Madonna Louise Ciccone ( 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. Her works, which concern social, political, sexual, and religious themes, have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of all time, Madonna broke gender barriers in popular music and has had a significant socio-cultural impact across her career.
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 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 portraying the titular politician in the lattermost. 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. 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. 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. Tony's parents were Italian emigrants from Pacentro, while her mother was of French-Canadian descent. Since Madonna shared her name with her mother, family members referred to her as "Little Nonnie". 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.
When Madonna was five years old, her mother died of breast cancer on December 1, 1963. In 1966, she adopted Veronica as a confirmation name upon receiving the sacrament in the Catholic Church. 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. Madonna attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Catholic elementary schools, as well as West Middle School. 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.
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 [...] I wanted to be somebody." 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, remarking that she was the best student in the class. While attending Rochester Adams High School, Madonna was a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. 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.
In 1978, Madonna left college and moved to New York City. 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". 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. 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. 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." She was also raped at knifepoint after accepting an offer to use someone's phone in their apartment in New York.
1979–1983: Career beginnings, rock bands, and Madonna
In 1979, Madonna entered a romantic relationship with musician Dan Gilroy. 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. With Hernandez's troupe, she traveled to Tunisia and several disco-oriented European countries before returning to New York that same year. Madonna relocated to an abandoned synagogue in Corona, Queens, where Gilroy and his brother Ed resided and practiced. 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.
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. 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. She and Bray lived and rehearsed at the Music Building in Manhattan, where they wrote songs and recorded a four-track demo tape. 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. Her creative partnership with Bray continued for many years.
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. 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. Kamins produced her debut single, "Everybody", which was released in October 1982 and promoted with television and nightclub performances. Her second single, the double A-side "Burning Up" / "Physical Attraction", was released in March 1983. Both "Everybody" and "Burning Up" / "Physical Attraction" reached number three on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. During this period, Madonna was in a relationship with artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and living in his SoHo loft. 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.
Warner hired Reggie Lucas to produce her debut studio album, Madonna. 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. Benitez remixed most of the songs and produced "Holiday", her breakthrough song. Madonna was released on July 27, 1983, to generally favorable reviews, and peaked at number eight on the US Billboard 200. 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).
1984–1987: Like a Virgin, first marriage, True Blue, and Who's That Girl
In January 1984, Madonna gained further exposure with performances on American Bandstand and Top of the Pops. 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. Like a Virgin was released on November 12, 1984, and became her first number-one album in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, the UK and the US. 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. Like a Virgin has sold over 21 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.
The album's title track, "Like a Virgin", was selected as its lead single. It was her first number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for six consecutive weeks. "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. 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. MTV News later described the performance as one of the most iconic in pop music history. Like a Virgin's next single, "Material Girl", peaked at number two in the US.
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. 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. The film included the song "Into the Groove", her first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart. Desperately Seeking Susan was named one of the ten best films of 1985 by Vincent Canby, a The New York Times film critic. In April 1985, Madonna began her first North American concert series, the Virgin Tour. The tour coincided with the height of the Madonna wannabe phenomenon, as many of her young female fans adopted her fashion style. 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.
In Vision Quest (1985), Madonna appears as a nightclub singer and performs "Crazy for You"—her second Billboard Hot 100 number-one single. 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. In July 1985, Penthouse and Playboy published nude photographs of Madonna taken in 1978, when she worked as an art model. She had posed for the images for modest pay, reportedly $25 per session; the photographs were later sold for up to $100,000. The publication caused significant media attention, though Madonna remained unapologetic. 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".
Madonna co-wrote and co-produced every track on her third studio album, True Blue. Inspired by and dedicated to her husband Penn, the album was released on June 30, 1986, to critical acclaim. 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. 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. "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita" also topped the European singles chart; the latter became the continent's biggest single of 1987. 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 million copies sold globally.
Madonna appeared in the film Shanghai Surprise (1986) alongside Penn, which was critically unsuccessful and earned her the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress. She made her stage debut the same year in David Rabe's Goose and Tom-Tom, which also starred Penn. 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. 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. In 1987, she released You Can Dance, a remix album with reworked versions of songs from her earlier releases. After a turbulent two-year marriage, Madonna filed for divorce from Penn on December 4, 1987, though she later withdrew the petition.
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. 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. Madonna filed for divorce on January 5, 1989, and reportedly requested the following week that no criminal charges be pursued. That month, Madonna signed an endorsement agreement with soft-drink company Pepsi. 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. Religious organizations called for a boycott of Pepsi products, leading the company to withdraw the commercial and terminate her sponsorship deal.
"Like a Prayer" was released as the lead single from her fourth studio album, also titled Like a Prayer. The song became her seventh number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks atop the chart. 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. 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". Like a Prayer spent six weeks atop the Billboard 200—the longest of any of her albums—and eventually sold 15 million copies worldwide. The singles "Express Yourself" and "Cherish" both reached number two in the US, while "Keep It Together" peaked within the top ten.
Billboard and MTV had named Madonna "Artist of the Decade" (1980s). In April 1990, she launched the Blond Ambition World Tour. Rolling Stone described it as an "elaborately choreographed, sexually provocative extravaganza" and named it the best tour of 1990. 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. Madonna defended the show, stating that it was intended for "open minds" and encouraged audiences to view sexuality differently. The live recording of the tour earned Madonna the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video. Her first documentary film, Truth or Dare (titled In Bed with Madonna outside North America), was released in May 1991. 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.
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. To accompany the film, she released the soundtrack album I'm Breathless, with songs largely inspired by 1930s music. 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. During production, Madonna and Beatty began a relationship that ended shortly after the film's premiere. In October 1990, she recorded a public service announcement supporting Rock the Vote's voter registration campaign.
Madonna's first greatest-hits compilation album, The Immaculate Collection, was released in November 1990. The album has sold 30 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling compilation album by a solo artist and one of the best-selling albums of all time. The set included two new songs, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". 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. Considered too sexually explicit, the video was banned by MTV. The resulting controversy contributed to the song reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her ninth chart-topping single.
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. The film reached number one at the US box office in its second weekend of release. 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. 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. 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.
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. She released her fifth studio album, Erotica, on October 20, 1992, in the US, and published her coffee table book Sex a day later. 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. A writer from The Washington Post described it as an "oversized, overpriced, [and boring] coffee table book of hardcore sexual fantasies".
The widespread backlash overshadowed Erotica, which became her lowest-selling album at the time. It debuted and peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, and received favorable reviews from critics. Its singles "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper" reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in Italy. During this period, Madonna was in a relationship with rapper Vanilla Ice, to whom she proposed. The pair separated following the release of Sex, with Vanilla Ice claiming he had been included in the book without his consent. 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.
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. 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. 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. Madonna briefly dated rapper Tupac Shakur and basketball player Dennis Rodman around this time.
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. With her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories, Madonna embraced a gentler sound and image to regain public favor. 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. Madonna sponsored the first major retrospective of Tina Modotti's work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1995, and later supported exhibitions of Basquiat's paintings at London's Serpentine Gallery and Cindy Sherman at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
In February 1996, Madonna began filming the musical Evita in Argentina. 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. Upon its release in December 1996, her performance was met with positive reviews from critics. Richard Corliss, writing for Time, described the film as well cast and visually impressive, lauding Madonna's ability to exceed expectations. Her portrayal earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
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. On October 14, 1996, she gave birth to her daughter, Lourdes "Lola" Maria Ciccone Leon, with fitness trainer Carlos Leon. 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 [...] reinventing herself and her image with the public". Her relationship with Carlos ended in May 1997, and she stated that they were "better off as best friends".
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. This change in perception influenced her seventh studio album, Ray of Light. She collaborated with electronic music producer William Orbit to create a fusion of dance, pop, and British rock. 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. Ray of Light was released on February 22, 1998. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with the highest first-week sales for a woman at the time, topped the charts of 17 countries, and eventually sold over 16 million copies globally. Critically acclaimed, Ray of Light is widely regarded as Madonna's magnum opus.
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. 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. In 1998, Madonna established the Ray of Light Foundation, a non-profit for women, education, global development, and humanitarian aid. 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. 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. For the soundtrack, she recorded a cover of Don McLean's "American Pie", her ninth UK number-one single.
On September 18, 2000, Madonna released her eighth studio album, Music, to critical acclaim. 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". The album reached number one in over 20 countries and sold four million copies within the first ten days of release. In the US, Music debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming her first number-one album in eleven years since Like a Prayer. 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. Since its release, Music has sold over 11 million units worldwide.
Madonna met director Guy Ritchie in mid-1998 at a dinner party hosted by mutual friends Sting and Trudie Styler. She gave birth to their son, Rocco John Ritchie, in Los Angeles on August 11, 2000. She and Rocco experienced complications during the birth due to her placenta praevia. He was christened at Dornoch Cathedral in Scotland on December 21, 2000, and Madonna married Ritchie the following day at nearby Skibo Castle. 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. 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.
In 2002, Madonna starred in Ritchie's Swept Away, a remake of Lina Wertmüller's 1974 film. The film was commercially unsuccessful and universally panned, 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". In May 2002, she appeared in the West End play Up for Grabs at the Wyndhams Theatre, which was poorly received by critics. 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". The song reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and two Grammy Awards.
2003–2006: American Life and Confessions on a Dance Floor
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.
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. American Life became her lowest-selling release, with worldwide sales of four million copies by 2005. 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. The tracks fared better internationally; "American Life" topped the charts in Canada and Italy, while "Nothing Fails" and "Love Profusion" reached number one in Spain. "American Life" and "Hollywood" both reached number two in the UK.
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. 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. She then released Remixed & Revisited, an extended play featuring new remixes of songs from American Life and the unreleased "Your Honesty". 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.
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. She launched the Re-Invention World Tour in May, performing across North America and Europe. 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). In November 2004, she was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame as one of its five founding members.
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. 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. Structured like a continuous DJ mixed club set, the album was released in the US on November 15, 2005, to critical acclaim. Keith Caulfield, writing in Billboard, heralded the album as a "welcome return to form for the Queen of Pop". 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 million copies worldwide.
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". The album's second single, "Sorry", became Madonna's twelfth number-one single in the UK. 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. 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.
While touring, Madonna founded the charitable organization Raising Malawi and helped fund an orphanage in the country. 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. Malawi's Minister of Women and Child Development, Kate Kainja, had also blocked officials from traveling to meet Madonna and Ritchie as potential adopters. 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. Banda's father, Yohane, defended the adoption, saying he understood and supported the arrangement. The adoption was finalized in May 2008.
2007–2011: Filmmaking, Hard Candy, and business ventures
In July 2007, Madonna released and performed "Hey You" at the London Live Earth concert. She subsequently announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records and signed a ten-year, $120 million 360 deal with Live Nation. She produced, wrote, and narrated I Am Because We Are (2008), a documentary directed by Nathan Rissman that addressed social issues in Malawi. That same year, she directed her first feature film, Filth and Wisdom, which follows three friends pursuing their ambitions. Reviews were largely negative, with The Times describing it as a commendable debut and The Daily Telegraph calling it a promising but imperfect first effort. 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.
Madonna worked with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Pharrell Williams to produce her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. Released on April 29, 2008, Hard Candy debuted atop the charts of 37 countries, including the US Billboard 200. 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. In the UK, "4 Minutes" extended her record as the female artist with the most number-one singles. Rolling Stone's Caryn Ganz described Hard Candy as "an impressive preview of her upcoming tour", while BBC correspondent Mark Savage criticized it as "an attempt to capture the urban market". 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.
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. In October, Madonna filed for divorce from Ritchie, citing irreconcilable differences. Two months later, her spokesperson confirmed that a settlement had been reached, granting Ritchie between £50–60 million ($68.49–82.19 million), including the couple's London pub, residence, and Wiltshire estate. 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. 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. She appealed the decision, and in June, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling and granted her permission to adopt her.
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. The album reached number one in multiple countries, including Canada, Germany, Italy, and the UK. She appeared at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards to deliver a tribute to the deceased singer Michael Jackson. 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. 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. In January 2010, Madonna performed at Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief concert.
Madonna's third live album, Sticky & Sweet Tour, was released in April 2010, debuting at number ten in the US. That year, she authorized the television series Glee to feature her entire music catalog, leading to an episode composed exclusively of her songs. She also collaborated with her daughter Lourdes to launch the Material Girl clothing line, inspired by her 1980s fashion. 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. Her second directorial feature was W.E. (2011), a biographical drama about the relationship between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. The film received an unfavorable critical and commercial response. Its soundtrack included the ballad "Masterpiece", which earned Madonna a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
2012–2016: Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, MDNA, and Rebel Heart
In February 2012, Madonna headlined the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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. Madonna primarily produced her twelfth studio album, MDNA, with Orbit and Martin Solveig. It was released on March 26, 2012, to generally favorable critical reception. 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.
MDNA became her fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. The lead single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'", became her record-extending thirty-eighth top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100. 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 tenth highest-grossing tour of all time and made Madonna the first woman to pass $1 billion in touring revenue. Madonna collaborated with Steven Klein and directed a seventeen-minute film, secretprojectrevolution, which was released on BitTorrent in September 2013. 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.
By 2013, Madonna's Raising Malawi had built ten schools educating 4,000 children in Malawi worth of $400,000. In May 2014, she donated to her bankrupt hometown of Detroit, and that year launched her MDNA Skin care line in Tokyo. Madonna released her thirteenth studio album, Rebel Heart, on March 10, 2015, three months after thirteen demos leaked online. She collaborated with a large range of producers, including Avicii, Diplo, and Kanye West. The central theme of the album was introspection along with "genuine statements of personal and careerist reflection". Music critics responded positively towards Rebel Heart, calling it Madonna's best effort in a decade.