |title=Top Touring Artists Of The Pollstar Era |url=https://data.pollstar.com/Chart/2022/07/072522_top.touring.artists_1020.pdf |access-date=August 3, 2022 |magazine=Pollstar |pages=1, 3 |date=July 7, 2022 |archive-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805190603/https://data.pollstar.com/Chart/2022/07/072522_top.touring.artists_1020.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> until being overtaken by Taylor Swift in 2023.<ref name="Poll"/><ref name="pollstar2023">{{cite news |url=https://news.pollstar.com/2023/12/08/taylor-swift-sets-all-time-touring-record-with-billion-dollar-gross/ |title=Taylor Swift Sets All-Time Touring Record With $1 Billion Gross |last=Gensler |first=Andy |magazine=Pollstar |date=December 8, 2023 |access-date=December 8, 2023 |archive-date=December 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208150250/https://news.pollstar.com/2023/12/08/taylor-swift-sets-all-time-touring-record-with-billion-dollar-gross/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://news.pollstar.com/2025/12/08/coldplay-u2-sheeran-dmb-top-pollstars-25-most-popular-touring-artists-of-the-millennium/ |title=Coldplay, U2, Ed Sheeran, Dave Matthews Band, Taylor Swift Top Pollstar's 25 Most Popular Touring Artists Of The Millennium |first=Bob |last=Allen |date=December 8, 2025 |magazine=Pollstar |access-date=December 9, 2025}}</ref> Madonna has won seven Grammy Awards and twenty MTV Video Music Awards, including the 1986 Video Vanguard Award for which she became the first female recipient.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/madonna/5068 |title=Madonna |publisher=Grammy Award |access-date=August 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117043843/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/madonna |archive-date=November 17, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Who Has Won the Most MTV Video Music Awards? |date=March 2008 |magazine=Vibe |issn=1070-4701 |volume=16 |issue=2 |page=58}}</ref> In Japan, the world's second largest market, Madonna has received seventeen Gold Disc Awards from the Recording Industry Association of Japan, including the most Artist of the Year wins by a solo artist (five).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gdlist/pdf/gd1-20_list.pdf |script-title=ja:ゴールドディスク大賞受賞者一覧 |trans-title=List of Gold Disc Award winners |publisher=Recording Industry Association of Japan |date=1987–2006 |access-date=November 26, 2010 |language=ja |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513221245/http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gdlist/pdf/gd1-20_list.pdf |archive-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=第23回日本ゴールドディスク大賞で"アーティスト・オブ・ザ・イヤー"を受賞! |url=https://wmg.jp/madonna/news/23642/ |publisher=Warner Music Japan |language=ja |access-date=May 13, 2012 |trans-title=Madonna won 'Artist of the Year' at the 23rd Japan Gold Disc Awards!}}</ref> Madonna became the first artist to be named the "Greatest Pop Star" of the year twice by ''Billboard'' (1985 and 1989).<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/billbaord-greatest-pop-star-by-year-winners-9351151/ |title=20 Fun Facts About Billboard's 'Greatest Pop Star by Year' Selections |date=April 3, 2020 |first=Paul |last=Grein |access-date=April 28, 2022 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=April 23, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423103418/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9351151/billbaord-greatest-pop-star-by-year-winners}}</ref> ''Like a Prayer'' (1989), ''The Immaculate Collection'' (1990), ''Ray of Light'' (1998), and ''Music'' (2000) have each been included among ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.<ref name="b906">{{cite magazine |title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=December 31, 2023 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/ |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/music-madonna-19691231 |title=500 Greatest Albums: Music – Madonna |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=May 31, 2012 |access-date=September 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219094110/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/music-madonna-19691231 |archive-date=December 19, 2010}}</ref>

Throughout her career, Madonna has had 12 songs top the charts in the United States,<ref name="hot100"/> 13 in the United Kingdom,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/artists-with-the-most-number-1-singles-on-the-uk-chart__23765/ |title=Artists with the Most Number 1 Singles on the UK Chart |first=Justin |last=Myers |publisher=Official Charts |date=January 3, 2020 |access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref> 24 in Canada,{{efn|Madonna has more number-one singles than any other act in Canadian music history, with 18 singles during the ''RPM'' era, 2 singles during the Canadian Hot 100 era, and 4 singles between 2000 and 2007 on the Canadian Singles Chart.<ref name=AllMusicCanada/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/list.aspx?OCRText=Madonna& |title=Madonna – Canada Top Singles |magazine=RPM |publisher=Collections Canada |access-date=January 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206190455/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=v2a76h62to0aart05gg0u3agj2&q1=Madonna |archive-date=December 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/madonna/chart-history/can/ |title=Madonna – Canadian Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=September 26, 2019}}</ref>}} and 11 in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/news/all-the-aria-singles-chart-1s |title=All The ARIA Singles Chart #1s |publisher=ARIA Charts |date=June 1, 2022 |access-date=January 11, 2025}}</ref> At the 40th anniversary of the GfK Media Control Charts, Madonna was ranked as the most successful singles artist in German chart history.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7942027/germany-official-music-charts-40th-anniversary |title=Germany's Music Charts Turn 40: Facts and Milestones in the 4Th Biggest Music Market |first=Wolfgang |last=Spahr |date=August 28, 2017 |access-date=August 28, 2017 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> According to ''Billboard'', she was the most successful solo artist on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 by 2021—second overall behind the Beatles—and remains the most successful dance club artist of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-hot-100-artists |title=Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists Chart |magazine=Billboard |date=November 12, 2015 |access-date=March 20, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250706060947/https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-hot-100-artists/ |archive-date=July 6, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/top-dance-club-songs-artists-madonna-greatest-of-all-time/ |title=Greatest of All Time: Madonna Is Billboard's No. 1 Dance Club Songs Artist |first=Gordon |last=Murray |date=November 30, 2016 |access-date=December 1, 2016 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> She has achieved 38 top-ten singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the most by any artist in pre-streaming era.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53565332 |title=Drake Overtakes Madonna and The Beatles to Break US Billboard Chart Record |first=Mark |publisher=BBC News |last=Savage |date=July 28, 2020 |access-date=January 25, 2025}}</ref> A dominant physical singles seller, she has the most number ones on the Hot 100 Singles Sales (16) and the Dance Singles Sales (33) of any artist.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/celebration-madonnas-40-most-impressive-instants/ |title='Celebration': Madonna's 40 Most Impressive Instants |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=September 15, 2009 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=September 15, 2009 |archive-date=December 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213151414/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/267393/celebration-madonnas-40-most-impressive-instants |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/charts/2015-07-04/hot-singles-sales |title=Hot Singles Sales |date=July 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529065930/https://www.billboard.com/biz/charts/2015-07-04/hot-singles-sales |archive-date=May 29, 2019 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 31, 2024}}</ref> With 50 Dance Club Songs chart-toppers, Madonna became the artist with the most number ones on any singular ''Billboard'' chart.<ref name="DanceRecord"/>

== Discography == {{Main|Madonna albums discography|Madonna singles discography|List of songs recorded by Madonna}}

{{div col}} * ''Madonna'' (1983) * ''Like a Virgin'' (1984) * ''True Blue'' (1986) * ''Like a Prayer'' (1989) * ''Erotica'' (1992) * ''Bedtime Stories'' (1994) * ''Ray of Light'' (1998) * ''Music'' (2000) * ''American Life'' (2003) * ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005) * ''Hard Candy'' (2008) * ''MDNA'' (2012) * ''Rebel Heart'' (2015) * ''Madame X'' (2019) * ''Confessions II'' (2026) {{div col end}}

== Filmography == {{Main|Madonna filmography}} '''Films starred''' {{div col}} * ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985) * ''A Certain Sacrifice'' (1985) * ''Shanghai Surprise'' (1986) * ''Who's That Girl'' (1987) * ''Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1989) * ''Dick Tracy'' (1990) * ''Madonna: Truth or Dare'' (1991) * ''A League of Their Own'' (1992) * ''Body of Evidence'' (1993) * ''Dangerous Game'' (1993) * ''Four Rooms'' (1995) * ''Evita'' (1996) * ''The Next Best Thing'' (2000) * ''Swept Away'' (2002) * ''I'm Going to Tell You a Secret'' (2005) * ''Arthur and the Invisibles'' (2006) * ''Madame X'' (2021) {{div col end}}

'''Films directed''' * ''Filth and Wisdom'' (2008) * ''W.E.'' (2011) * ''secretprojectrevolution'' (2013)

== Tours == {{Main|List of Madonna concerts}} {{div col}} * The Virgin Tour (1985) * Who's That Girl World Tour (1987) * Blond Ambition World Tour (1990) * The Girlie Show (1993) * Drowned World Tour (2001) * Re-Invention World Tour (2004) * Confessions Tour (2006) * Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008–2009) * The MDNA Tour (2012) * Rebel Heart Tour (2015–2016) * Madame X Tour (2019–2020) * The Celebration Tour (2023–2024) {{div col end}}

== Enterprises == {{seealso|Business of Madonna|Madonna fashion brands}} * Maverick (1992–2004) * Ray of Light Foundation (1998) * Raising Malawi (2006) * Hard Candy Fitness (2010–2019) * Truth or Dare by Madonna (2011–2018)

== Notes == {{Notelist}}

== References == === Citations === {{Reflist}}

=== Book sources === {{See also|Bibliography of works on Madonna}} {{refbegin|colwidth=30em|indent=yes}} * {{Cite book |last=Aguilar Guzmán |first=Marcela |title=Domadores de historias. Conversaciones con grandes cronistas de América Latina |publisher=RIL Editores |year=2010 |isbn=978-956-284-782-7 |language=es}} * {{Cite book |last=Bego |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Bego |title=Madonna: Blonde Ambition |publisher=Cooper Square Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-8154-1051-5}} * {{cite book |last1=Berleur |first1=J. |last2=Beardon |first2=Colin |last3=Laufer |first3=Romain |title=Facing the Challenge of Risk and Vulnerablity in an Information Society |publisher=Elsevier |date=1993 |isbn=978-0-444-89878-4}} * {{cite book |first1=Rosemarie |last1=Buikema |first2=Iris |last2=van der Tuin |title=Doing Gender in Media, Art and Culture |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-203-87680-0}} * {{cite book |last=Chapman |first=Roger |title=Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices |publisher=M. E. Sharpe |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-7656-2250-1}} * {{cite book |last1=Cornwell |first1=Grant H. |author-link1=Grant Cornwell |last2=Stoddard |first2=Eve Walsh |title=Global Multiculturalism |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |date=2001 |isbn=0-7425-0883-8}} * {{Cite book |last=Claro |first=Nicole |title=Madonna |year=1994 |publisher=Chelsea House Publishers |isbn=978-0-7910-2330-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/madonna00clar}} * {{Cite book |last=Clerk |first=Carol |title=Madonnastyle |year=2002 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-7119-8874-3}} * {{Cite book |last=Cross |first=Mary |title=Madonna: A Biography |year=2007 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-33811-3}} * {{Cite book |last=Dean |first=Maury |title=Rock 'n' Roll Gold Rush: A Singles Un-Cyclopedia |year=2003 |publisher=Algora Publishing |isbn=978-0-87586-207-1}} * {{Cite book |last=Diamond |first=Elin |year=1996 |title=Performance and Cultural Politics |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-12767-7}} * {{cite book |last=Edmondson |first=Jacqueline |author-link=Jacqueline Edmondson |title=Music in American Life |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |date=2013 |isbn=978-0-313-39348-8}} * {{cite book |last=Elias |first=Simone O. |title=Old Films, Young Eyes |publisher=McFarland & Company |date=2024 |isbn=978-1-4766-9659-1}} * {{cite book |jstor=10.3138/j.ctt2tv4xw# |title=Madonna, Bawdy & Soul |url=https://archive.org/details/madonnabawdysoul0000fait |url-access=registration |last=Faith |first=Karlene |author-link=Karlene Faith |date=1997 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=1-4426-7688-4}} * {{Cite book |last=Fiske |first=John |author-link=John Fiske (media scholar) |title=Reading the Popular |publisher=Routledge |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-415-07875-7}} * {{Cite book |last1=Fouz-Hernández |first1=Santiago |first2=Freya |last2=Jarman-Ivens |title=Madonna's Drowned Worlds |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |isbn=978-0-7546-3372-3 |year=2004 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/madonnasdrownedw0000unse}} * {{cite book |last=Freedman |first=Russell |title=Martha Graham |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |date=1998 |isbn=978-0-395-74655-4}} * {{cite book |last=Fretz |first=Eric |title=Jean-Michel Basquiat |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-313-38057-0}} * {{Cite book |last=Friskics-Warren |first=Bill |title=I'll Take You There: Pop Music and the Urge for Transcendence |year=2006 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-8264-1921-7}} * {{cite book |last=Fuhrer |first=Margaret |title=American Dance: The Complete Illustrated History |publisher=Quarto Publishing |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-7603-4599-3}} * {{cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Mary |author-link=Mary Gabriel (author) |title=Madonna: A Rebel Life |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |date=2023 |isbn=978-0-316-45644-9}} * {{cite book |last=Garber |first=Michael G. |title=Songs She Wrote |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |date=2025 |isbn=978-1-5381-5866-1}} * {{Cite book |editor-last=George-Warren |editor-first=Holly |editor-last2=Romanowski |editor-first2=Patricia |editor-last3=Pareles |editor-first3=Jon |editor-link3=Jon Pareles |year=2001 |publisher=Fireside |isbn=978-0-7432-0120-9 |title=The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll |url=https://archive.org/details/rollingstoneency00holl}} * {{Cite book |title=Guinness World Records 2007 |first=Craig |last=Glenday |publisher=Bantam Books |isbn=978-0-553-58992-4 |year=2007 |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0700guin}} * {{Cite book |last=Gnojewski |first=Carol |title=Madonna: Express Yourself |publisher=Enslow Publishers |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7660-2442-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/madonnaexpressyo0000gnoj}} * {{Cite book |last=Gorlinski |first=Gini |title=The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time |publisher=Rosen Publishing Group |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-61530-056-3}} * {{Cite book |last=Grant |first=Robert M. |author-link=Robert M. Grant (economist) |title=Contemporary Strategy Analysis |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4051-1999-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/contemporarystra00gran_4}} * {{Cite book |last=Guilbert |first=Georges-Claude |title=Madonna as Postmodern Myth |publisher=McFarland |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7864-1408-6}} * {{Cite book |last=Hall |first=Dennis |title=American Icons |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=0-313-02767-6}} * {{Cite book |last=Harrison |first=Thomas |title=Pop Goes the Decade: The Eighties |year=2017 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-3667-1}} * {{Cite book |last=Hawkins |first=Stan |title=Settling the Pop Score: Pop Texts and Identity Politics |publisher=Routledge |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-351-54910-3}} * {{Cite book |last=Havranek |first=Carrie |title=Women Icons of Popular Music |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |date=2008 |isbn=978-1-57356-783-1}} * {{Cite book |last1=Horton |first1=Ros |last2=Simmons |first2=Sally |title=Women Who Changed the World |year=2007 |publisher=Quercus |isbn=978-1-84724-026-2}} * {{Cite book |last=Jeffreys |first=Sheila |author-link=Sheila Jeffreys |title=Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices In The West |publisher=Routledge |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-415-35183-6}} * {{Cite book |last=Jhally |first=Sut |title=The Spectacle of Accumulation: Essays in Culture, Media, And Politics |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8204-7904-0 |author-link=Sut Jhally}} * {{cite book |last=Kaplan |first=Arie |author-link=Arie Kaplan |title=American Pop |publisher=Millbrook Press |date=2017 |isbn=978-1-5124-5649-3}} * {{cite book |last1=Kellner |first1=Douglas |author-link1=Douglas Kellner |title=Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics between the Modern and the Post-modern |date=1995 |doi=10.4324/9780203205808 |isbn=978-1-134-84571-2 |oclc=52850158}} * {{cite book |last=Koopmans |first=Andy |title=Madonna |publisher=Lucent Books |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-590-18138-6}} * {{cite book |last1=Kramarae |first1=Cheris |author-link1=Cheris Kramarae |last2=Spender |first2=Dale |author-link2=Dale Spender |title=Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women |publisher=Taylor & Francis |date=2004 |isbn=978-1-135-96315-6}} * {{cite book |last=Lockard |first=Craig A. |title=Societies, Networks, and Transitions: A Global History |publisher=Cengage |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-4958-9730-9}} * {{cite book |last=Lofton |first=Kathryn |title=Consuming Religion |publisher=University of Chicago Press |date=2017 |isbn=978-0-226-48212-5}} * {{cite book |last=McFarlan |first=Donald |title=Guinness Book of World Records |publisher=Sterling Publishing |date=1989 |isbn=978-0-8069-5790-6}} * {{cite book |last=McLeod |first=Ken |title=We Are the Champions: The Politics of Sports and Popular Music |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4094-9450-8}} * {{Cite book |last1=Metz |first1=Allen |first2=Carol |last2=Benson |title=The Madonna Companion: Two Decades of Commentary |publisher=Music Sales Group |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-8256-7194-4}} * {{Cite book |last=Michael |first=Mick St. |title=Madonna Talking: Madonna in Her Own Words |year=2004 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-1-84449-418-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/madonnatalkingma0000stmi}} * {{cite book |last=Morgan |first=Michelle |title=Madonna |publisher=Constable & Robinson |date=2015 |isbn=978-1-4721-1886-8}} * {{Cite book |last=Morton |first=Andrew |title=Madonna |publisher=Michael O'Mara Books |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-85479-888-6 |location=London |author-link=Andrew Morton (writer) |title-link=Madonna (book)}} * {{Cite book |last=O'Brien |first=Lucy |title=Madonna: Like an Icon |year=2007 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-593-05547-2 |author-link=Lucy O'Brien |title-link=Madonna: Like an Icon}} * {{cite book |last1=Oleksy |first1=Elżbieta H. |last2=Rydzewska |first2=Joanna |title=Representing Gender in Cultures |year=2004 |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=0-820-46546-1}} * {{cite book |last1=Parish |first1=James Robert |author-link1=James Robert Parish |last2=Pitts |first2=Michael R. |title=Hollywood Songsters: Singers Who Act and Actors Who Sing: A Biographical Dictionary |publisher=Routledge |date=2003 |isbn=978-0-415-94333-8}} * {{cite book |last=Perone |first=James E. |title=Listen to Pop! |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |date=2018 |isbn=978-1-4408-6377-6}} * {{cite book |last=Pohlen |first=Jerome |title=Oddball Michigan: A Guide to 450 Really Strange Places |publisher=Chicago Review Press |date=2014 |isbn=978-1-61374-893-0}} * {{cite book |last=Moore |first=Jennifer |title=Fashion Fads Through American History |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |date=2015 |isbn=978-1-61069-902-0}} * {{Cite book |last=Rooksby |first=Rikky |title=The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna |year=2004 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-7119-9883-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/madonnacompleteg0000rook}} * {{cite book |last=Ruthven |first=Malise |author-link=Malise Ruthven |title=A Fury for God: The Islamist Attack on America |publisher=Granta Books |year=2004 |isbn=1-86207-573-5}} * {{cite book |last=Salaverri |first=Fernando |title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 |edition=1st |date=September 2005 |publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE |location=Spain |isbn=84-8048-639-2}} * {{cite book |last=Schwichtenberg |first=Cathy |title=The Madonna Connection |publisher=Westview Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-8133-1396-2}} * {{cite book |last1=Shonk |first1=Kenneth Jr. |last2=McClure |first2=Daniel |title=Historical Theory and Methods Through Popular Music, 1970–2000 |publisher=Springer Publishing |date=2017 |isbn=978-1-137-57072-7}} * {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Chris |title=101 Albums that Changed Popular Music |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-970616-7}} * {{cite book |last1=Stein |first1=Steven J. |last2=Bartone |first2=Paul T. |title=Hardiness |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |date=2020 |isbn=978-1-119-58445-2}} * {{Cite book |last=Taraborrelli |first=J. Randy |author-link=J. Randy Taraborrelli |title=Madonna: An Intimate Biography |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7432-2880-0 |title-link=Madonna: An Intimate Biography}} * {{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Mark C. |author-link=Mark C. Taylor (philosopher) |title=Nots |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-226-79131-9}} * {{cite book |last=Vallely |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Vallely |title=Live Aid: the Definitive 40 Year Story |publisher=Putman Publishing |publication-place=New York |date=2025 |isbn=978-1-917923-40-8}} * {{Cite book |last=Victor |first=Barbara |title=Goddess, Inside Madonna |publisher=Cliff Street Books |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-06-019930-2}} * {{Cite book |last=Voller |first=Debbie |title=Madonna: The Style Book |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-7119-7511-8}} * {{Cite book |last=Welton |first=Donn |title=Body and Flesh: A Philosophical Reader |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-57718-126-2}} {{refend}}

== External links == {{sister project links|display=Madonna|b=no|commons=Madonna (entertainer)|d=Q1744|n=no|q=Madonna (entertainer)|s=no|v=no|wikt=no}} * {{Official website}} * {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p64565|label=Madonna}} * {{Discogs artist}} * {{Rockhall}} * {{TCMDb name}}

{{Madonna|state=expanded}} {{Madonna songs}} {{Navboxes |title = Awards for Madonna |list = {{American Music Award for Artist of the Year}} {{Billboard Year-End Top Artists}} {{Brit International Female}} {{Golden Globe Award Best Actress Motion Picture Musical or Comedy}} {{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song}} {{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress}} {{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress}} {{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo}} {{Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album}} {{Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording}} {{Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album}} {{Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media}} {{Grammy Award for Best Music Video}} {{Grammy Award for Best Music Film}} {{Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award}} {{MTV Europe Music Award for Best Electronic}} {{MTV Europe Music Award for Best Female}} {{MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography}} {{MTV Video Music Award for Best Long Form Video}} {{MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year}} {{MTV Video Music Award – Viewer's Choice}} {{Japan Gold Disc Award for Artist of the Year}} {{2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}} {{UK best-selling albums (by year) 1970–1989}} }}

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