FEATURE:
With New Music Brewing…
Madonna announced that she is working on new music. Her latest album, Madame X, was released back in 2019. One of her strongest late-career albums, it will be interesting to see what direction a fifteenth studio album might take. I write about Madonna a lot. With good reason. The Pop icon is always relevant and inspiring artists around the world. I think that this year will be among her most important. I will go into more detail. Before that, here are details from Billboard that reveal a heavyweight producer:
“The Queen of Pop took to social media on Monday (March 20) to share a photo of herself writing in the studio with lauded music producer Max Martin. “When in Doubt go to Work,” she captioned the post. “Nothing shuts Down the Noise or the Naysayers More then being in the Creative Process.”
Madonna’s most recent studio album was 2019’s Madame X, which topped the Billboard 200 albums chart dated June 29, 2019. She also released a remix album, Finally Enough Love, in 2022.
Madonna is gearing up to head out on a global tour this year, and the massive Celebration Tour — which will honor her four decades of hits — is set to span from July 15 all the way through Dec. 1.
Last month, the iconic superstar shut down haters who criticized her appearance at the 2023 Grammy Awards, accusing the “Vogue” singer of botched plastic surgery. “Many people chose to only talk about Close-up photos of me Taken with a long lens camera By a press photographer that Would distort anyone’s face!!” she wrote on Instagram. “Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny That permeates the world we live in. A world that refuses to celebrate women pass the age of 45 And feels the need to punish her If she continues to be strong willed, hard-working and adventurous.”
Madonna went on to note that she has “never apologized” for her appearance, and she’s “not going to start,” before referencing Beyoncé’s Renaissance hit, “Break My Soul.” “I have been degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but I understand that this is all a test and I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come,” she wrote”.
When in Doubt go to Work ……….. Nothing shuts Down the Noise or the Naysayers More then being in the Creative Process !! ✍️🎼 🎧🎤🤍 #maxmartin pic.twitter.com/CoFDDDzd0w
— Madonna (@Madonna) March 20, 2023
There is no title or further information regarding what the album will be called or when it is out. I think that this year is going to be extremely busy. So far, Madonna has announced that will be a massive world tour. Madonna: The Celebration Tour runs between 15th July and 20th January. Not only marking forty years of the single, Holiday, and her eponymous debut album, it is also a year where we will probably get new music. There is always activity from her camp. Whether it is a remixed song or Madonna popping up on Instagram, she is always busy and engaging. Recently, Madonna has faced a lot of hatred online because of appearance. Not that it has anything to do with anyone else, but she has had procedures done on her face. I am not sure the reason why (nor do I need to know) but, naturally, the press have called her ‘unrecognisable’ and thrown a lot of misogyny and general insults her way. She is not unrecognisable at all. She looks amazing, and it is nobody’s business what she has had done. Madonna has had to face press sh*t since she started out and, the more she expresses herself and goes beyond the image of her many have – a fresh-faced Pop artist whose 1983 debut was quite innocent and fun -, then the more they heap on. It is a shame that a woman who changed Pop music and has impacted popular culture in such a hugely meaningful way has to face so much vitriol and toxicity – though, as this is Madonna, she always comes back with a middle finger aloft!
There was meant to be a biopic that Madonna was directing. Julia Garner was selected as the actress who would play Madonna, but the project was scrapped. Madonna said the script was not real and gritty enough. Perhaps too clinical and formulaic, I do hope that the film will come to light one day. Garner would be brilliant, and this is a biopic that has been discussed and attempted before. In terms of what she is doing this year, of course the tour is going to take up most of her time. Preparations, rehearsals, and plans are already underway. There has not been an announcement of setlists and what the set itself will look like. Madonna’s tours are always huge and have incredible production values. Alongside being in the studio and working on new material, she is doubtless auditioning dancers, crew and backing singers. There is a lot of work to be done before the tour gets rolling in the summer. Madonna: The Celebration Tour is going to be more like a greatest hits event than one that promotes a new album. Because of that, we might see early hits mingle alongside stuff from Madame X. Holiday will be in there one would imagine, so it will be an album-hopping and decades-spanning set that will resonate with older and younger fans alike. Maybe there will be a new tune or two in the set! In any case, eyes will be on the Queen of Pop.
Some (in the press) criticised the tour and felt it was sad and a bit tragic that someone in their sixties was trying to ‘recapture the past’. Madonna is doing her job and is as inspired and energised as ever. In terms of the physicality of the tour, she is going to be training and exercising hard. It will be tough, but she is definitely up for it. Get away from all the misogyny and spite, and this is a massive year for her. The Madonna album is forty on 27th July. The phenomenal Holiday is forty on 7th September. I am not sure whether there is going to be an anniversary edition of the single or a remaster of the video. Maybe we will see remixes of the song, but I hope there is a reissue of Madonna with some extra tracks or some extras. Alongside that anniversary, there are other albums that have big anniversaries. Ray of Light turned twenty-five earlier in the year, but American Life is twenty on 21st April; Hard Candy is fifteen on 19th April. Also, Rain (from Erotica) is thirty on 19th July. Her fourth concert tour, The Girlie Show, is thirty on 25th September. There is a lot to look forward to. You get the feeling that something in the way of a tour will come about. Thinking about it, whilst there is not going to be a biopic, how about a documentary or film? Moonage Daydream brought David Bowie to life in such a colourful, mind-blowing, and arresting way. Given all the music, concert footage and behind the scenes footage from throughout the years, a film or documentary series that mixes visual styles (including animation) and has a similar impact would be fitting.
2023 will be a year of new music and shoots, but also one where Madonna celebrates forty years since her debut album. A chance to connect with fans around the world. In terms of cementing her icon status and confirming her place in musical history, the tour and everything around it will do that. Let’s hope (though I doubt) there is far less hate aimed at Madonna. She has already proved why she is one of the most important artists who has ever lived. When she hits the road later in the year, this is going to be evident. Anniversary celebrations around her debut album and Holiday will also do that. It is interesting that there is new music being written - and she is clearing a path to a new career phase. When 2024 starts, it will be fascinating to see what direction Madonna takes. Of course, I forgot one event. On 16th August, Madonna turns sixty-five! She has a day off then, but her previous tour date is 14th August in the Scotiabank Arena Toronto, Canada. I am sure that, on 19th August, she will get a huge ovation when she plays at the Bell Centre in Montreal. It is a shame that she will not be in America for her sixty-fifth birthday, but you know there will be some announcement or special post from Madonna. Perhaps the most exciting and important year of all for Madonna, this is a moment when she looks ahead to a mighty and busy summer. Could Madonna have imagined in 1983 that her music would still be played, watched, and celebrated…
IN such a massive way?!