Pop music has been one of the musical genres and not the ultimate genre until Madonna came into the picture. She took the musical form to its highest peak becoming the most successful pop musician of all time. In her ongoing musical career, she has never missed a beat by slowing down or failing to impress the audience. In just a matter of time, she has become the most vivacious icon of her time and beyond. She has effectively maintained her status of being the Queen of Pop with her excellent understanding of the genre and raw talent.

Maddona is about to turn 63 on her birthday on August 16th this year. She remains as lovely and as talented as she was when she was at her peak proving age is just a number. She has been successfully dominating the music industry for more than 40 years. She has never let it become monotonous and has always tried to keep things refreshing by reinventing herself and her music. She has created a record by having the top 10 singles in each of the last four decades.

Let’s dissect Maddona’s whole career and how she revamped herself throughout the years. Here you will find out how she became the true Queen of Pop and remains the same.

Early life

Madonna was born on August 16th, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. Her parents are Silvio Ciccone and Madonna Fortin. Her father’s parents were Italian emigrants and her mother was decent of French-Canadian and they were both catholic. She was brought up at Pontiac and Avon Township and she lived with her 5 siblings. Her mother died of breast cancer and her father later remarried, which caused her to resent him and rebel against him. Though she got good grades, she often rebelled against the rules in her schools. Though she was put in piano lessons by her father, she later joined the ballet class. She later got a scholarship in dance to the University of Michigan.

Maddona decided to drop out of college in 1378 and moved to New York City and further pursued her dancing career. She used to be a backup dancer for many famous artists.

Beginning of her musical career

In 1979 Madonna bagged the job of the backup singer and dancer in the troupe of French disco artist Patrick Hernandez. She went to perform in Paris and spent three months there. She formed her first band named Breakfast Club with her then-boyfriend musician Dan Gilroy. She was the singer, drummer, and guitarist of the band. At that time she also acted on a low-budget film, ‘Certain Sacrifice’, which was released in 1985.

She then left the Breakfast Club and formed another band Emmy and the Emmys with her ex-boyfriend Stephen Bray in 1980. She then focused on being a solo artist by hiring a manager. Her debut single, ‘Everybody’, released in 1982 was with Sire Records. Her second single, ‘Burning Up’ went as far as number three on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

She had a conflict with the production methods of her self-titled album, ‘Madonna’ as she was not satisfied with the final compositions. She got the help of her then-boyfriend and DJ at the Fun House, John Benitez to remix the songs. Her song, ‘Holiday’ from the album reached the top ten spot on International charts. The album released in 1983 reached the number 8 spot on the Billboard 200 list. It had two top ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

‘Like a Virgin’ success

Madonna gained vast popularity all over the world with her 1984 hit album, ‘Like a Virgin’. It was the number one album in many countries apart from the US like Italy, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Spain, New Zealand, and more. It was the first album by a female artist to sell more than 5 million copies in the US alone. Later it sold more than 21 million copies worldwide and received a diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. The title track remained at the number one spot on the Hot 100 chart for six weeks consecutively. Her performance of the song in the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards added to her growing popularity. She wore a wedding gown and white gloves and popped out of a huge wedding cake at the beginning of the performance.

Her music and fashion became a trend among young girls and women. It was one of the most popular female fashion trends in the 1980s. Anything she wore was a fashion statement at that time.

The success continues

The second song from the album, ‘Material Girl’ reached the number 2 spot on the Hot 100 chart. She also started acting in movies in 1985. The songs of the movies were sung by her and were the main driving force of the films. One such song, ‘Into The Groove’ became the number 1 hit song in the UK.

Other hit songs such as ‘La Isla Bonita’, ‘True Blue’, ‘Who’s That Girl’ ‘Papa Don’t Preach’, and ‘Like A Prayer’ all topped the UK charts. Some of her most popular chart-toppers are ‘4 Minutes’, ‘Sorry’, ‘Vogue’, ‘Music’, ‘Hung Up’, ‘American Pie’, and ‘Frozen’.

‘Like a Prayer’ controversy

Though the song was a huge hit all over the globe, the music video attracted much negative criticism upon its release. The music video in 1989 and attacked by many saying she used Christian imagery in a blasphemous way. In the video, a girl is attacked by some white supremacists and a black man gets arrested for the crime. Madonna watches the attack happens and hides in a church trying to gain the courage to reveal the truth. Even the Vatican condemned the music video. She debuted the single in one of Pepsi’ s commercials, with whom she had signed a deal to endorse the brand. As many religious groups boycotted Pepsi products, the company canceled the contract with her and removed the commercial.

While the religious fanatics failed to grasp the true essence and majesty of the song, it received high praise from music critics and magazines. They recognized her real talent and an eye for the highest form of art. The single sold more than 15 million copies all over the world and reached the number 1 spot on Billboard 200. She was awarded as the ‘Artist of the Decade’ by MTV, Musician magazine, and Billboard at the end of the 1980s.

Her third studio album ‘True Blue’ released in 1986 was a huge hit globally; it even gets placed in Guinness World Records as the top-selling album by a female artist of all time in 1992.

Madonna continued to maintain her supremacy throughout the 1990s with hit songs like ‘Erotica’, ‘Deeper and Deeper’, ‘Secret’, ‘Something to Remember’, ‘Don’t Cry for me Argentina’, and many more.

In 2000 she married the film director Guy Ritchie had a son named Rocco John Ritchie with him before the marriage. She acted in Ritchie’s film ‘Swept Away’, which was received poorly at the box office and by the critics.

She released her 14th studio album ‘Madame X’ in 2019. The album reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the 9th number one album in her career. The four singles from the album that topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart are, ‘I Rise’, ‘Medellín’, ‘I Don’t Search I Find’, and ‘Crave’. She performed as a guest singer in Dua Lipa’s latest single, ‘Levitating’ from her album ‘Club Future Nostalgia’. She recently announced on her Instagram that a film about her life is in the writing process and will be produced by Amy Pascal. According to Forbes in 2017 Madonna’s net worth is $580 million from her singing career and business.

Achievements

Madonna has earned many awards and nominations all throughout her long career. MTV declared her to be the Craftsman of the Decade: Mega Artist in 1989. She received her first Grammy Awards in 1992 for the Best Music Video and Long Form. She received another six Grammy Awards till today. She received a total of twenty MTV Video Music Awards.

She received a total of eleven Guinness World Records such as ‘Biggest TV group of spectators Super Bowl ever’, ‘Most paid female musician in the world, Highest earning musician per show by a female artist, ‘Most Number-one albums in the UK, and more. She received the Juno Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the TRL Awards. She holds the record for most RIAA multi-platinum albums by a female musician. She has received 45 awards from the British Phonographic Industry. As per the reports of the Billboard, Madonna is the most achieved musician on its Hot 100 chart of all time. She also has the most number of top singles by a female musician in countries like UK, Finland, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Canada, and Italy.

Madonna has more than 15 million followers on Instagram and she shares photos and new updates about her upcoming works with her fans. She has sold over 300 million records globally. She has earned more than $1.4 billion from just selling the tickets from her solo tours. As per the reports of 2021, her net worth is around $850 million

The cultural influence of Madonna

From the very beginning of her career, Madonna had a significant impact on her fans and music lovers all over the world. Not just her singing, but her fashion sense, attitude, and lifestyle. She has been described as the greatest and most influential woman in the world music industry.

Her musical legacy is so impactful that sociologists, social scientists, and even historians study it. Her musical empire is compared to the legends like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and the Beatles.

She is still the best-selling female musician and it is recognized by the Guinness World Records. She had paved the way for a female artist for years and had changed the global pop music industry for the better. As per the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame became the first multi-media pop icon in History. In the United States, She is considered the biggest woman musician all over her career. She is regarded as the greatest sex icon spreading sexual liberation among women all over the world, being a prominent feminist political figure.

Her popularity

Music lovers from all over the globe considered her a Godlike figure when it came to singing and performing. Despite the controversies with her, her fans remained loyal and kept her support. The controversies actually made her more popular instead of tarnishing her image. At the age of 62, she still maintains her same aura, the same dominance in the music industry. She had always worked with producers and upcoming artists who had an extraordinary talent and dedication to go beyond the traditional norms of music. She is the complete package being the singer, dancer, director, producer, actress, fashion icon, writer, entrepreneur, and much more. Her amazing ability to stay one step ahead of society has always kept her relevant and fashionable in the eyes of her audience. Her music is something that lingers in the minds of the listeners for a long time, provoking their thoughts and generating genuine emotions.

All these qualities and her incredible impact on the music world and society have earned her the title of Queen of Pop. She has no plans to slow down. She wants to continue to do what she loves the most for the rest of her life. She will always be the greatest female musician of all time for true music enthusiasts.