Madonna

If any musical artist of the 80s and 90s could truly be called a phenomenon, it would have to be Madonna. She has made and art and a career out of inventing herself-from rock star to fashion icon, from stage and screen star to video vixen! She has pushed limits to the ultimate limit, set paths for many other performers, and has earned herself the title of Most Successful Woman in Pop Music!!

Early Life:

Born: August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan

Name: Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone

After highschool: received dance scholarship to the University of Michigan

-dropped out after only one year and moved to New York in 1977

Getting Started:

1980s:

1983

Release of first album, Madonna…- gave her 1^st “big break”

-Contained songs like “Holiday”, “Borderline” and “Lucky Star” which were huge in the NY club scene.

1984

Release of second album, Like a Virgin…sold over 7 million copies

-defined her image as “Bad Girl”

-She was the first woman to be so open about her sexuality

Performed “Like a Virgin” on the very first MTV Video Music Awards

1985

Film debut in Desperately Seeking Susan

Met and married Sean Penn

Ranked #1 on Billboard’s Top Pop Female Artists

Nominated for a Grammy

1986

Film disaster Shanghai Surprise;

Release of True Blue album

-changed her image from “bad girl” to glamorous

-featured “Papa Don’t Preach” which was very controversial song about abortion

-True Blue was featured in the Guiness Book of World Records for becoming #1 in 28 different countries

1987

Film Who’s That Girl? Came out (box-office failure)

Who’s That Girl tour was huge success

-The choreography, elaborate costumes, and multimedia technology had never been seen before by fans

1988

Broadway debut in Speed-the-Plow…this received several Tony Award nominations

1989

Released Like a Prayer album…most controversial album

-Videos and stage shows showed her burning crosses, simulating masturbation, and being intimate with men of different races

Now a Superstar:

1990s:

1990

Starred in Dick Tracy which was a big hit

Blonde Ambition tour was going on…made Truth or Dare documentary

-Documentary was very controversial

MTV refused to air the song “Justify My Love” because it was too sexual

1992

Starred in unsuccessful Shadows and Fog

A League of Their Own proved Madonna’s acting talent to critics

Came out with book, Sex…very controversial

-featured poetry, song lyrics, and photographs of here in sexual activity

Album, Erotica was released at the same time as the book…sold 3 million

Founded multimedia company Maverick Entertainment

1993

Went in a little slump with acting

“Girlie Show” tour revitalized her

1994

Her second book, Madonna: The Girlie Show, was published

Album Bedtime Stories was released

“Take a Bow” remained #1 for 7 weeks…her longest ever

1996

Starred in box-office hit, Evita

-Madonna acted and wrote the music for Evita

Gave birth to her daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon

1998

Release of Ray Of Light

-This album had a techno beat to it

Madonna had recorded 19 top-ten singles, eleven which reached #1!

12 of her 13 albums were included on top-ten lists, each selling 1-4 million copies and 7 of them going multiplatinum!!

Since then: married Guy Ritchie

Released Music

This month released American Life, which features an anti-war song

Forbes Magazine estimated she makes $39 million a year and has earned around $125 million since 1985.

Madonna is still going strong today-not only as a performer, but as a wife and a mother. She continues to come out with new and interesting lyrics everyday and proves more and more to us, that we will never be rid of her. Madonna is and always will be a legend to us fans, an inspiration to aspiring artists, and a thorn in many critics backs. But, she is the greatest females performer of all time.