Madonna-biography

(1958-)

Who Is Madonna?

Madonna is a pop melody singer and actress who went individual in 1981 and became a impression in the then male-dominated 1980s harmony scene. By 1991, she had attained 21 Top 10 hits in influence United States and sold more caress 70 million albums internationally. In Jan 2008, she was named the world's wealthiest female musician by Forbes magazine.

Early Life

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was constitutional in Bay City, Michigan, on Sedate 16, 1958, to parents Silvio "Tony" Ciccone and Madonna Fortin. Tony, prestige son of Italian immigrants, was illustriousness first of his family to move ahead to college, where he earned trim degree in engineering. Madonna's mother, upshot x-ray technician and former dancer, was of French Canadian descent. After their marriage in 1955, the couple spurious to Pontiac, Michigan, to be lock to Tony's job as a keep engineer. Madonna was born three epoch later, during a visit with parentage in Bay City. The third a number of six children, Madonna learned early go with how to handle her role although the middle child, admitting that she was "the sissy of the family" who often used her feminine wiles to get her way.

Her parents' rigid observation of the Catholic faith swayed a large role in Madonna's youth. "My mother was a religious zealot," Madonna explains. "There were always priests and nuns in my house immature up." Many elements of Catholic iconography — including her mother's statues past its best the Sacred Heart, the habits carryon the nuns at her Catholic basic school, and the Catholic altar tempt which she and her family prayed daily — later became the action of Madonna's most controversial works.

Family Tragedy: Death of Mother

Another large influence shape Madonna's early life was her apathy, who was diagnosed with breast person during her pregnancy with Madonna's youngest sister. Treatment had to be unpunctual advanced until the baby reached full brief, but by then the disease abstruse grown too strong. On December 1, 1963, at the age of 30, Madonna's mother passed away. Madonna was only five years old at decency time of her mother's death. Magnanimity loss significantly affected Madonna's adolescence. Preoccupied by the memories of her mother's frailty and passive demeanor during reject final days, Madonna was determined be bounded by make her own voice heard. "I think the biggest reason I was able to express myself and slogan be intimidated was by not getting a mother," she says. "For show, mothers teach you manners. And Frenzied absolutely did not learn any assault those rules and regulations."

She fought specially hard against the rules imposed impervious to her stepmother, Joan Gustafson, who fall over Madonna's father while working as righteousness family housekeeper. Madonna says Gustafson oft made her take care of grandeur younger children in the household, unmixed task she greatly resented. "I in actuality saw myself as the quintessential Cinderella," Madonna later said. "I think that's when I really thought about notwithstanding how I wanted to do something on the other hand and get away from all that." She rebelled against her traditional nurture by turning her conservative clothing review revealing outfits, frequenting underground gay nightclubs and rejecting her religious background.

READ MORE: Madonna Says She’d Be a 'Completely Different Person’ If Her Mom Hadn't Died Young

Music and Dance: Late 1970s

Madonna balanced the insubordinate side of will not hear of personality with a drive for perfectionism and high achievement. She was first-class straight-A student, cheerleader and disciplined choreographer who graduated from high school far-out semester earlier than her peers. Hassle 1976, her hard work earned decline the attention of the University slope Michigan, which offered her a filled scholarship to their dance program.

In 1977, during her undergraduate studies at Stops, Madonna was awarded a six-week attainments to study with the Alvin Choreographer American Dance Theater in New Dynasty City, followed by a rare occasion to perform with choreographer Pearl Racket in 1978. At the urging precision her dance instructor, the budding evening star dropped out of college after matchless two years of study to accompany to New York and further set aside dance career. Once in New Dynasty, Madonna paid her rent with clean up handful of odd jobs, including in the nude art modeling, serving at the State Tea Room and performing for high-mindedness American Dance Center.

In 1979, Singer began dating Dan Gilroy, one accomplish the founding members of a ska-influenced pop-punk band called Breakfast Club. Gilroy introduced Madonna to the head influence a vaudeville review in Paris, nearby she spent some time in Author working as a showgirl. During that trip, she fell in love reach the combination of singing and performance. When she returned to the Allied States in 1980, she joined Gilroy's band as its drummer and following became the lead singer. Madonna be made aware several different bands of her splinter group over the next few years, with Madonna & The Sky, The Millionaires and Emmy.

Rise to Pop Stardom

'Everybody'

In 1981, Madonna decided to go solo cope with hired manager Camille Barbone of Gotham Records to help her get give something the thumbs down singing career on track. Barbone showed Madonna how to navigate the male-dominated world of the music business, gift helped put together a studio faction that accentuated the budding star's in the swim style. Friend Stephen Bray, a performer in her band, wrote her cardinal hit, "Everybody," and Madonna used dip brash business style to get prestige recordings to New York music impresario Mark Kamins. Kamins then helped Singer score a record deal with Inclination Records. "Everybody" hit No. 1 look over the dance charts in 1982.

'Madonna' Album: 'Borderline,' 'Lucky Star' and 'Holiday'

Using honesty success of the song as maintain, Madonna convinced Sire Records to turn out the full-length album Madonna in 1983. The album was a slow however steady success, and included the sell more cheaply singles "Borderline," "Lucky Star" and "Holiday." Soon, girls all over the state were imitating Madonna's distinct sense admire fashion, which included fishnet stockings, lacework lingerie, fingerless gloves and large curmudgeonly necklaces. "Holiday" also earned the soloist an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand in 1984, where she bass the host that her main arrivisme was "to rule the world."

'Like well-ordered Virgin,' 'Material Girl' and 'Angel'

This excess and determination was apparent in complex 1985 follow-up album, Like a Virgin, which hit No. 1 on representation Billboard Chart and went platinum inside of a month. The title track, make for a acquire by Nile Rodgers, would later tweak listed as Madonna's biggest pop stick of all time, with the melody line remaining on the top of nobility charts for six weeks. She challenging two other Top 5 hits outlandish the record: the tongue-in-cheek, empowering "Material Girl" and the dance ditty junk bounce, "Angel."

'Crazy for You'

She also marked in her first mainstream feature skin, Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), and superb the soundtrack's single, "Into the Groove," which hit No. 1 on character U.S. dance charts. Her next sui generis incomparabl "Crazy for You", which she unreduced for the 1985 film Vision Quest, also became a No. 1 drum. She then started her first congregation tour, The Virgin Tour, and watched 17 consecutive songs climb into representation Top 10 on the Billboard Blueprint while also creating a wave personal iconic music videos, constantly re-crafting organized persona.

Movies and More Hit Songs from the 1980s and 1990s

Over representation next five years, Madonna's life was a whirlwind of activity. On Lordly 16, 1985, she married actor Sean Penn and co-starred with him complicated the film Shanghai Surprise (1986). She then went on to star livestock three more movies over the monitor few years: Who's That Girl (1987), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) and Dick Tracy (1990). Madonna's soundtrack album I'm Breathless: Music From and Inspired tough the Film Dick Tracy resulted put it to somebody two Top 10 hits: "Vogue" humbling "Hanky Panky." She also released combine more hit albums: True Blue (1986), Who's that Girl (1987), You Jumble Dance (1987) and Like a Prayer (1989).

READ MORE: The Hollywood Icons Featured in Madonna's Song "Vogue"

Controversies

'Like a Virgin' MTV Video Music Awards Performance

As invariably, Madonna mixed her drive for good with her penchant for scandalous manner. It started with her controversial 1985 performance of her hit single "Like a Virgin" on the MTV Record Music Awards, which involved writhing family suggestively onstage in a wedding clothes. Then came her marriage to Quaker, which was marred by reports grow mouldy domestic violence and his assault conclusion a photographer — behavior that worthwhile him a month's jail time brook eventually led to the couple's excavate public divorce.

READ MORE: Madonna’s Now-Famous 'Like a Virgin' Performance Was Thanks pay homage to a Wardrobe Malfunction

'Like a Prayer' Euphony Video

In 1989, Madonna's "Like a Prayer" video aired on MTV as spot of a lucrative Pepsi endorsement. Illustriousness video featured interracial relationship themes, inconsequential crosses and a blending of sexy genital innuendo and religious ideologies. As skilful result of the video, Pope Can Paul II urged fans not comprehensively attend her concerts in Italy, streak Pepsi pulled their endorsement of high-mindedness star.

Despite the public outcry, Madonna abstruse become more popular than ever. Righteousness Like a Prayer album spawned regular No. 1 title track as spasm as additional hits like "Express Yourself," "Cherish," "Keep It Together" and "Oh Father." By 1991, she had attained 21 Top 10 hits in greatness United States and sold more prevail over 70 million albums internationally, generating $1.2 billion in sales. Committed to behave her career, Madonna helped found Nonconformist Records, a label under the Dessert Music Group, in April 1992.

'Truth be a symbol of Dare' Documentary

She also continued to prolong attention by pushing social boundaries. Principal came the film Truth or Dare (1991), a revealing documentary about breach Blonde Ambition tour. This was followed by the publishing of Sex (1992), a soft-core pornographic coffee-table book featuring the pop star in a category of erotic poses. Despite its moot nature, Sex sold 150,000 copies never-ending the day of its release extort the United States alone. Three generation later, all 1.5 million copies medium the first edition were sold remove worldwide, making it the most thrive coffee table book ever released.

The album Erotica (1992) was unveiled benefit from the same time and proved as successful. By the end of 1993, the album had reached double-platinum perception. Bedtime Stories came next in 1994, with its groovy lead single "Secret" and the beautifully melancholic "Take copperplate Bow."

READ MORE: 10 of Madonna's Nearly Controversial Moments

Movies and Music: Late Nineties - Present

'Evita,' 'Immaculate Collection' and 'Music'

By 1996, Madonna had proven connect versatility as a star in both film and music. She starred hurt the critically acclaimed screen adaptation infer the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita (1996), which also featured Antonio Banderas. She won a Golden Globe pray Best Performance by an Actress prickly a Motion Picture - Comedy conquest Musical, and in the film she performed "You Must Love Me," which earned an Academy Award for Tune euphony, Original Song.

Madonna had released rendering greatest hits album The Immaculate Collection in 1990, following that years adjacent with Something to Remember (1995), out round-up of her balladry that aim the new song "You'll See." Plenty 1998, she released Ray of Light, a critically-acclaimed outing that had move together delving into electronica and spiritual enquiry with the help of producer William Orbit. More hits came in dignity form of songs like "Frozen" weather "The Power of Good-Bye." Madonna further earned three Grammys, two for significance Top 5 title track and freshen for the Ray of Light album itself.

Then came Music (2000), on successful electronic project, this time familiarize yourself more overt, unpredictable dance leanings meticulous the bulk of production handled bypass French whiz Mirwais. She also spread her work with Orbit, as for on a couple of Music tracks and the Grammy-winning homage to 1960s-psychedelia, "Beautiful Stranger," part of the past performance for the movie Austin Powers: Picture Spy Who Shagged Me.

'American Life'

The pop star then made the propel from the big screen to prestige London West End stage in prestige play Up for Grabs (2002) celebrated wrote her first children's book, The English Roses, which was published confine 2003, the same year as dignity release of her album American Life. Madonna was inducted into the initial U.K. Music Hall of Fame back 2004, and her next album Confessions on a Dancefloor came out probity following year. Around this time Vocaliser became the artist with the chief gold-certified singles in the United States, beating The Beatles' longstanding record.

Her out of date life continued to boom: In Jan 2008, she was named the world's wealthiest female musician by Forbes journal. Madonna earned much of this capital from her H&M clothing line, capital deal with NBC to air chorus footage and her Confessions tour — the highest-grossing tour for a tender artist to date. She also prolonged to sing, act and manage organized number of business interests, splitting churn out time between the United Kingdom captain the United States.

She was rendering writer and executive producer of I Am Because We Are, a docudrama about the lives of Malawi's Immunodeficiency orphans, and the art-house film Filth and Wisdom, both with 2008 releases. Her album Hard Candy was on the loose in April of the same twelvemonth, and her Sticky and Sweet outing became her first major venture challenge concert promoter Live Nation.

'Celebration'

In 2009, she released a fourth greatest hits scrap book, Celebration, which became Madonna's eleventh Inept. 1 album in the United Nation. With the release of the compose, Madonna tied Elvis Presley as birth solo act with most No. 1 albums in the United Kingdom.

'W.E.' Release, Super Bowl XLVI

In 2011, Madonna insecure her latest film project, W.E., meditate the American divorcée Wallis Simpson become peaceful her romance with Britain's King Prince VIII, contrasted with a more concurrent relationship. Edward gave up his topmost to marry Simpson, and the incorporate became known as the Duke weather Duchess of Windsor. Working behind magnanimity camera, Madonna co-wrote and directed that romantic drama, which received decidedly assorted reviews. She, however, did pick offend a Golden Globe for an basic song she co-wrote and sung good spirits the film, "Masterpiece."

Madonna received another warm reception when it was announced she would be performing at Super Wheel XLVI in February 2012. Ahead admire the show, many football fans complained about her selection as part answer the halftime entertainment. She put dispatch an impressive show, however, which featured her latest single "Give Me Boast Your Luvin'." This time around, ask over wasn't Madonna who created waves at hand the show. Her musical guest, M.I.A., provoked an outcry when she lax an obscene hand gesture in respite live performance.

'MDNA'

Madonna released her studio notebook, MDNA, in March 2012. On supreme tour to support the record, she courted controversy. Madonna occasionally flashed other half audiences and used Nazi imagery in the long run b for a long time performing in France. At a chorus in St. Petersburg, Russia, she crosspiece out in support of LGBT exact, which had landed her in authorized trouble. She was sued for a cut above than $10 million for breaking a-okay law against promoting homosexuality to slight, but charges were later dismissed.

Tumultuous Road to 'Rebel Heart'

Through 2014, Vocalizer was reportedly at work on collect next album, said to be collaborating with producers like Avicii and Diplo as seen via Instagram. In Dec of that year, however, more escape a dozen songs planned for her walking papers 2015 album Rebel Heart were leaked online. An Israeli singer was after arrested and indicted for the thefts related to the leak.

To onslaught the theft, Madonna released six songs online before Christmas, with the impressions reaching the Top 10 of iTunes' charts in various countries. However, writer controversy followed in January when position singer released via Instagram doctored portraits of prominent leaders and artists develop Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley vault 1 by black chord, mirroring the involve art of her forthcoming album. Outline February 2015, there was another release leak of Rebel Heart.

That moon, Madonna also performed lead single "Living for Love" live at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards with a man and matador theme. More than a handful of weeks later, she performed the freshen at the Brit Awards, but strike down down a short flight of out of tune with due to a wardrobe mishap, refer to the singer later reporting that she had suffered from whiplash.

The bent version of Rebel Heart, Madonna's Ordinal full-length release, was released on Parade 10, 2015, with the deluxe difference consisting of 19 tracks. The medium was noticeably more stylistically diverse ahead of its predecessors in terms of mellifluous production, lyrically veering from vividly sensual provocation and contemporary boasting to quieter reflection.

'Madame X'

After confirming she was method on new music in early 2018, the iconic singer revealed in break off April 2019 video announcement that discussion group album No. 14 would be noble Madame X.

"Madame X is a colour agent," she says in the telecasting. "Traveling around the world. Changing identities. Fighting for freedom. Bringing light get into dark places. She is a person. A professor. A head of reestablish. A housekeeper. An equestrian. A disadvantage. A student. A mother. A little one. A teacher. A nun. A soloist. A saint. A whore. The nark in the house of love. I’m Madame X."

Soon afterward, Madonna released decency single "Medellín," a joint effort have under surveillance Colombian singer Maluma, and the doublet teamed up to deliver a humid performance of the song at picture 2019 Billboard Music Awards.

Personal Sure and Children

Madonna was married to person Sean Penn from 1985 to 1989. Madonna became a mother in 1996, giving birth to Lourdes Maria (Lola) Ciccone Leon, whom she had secondhand goods her lover and personal trainer, Carlos Leon. In 2000, she married Brits director Guy Ritchie and gave origin to their son, Rocco John Ritchie, the same year. Madonna and Ritchie split in 2008.

On the constrict of her 50th birthday in 2008, Madonna faced more challenges in veto personal life. She spent much see the previous year fighting allegations think it over she circumvented traditional Malawi laws suggest bring home her newly adopted phenomenon, David Banda, whom she had antique raising since 2006. Critics accused Singer of using her vast wealth prank fast-track the adoption process, a journey she vigorously denied. A coalition a selection of 67 local rights groups challenged blue blood the gentry interim custody order on the argument that existing laws in Malawi accomplishments not allow for international adoptions.

Madonna's application to permanently adopt the youth was approved by Malawai's high cultivate on May 28, 2008, the appear star's lawyer said. "It's a pretty and positive judgment," Alan Chinula low reporters. "Finally the court has even though Madonna full adoption rights of greatness boy. ... It's all over, express gratitude God." She decided to adopt shake off Malawai again, and in June 2009, after another legal battle, she was granted custody of Mercy James.

In Feb 2017, Madonna announced she had adoptive 4-year-old twins, Estere and Stelle, proud Malawi, posting a photo with goodness girls on her Instagram account.

In 2017, Madonna attempted to legally mop up the auction of several of scratch personal items, then in the renting of ex-personal assistant Darlene Lutz. On the contrary, the singer had previously signed copperplate release from "any and all" progressive claims against her former friend person in charge employee, and as a result, spiffy tidy up judge ruled that the disputed sell could continue the following year.

The join up of personal items included panties put forward a hairbrush, but the one turn this way drew the most attention was a-ok break-up letter from former boyfriend Tupac Shakur. In the letter, the doorknocker expresses his feelings that while dating a Black man likely boosted move together reputation for being "exciting," he solitary stood to suffer for being evaporate with a white woman. "I on no occasion meant to hurt you," he writes. "Please understand my previous position introduction that of a young man tweak limited experience with an extremely wellknown sex symbol."

In August 2018, Madonna sparked more headlines with her tribute prevalent the recently deceased Aretha Franklin unexpected result the MTV Video Music Awards. Pinpoint mentioning that Franklin "changed the track of my life," Madonna launched be a lengthy sidebar about her publicize early music career, setting off critics who wondered why she was need the tribute to talk about herself.

Quick Facts:

FULL NAME: Madonna Louise Ciccone
BORN: Sage 16, 1958
BIRTHPLACE: Bay City, Michigan

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If tell what to do see something that doesn't look right,contact us!

• My mother was a inexperienced zealot. There were always priests good turn nuns in my house growing up.
• I think the biggest reason I was able to express myself and plead for be intimidated was by not getting a mother.
• I really saw myself importation the quintessential Cinderella.
• For some reason, Raving feel like I never left excessive school, because I still feel dump if you don't fit in, you're going to get your ass kicked.
• I believe sometimes we aren't always tight charge of everything that we at the appointed time creatively. We submit to things by the same token we're going on our own journey.
• We like to put people on a-okay pedestal, give them one character line, and if they step outside answer that shrinelike area that we trackless out for them, then we choice punish them.
• One of my father's renowned quotes—and I love him dearly, nevertheless he's very, very old-fashioned—was, 'If anent were more virgins, the world would be a better place.'
• Every year it's a different me.
• If you want nearly affect change in the world, cheer up do have to have a sphere to stand on. And in sanction to have a platform to get up on, you have to keep know-how your job.
• I think it's kind commuter boat a waste of time to bring about just for the sake of initiation. I think you have to scheme a lesson or something that boss around want to share.
• I sometimes think Hysterical was born to live up get on the right side of my name. How could I weakness anything else but what I telltale having been named Madonna? I would either have ended up a abstinent or this.
• I want to be on the topic of Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, skull John Lennon... but I want think a lot of stay alive.