Madonna and Maluma make for a striking image on the cover of Rolling Stone‘s November issue.

The pair (who collaborated on ‘Medellin’ from the Queen of Pop’s 2019 album ‘Madame X’) not only pose it up together in an arresting shoot lensed by Ricardo Gomes, they also interview each other in a Musicians on Musicians format.

During the frank chat, the duo dish on Madge’s biopic and ‘Madame X Tour’ special on Paramount+, their respective influences, experiences, and more.

Head below for pics and quotes…

Madonna On Why It Was Important To Be Involved In Every Aspect Of Her Special:

Because the entire show is an extension of me. I love dance, I love art, I love set design. I love video, I love film, I love fashion, clothes. So, A., because I love all of those things. But B., because every aspect of the show is an extension of me, I feel like I need to pay attention to all the details.

My show is my vision, my philosophy, my soul. I need to orchestrate everything. I have a message, and I need to be clear about it. I can’t rely on other people to do it for me.

Maluma On Madonna’s Impact:

“You changed my vision in many ways. I’m still young and I’m still learning a bunch of things in this industry and my career, but it was an important thing to just be more confident in myself. That’s how you say it, right?”

Madonna On Her Biopic:

“Writing my script is the most draining, challenging experience I’ve ever had. It’s kind of like psychotherapy in a way, because I have to remember every detail from my childhood till now. Remembering all the things that made me decide to be who I am, my journey as an artist, my decision to leave Michigan to go to New York, all the things that happened to me when I was young and naive, my relationships with my family and friends, watching many of my friends die — sometimes, I have writing sessions where I go to bed and I just want to cry. You know what I mean? The thing is, I realize I forgot a lot of things, and reliving, digging deep, trying to recall emotions that I felt in certain moments, both joyful and traumatic experiences . . . I realize I’ve lived a crazy life.”

Madonna Gives Advice To Maluma:

“Obviously your career will go in many directions, and you’ll have ups and — I’m sorry — but you’re going to have some downs, too, because that’s life. But then again, it won’t be a down, because everything that happens to us is a teacher and we learn from it. It’s useless to think of things that happen to you as bad, I guess. They’re just learning experiences you had to go through.”

Maluma On His Influences:

“I would say my family. They’re a big, big inspiration. My country, my Latin roots. I remember when I was, like, 12 years old, and all these dreams started. I wanted to be a singer, I wanted to sing about all the things I was living, even though I was 12 years old. I just wanted to sing to my mom, my dad, and my sister, and that was a beautiful thing that I don’t want to lose.”

Madonna On The Importance Of Travel On Her Music:

“Traveling is such an important part of growing if you’re an artist, to discover music from around the world. I had no intention of making my last record when I moved to Lisbon. In fact, I was miserable when I moved to Lisbon. I was like, “I’m making this sacrifice for my son so he can play soccer. What am I going to do? I don’t know anybody.” And then I ended up meeting the most amazing musicians. Portugal is a melting pot of so many African immigrants from Angola and Guinea-Bissau. But like, even for my birthday, we went to southern Italy and listened to the music from that region. I end up working with people every time I go somewhere. I was in Biarritz for a birthday some years ago, and I ran into this group of singers who sing in Basque, in those semi-tones. They sound like monks when they sing. They’re called Kalakan, and I ended up going on tour with them. When I was in Portugal, a lot of those musicians ended up going on tour with me.”

Your thoughts?

[Photo Credit: Rolling Stone / Ricardo Gomes]