Musician Spotlight: Madonna

Not too many artists are instantly recognizable from just one name, but Madonna is certainly one of them. Perhaps the first. Why not? Madonna was the first to do a great many things, including wielding power in a way that no one in the music industry had seen before, and perhaps hasn’t seen since. To put it simply, Madonna is the biggest selling female recording artist ever, selling over 300 million albums and winning a staggering 273 awards such as Grammys and Brits. There is even a Golden Globe in the mix. Yet this doesn’t tell the story of Madonna; there is plenty more to know.

Madonna’s full name is Madonna Louise Ciccone, but she doesn’t need it. Born on 16th August 1958 in Bay City, Michigan, Madonna is known across the world as a singer, songwriter, and actress with an entrepreneurial streak that allowed her to take her fame and build on it, time and time again. It was her business smarts that allowed Madonna to become something of a chameleon, changing her look, her style, her persona to fit the time and place. This is why she has stood the test of time, from her meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s to now.

Madonna’s first single, ‘Holiday’, was released in 1983, and it was a catchy, poppy tune that was easy to remember and hard to forget. It was immediately popular, and the beautiful young girl with so much confidence who performed it became a beloved part of pop culture. Here is her performing that song live in 1985:

Right from the start, Madonna was not one to shy away from controversy, and in fact she often deliberately created it. Releasing a song entitled ‘Like A Virgin’ into the mainstream in 1984, creating a music video that was banned in some areas for ‘Like A Prayer’ in 1989 (it featured a black ‘Jesus’, burning crosses, and interracial relationships), and leaving nothing to the imagination with documentaries such as In Bed With Madonna (1991) and the book ‘Sex’ (1992), adopting several children from Malawi, was all part of her masterplan which, by 1991, had netted her 21 top ten singles, 70 million album sales, and a revenue of $1.2 billion. It was at this point that Madonna decided to go it alone and became the head of Maverick, a subsidiary of Time Warner. No one else would have been able to negotiate a deal like this; only Madonna.

Also at this point, Madonna made another change. It was during this time that music took a back seat, and her film career took center-stage. Although criticized by some who don’t see her as an actress, the range of films and the roles she took have been vast, and there have been some exceptional performances. From Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) to Evita (1996), there have been many ups and downs, but no matter what, Madonna has always been fascinating to watch.

No matter whether performing light pop sings as she did at the beginning or immersing herself in more electronica and dance music as she has in more recent years, Madonna’s adoring fans have never forgotten her; she wouldn’t allow it. Even as she takes up a career behind the camera, writing and directing films such as Filth and Wisdom (2008) and W.E (2011), her presence is always felt.