For many, Madonna is the blueprint for Pop supremacy and longevity. Indeed, she’s widely regarded as the definitive Queen.
However, even royalty isn’t exempt from the rigour of the music industry.
Details below…
Madge’s longtime manager Guy Oseary recently shared a celebratory post on Instagram to mark the 20th anniversary of her critically acclaimed ‘Ray Of Light’ album.
And while the singer was similarly excited about the milestone, she used it to vent about how different things are for her now.
See what she had to say…
Interesting.
In decoding Madge’s not so covert sentiments, it’s clear she referencing some of the politics she’s faced when making her recent projects – the last of which was 2015’s ‘Rebel Heart.’
It’s intriguing though, because it’s always seemed as though she’s a) had the wheel of her career and b) wilfully hopped on musical waves during each of her “reinventions” and teamed with the “in” artists/producers for that very reason.
In any case, it looks like she’s driving in a different direction this go round.
With her 60th birthday and new music brewing, 2018 is shaping up to be a notable one for Pop’s most enduring superstar.
Well, if she’s the one claiming that “B****, I’m Madonna”, then she shouldn’t have that problem.
Just sayin’.
Ray of Light is a masterpiece. One of the greatest albums of the 90s, possibly the greatest female pop album and one of the greatest of all time. I hope she has a least one more masterpiece in her, the last being Confessions on a Dancefloor in 2005.
She needs to start working with legit musical geniuses. Madonna wasn’t the mastermind behind Ray Of Light.
Stephy, William Orbit who produced it said she’s a musical genius and was involved with all aspects of the album and songwriting, interestingly enough she was originally going to reunite with Babyface after the monster success of Take a Bow and scraped that to go into ambient electronica with Orbit
She was involved for sure but I doubt such change of sound coming from where she was coming can be attributed to her. It´s just impossible. She chose the right team and they worked together. She wanted to do that type of innovative and epic album. But she cannot be the force behind the actual new sound. All my respect to her regardless. Like I said, she is one of those that clearly is really involved. Like Mariah, Gaga, Alicia, Janelle, Lana, Lorde… for sure.
Ray Of Light the greatest female album of all time? The album was good but far from the greatest. There have been numerous female albums that were greater than Ray Of Light.
Well obviously that’s her opinion. No one says you have to feel that way about it.
Greatest female pop album? U have to be kidding. ROL was just Madonna’s late attempt at making a Jackson type of conscious album. She followed every trend started by someone else. It was a decent album, but none of the songs made her who she is when it stands alone.
Greatest pop album?
Rhythm Nation says hi.
She’s so unusual says hi.
Rumours says hi.
Tapestry says hi.
Whitney Houston says hi.
Music Box says hi.
Jagged Little Pill says hi.
Pieces of You says hi.
Tuesday Night Music Club says hi.
Bad Girls says hi.
Stripped says hi.
Forever your Girl says hi.
Writing’s on the wall says hi.
@Cora. If were going with Pop as in Popular than Back to Black says hiya and The Miseducation says coo wee, and thats just my knee-jerk response, i could add to your list.
Thanks boo! Those will certainly do sugah!
Rhythm Nation and Tapesty are the only albums you listed in that bunch that equal ROL. The rest are good, not 5 star masterpieces bb
Also jagged little pill, back to Black, and miseducation aren’t pop music albums
Sean Miseducation won Album of the Year. That means it was so universal it appeals to all consumers, including Pop. Thus, Miseducation was above and beyond the restrictions of just “Pop” music so do not discredit it. Same goes for a lot of other records that won Album of the Year. Saying one album is “Pop” and another is opening up yourself to answer the question of what exactly is “Pop” music. Most people would say “Pop” music is just popular music. Thus, any genre of music can and is “Pop” if it the music is popular.
There you have it folks, stop fooling yourselves thinking that your faves are in charge of their careers, if Madonna doesn’t have ?% control of hers, imagine Beyoncé or Rihanna, whose fans are always talking about how bad b****** they are.
I’m sorry, Madonna had control of her career but lost it, maybe because of her age her label isn’t willing to risk it anymore with her or maybe because her last albums didn’t sell that much. At this point they only let Madge launch records for her to tour, that’s her main source of income.
You can’t say Beyoncé doesn’t control her career at the moment, I mean she launched two surprise albums, with a roll out that was extremely risky. We can say the same about Rihanna, she barely promoted Anti and did whatever she wanted to do. Both of them had hit records and tours.
All I’m saying is that they have the control of their careers, at the moment, but they can lose it in a heartbeat
Do you really think that both Self title and Lemonade were Beyoncé’s ideas?, that was planned by the powers, don’t fool yourself, they knew what they were doing, risky?…yeah right, Beyoncé has one of/if not the best TEAM in the music industry, she’s not the mastermind behind these moves, she’s their moneymaker, same thing with Anti, it’s been years since the last time Rihanna properly promoted an album, they practically forget about her albums after the first single goes n.1 on the charts.
@s****** blonde exactly. These Beyone & Rihanna fans are fools if they think those women are in total control of their careers. Their respective teams are making all the moves & decisions, beyonce & Rihanna are just hood ornaments on a car being driven by several others behind the scenes.
S****** why are you bringing up Beyonce and Rihanna when they are still in their primes? Compare apples to apples. Madge is an older artist. Compare Madge to Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, Cher, etc but not to artists in their prime and you will see that what she is going through relates to all older artists. Whatever Beyonce and Rihanna are doing behind the scenes has NOTHING to do with Madge.
Yup!
Beyoncé is in control of what she does & her folks know it!! Which is why she keeps doing what she does without anyone telling her who, what when & why!!
I absolutely agree with s******. If Madonna cannot be in charge of her career like she wants, pfucking Rihanna (and Beyonce either, but especially Rihanna) is definitely not in charge. What do the hell do you smoke? Do u really think Rihanna is behind the making of her albums? Are u actually SERIOUS? Beyonce at least decides where her career goes (not that she makes the music). But Rihanna? LMAO They put together some songs for her and the album is made in a few weeks of recordings. That´s all. And if they fear it might not work, they re-record new stuff. Like THEY did before Anti was released.
it’s funny you talk about rih when of the three artist you mentioned she has less of a machine behind her recent roll outs and image, she owns her masters and currently releases everything through her label…
@JOHNVIDAL It is not really a good thing to be in charge of your music from sound to production to songwriting 100%. Artists with that much talent to master every entity of a song usually are cursed with destructive personal lives. What S****** and you are overlooking is that when Madonna was in her prime she never really had control either…she just had that time period’s top producers and songwriters wanting to work with her (the same goes for Beyonce and Rihanna while they are in their primes). When Bey and Rih are 60 like Madge the top producers and songwriters of that time period will not want to work with them but rather the IT stars of the moment. Thus, the “control” you speak of might be a curse artists may want to stay shy of. Madonna’s verbiage is off here because I know she is referring to having access to the better producers and songwriters so it is really access she speaks of and not “control” (something she never had fully).
@blue please Rihanna has been one of the biggest toys in music industry along with britney in the last 20 years. Her contribution to the making of her albums is zero. And in top of that she lacks any othe rtype of talent. Cheers!
@Jasmine I know that. All I want is some type of fans to stop the delusion their faves Beyonce or Rihanna are bigger creative forces or more in charge than Madonna or Mariah Carey. Just no.
@johnvidal, in the beginning, yes. But unlike Britney Rohanna managed to somehow emancipate herself. At least during the last years I have the feeling that she stepped into her own lane and was more in control of everything she does. Otherwise she would have put out more albums in the meantime. I am not saying that she is really a creative force, let’s be real, they are all just as good as their team, with Beyonce having one of the best teams out there, but I believe that they have more to say now (which direction, image, whom they want to work with) than they had in their first albums.
As for Madonna, I think, as someone here said already, she had that control once, but lost it with age as her albums are not selling as they used to. But seriously, she is in a position where she could easily gain that control back. She is a touring force and can produce the album she likes, her fans would go to the tour nonetheless
She will be okay. All she has to do is write more songs by herself and learn how to make the base line herself for her music. MJ and Prince did that as they got older. Whitney had this same problem. Hot producers usually sell their best material to the IT artists of the moment and not older artists. The other route Madge could do is finding less known producers with talent to work with and buy their demos. For example, MJ bought Butterflies from Marsha Ambrosius before the world knew who she was as an artist / songwriter.
Her character is so strong that everyone think she is free to decide about anything by herself but that is wrong unless you are an independant artist so. Maybe she had that persuasive force that helped her before, it probably doesn’t work anymore because of the new generation, she’s not on top like she was before and that’s normal BUT she is still relevant.
At this point of her career, I mean THAT career, I find it weird that she is not able to do what she does while she could actually do it before. I mean, nobody can expect her to sell albums like hot cakes anymore cause nobody does especially not at 60. So who is giving her a hard time and why? I thought she was more independent.
Gimme a break. This “legend” of yesterday-year is using her supposed lack of artistic control as a scapegoat to justify her abysmal record sales of late. I’m not buying it. I HIGHLY doubt Madge has no control over who she works with and what kind of record she makes.
Well she should stop using scandal to sell. If u notice it was always about sexual evolution early on, then she resorted to using the n word on ig posts like she didn’t know it was offensive ? basically what she’s saying is “i would be flamed today for appropriation”
Madge the legendary, they better put some respect on her name.
Madonna sign deals with labels, if I’m not mistaken with Live Nation and WB. I don’t think she has full control and why would she? I don’t take her as a Prince, Janet or Rihanna.
And there’s nothing wrong with that, a lot of people don’t have the time to manage themselves, it’s a lot of hard work, plus she have as many kids as Brad and Angela.
I know most will drag me and say that she does, but she’s old school, even Michael didn’t own his ish until years later.
At this point she can do whatever her heart contents to do. She has been doing it your years and doing it well and consistant.
I don’t really remember. 1983 was a long time ago dahhhling! I wasn’t even born yet.
It came out in 1998. And why are you lying? You were born in 1969.
It sounds as if Madonna misses the one-on-one bond she used to have with her collaborators, which Shep Pettibone described in the Erotica Diaries.
Madonna still rules