Lady Gaga has never had any issues expressing herself, even when it comes to former foes.
The Pop superstar has a well-documented history with Madonna, who once branded her act “reductive” following constant comparisons.
In the years since their respective fanbases have been embroiled in digital warfare, yet the frostiness between the singers has seemingly melted.
Last year, they were snapped posing togetherat the MET Gala and now Gaga has extended another olive branch with a sweet message about Madge’s recent Billboard Woman of the Yearhonor. An award she won in 2015.
Ariana Grande had Madonna moving side to side at the ‘Raising Malawi’ benefit hosted tonight in Miami.
Taking place the newly opened Faena Forum, the event – dedicated to the support of The Mercy James Pediatric Surgery Hospital in Malawi – saw her Madgesty tap Grande and a host of other familiar faces to hit the stage and raise money for the worthy cause.
Pop, lock, and dropping it all in the name of charity, tuck in below to see the ladies get into the groove of Madonna’s #1 hit, ‘Music’:
Madonna has long established herself as a tour de force and will remind the masses why on December 9th when her ‘Rebel Heart Tour’ hits Showtime.
The mammoth trek, which serves as the star’s 10th, played to over 1 million across the globe and amassed well over $200 million at the box office. It also helped further establish the singer as the third highest grossing live artist ever at $1.31 billion.
In its televised form, the special will broadcast the concert in HD and inter splice it with exclusive behind the scenes footage.
To titillate ahead of its premiere, Madge has released a new trailer.
With just one day separating Americans from learning who will be their newest commander-in-chief, Queen of Pop Madonna kept her promise by performing a surprise, intimate concert in support of her candidate of choice, Hillary Clinton.
Taking to New York City’s Madison Square Park, her Madgesty lent stripped versions of some of her biggest hits including ‘Like a Prayer’ and ‘Express Yourself.’
“Vote with your hearts; go with your mind; go with your spirit; vote with your soul. Save this country! Vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton,” Madonna exclaimed to the anxious crowd.
Since the onset of Lady Gaga‘s career, comparisons to Madonna have been both plentiful and plaguing.
Matters weren’t helped when her Madgesty slammed the star for being “reductive” and taking the ‘Express Yourself’ a little too literally.
In the years since that 2012 jab, the Pop titans appeared to have mended fences – even posing for a picture together earlier this year.
Their respective fans, however, haven’t been so civil.
As such, when Gaga made a spirited plea for the comparisons to stop during a recent radio interview, some took it as a shade grenade. Especially when the singer cited her status as a songwriter as one of many key differentials.
Never one for silence, it appears Madonna has offered a subtle response.
While she is best known for her theatrical and (at times) over the top stage shows and music videos, Queen of Pop Madonna has seen her name line the credits of multiple multiplatinum albums as a contributing songwriter over her 30+ year career. Recently nominated for induction to the 2017 Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Grammy winner’s live stage shows have seen her play drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and even a ukelele over that same three decade period.
For the previously mentioned reasons and more fans of the iconic pop star were none-too-pleased with Lady Gaga after the ‘Bad Romance’ beauty’s bad choice of words in a recent interview seemed to imply the Material Girl doesn’t write her own material:
Madonna and I are very different. Just saying. I wouldn’t make that comparison at all and I don’t mean to disrespect Madonna. She’s a nice lady and she’s had a fantastic huge career. She’s the biggest pop star of all time, but I play a lot of instruments. I write all my own music. I spend hours and hours a day in the studio. I’m a producer. I’m a writer. What I do is different.
Needless to say, the quote did not fall on deaf ears. In fact, if the Twitter response is anything to judge by, the 30-year-old singer may have reignited the beef between herself and her nearly 60-year-old counterpart:
As if going down in history as the highest grossing solo touring artist in history wasn’t enough to make her 2016 great, now reports have it Madonna‘s being honored by Billboard as “the woman of the year.”
It’s been 7 years since ‘Telephone’ united two of music’s most towering titans. Yet, with each new Lady Gaga album comes fresh questions about re-teaming with Beyonce for a part 2.
Such was the case during today’s press run for comeback cut ‘Perfect Illusion.’
While speaking with Andy Cohen on SiriusXM’s Andy Radio, Mother Monster updated on a ‘Telephone’ extension with Honey Bey. She also spoke on Madonna, ex Taylor Kinney, the underperformance of ‘ARTPOP,’ and much more.
The Best You Never Heard is back! Each instalment will once again see That Grape Juice spotlight an array of little known gems. Featuring picks from the TGJ editorial team, we want to know…who chose the best song! Let us know below…
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Lady Gaga – ‘Fashion!’
For yours truly, the idea of popularity being a valid measure of quality has always grated. Especially when it comes to Lady Gaga.
Though on the comeback trail now, the mass rejection of her 2013 effort ‘ARTPOP’ saw many miss out on a number of gems. Case in point ‘Fashion!’
Not to be confused with a song of the same name (housed on her 2008 debut ‘The Fame’), this will.i.am production packed an altogether more potent punch. Melodically it favours Madonna’s ‘Holiday,’ and yet for all its retro still managed to sound fiercely fresh.
Lush production, lyrically light, and laced with hooks, this could have served as a fine wine follow-up to ‘Applause.’ Still, it’ll always earn a standing ovation from me. [SAM]
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Madonna – ‘Love Tried to Welcome Me’
When assessing Madonna‘s impact on Pop culture it’s easy to credit her penchant for shock value as its driving force.
It wasn’t. For, the real force behind the “force” was the entertainer’s bona fide forays into different genres and tap into new audience bases / radio platforms with her sound.
The best example of this can be found in 1994 with the LP ‘Bedtime Stories‘, the studio album which solidified her place in R&B’s history books.
Inspired by Toni Braxton and keen to offer fans a softer and sensual side of herself following ‘Erotica‘, the star sought out Braxton’s producer Babyface and TLC hitmaker Dallas Austin and enlisted them to tell her ‘Stories.’
What they created? A poignant and plaintive Contemporary R&B album soaring through the themes of rejection, abandonment, perpetual sorrow and the price of promiscuity.
One of the album’s greatest triumphs, for me, is ‘Love Tried to Welcome Me.’ Produced by Dave Hall, the song told the tale of a painful secret a sex worker shared with Madonna during a conversation in a strip club.
She’d developed a fetish for rejection. A compelling listen. [DAVID]
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Madonna – ‘S.E.X.’
Despite a disappointing promotional campaign to support it, ‘Rebel Heart’ was easily hailed by critics as Queen of Pop Madonna’s best album since her ‘Hung Up’-led 2005 comeback project ‘Confessions On a Dancefloor.’
Yet, while proof of why could be argued via ‘Heart’ cuts ‘Holy Water,’ ‘GhostTown,’ and ‘Inside Out,’ the unexpectedly bumping bop, ‘S.E.X.,’ shines as one of the project’s clear standouts.
Covering subject matter far from shocking at this point from the middle aged vixen, the tune – decorated with a trap-inspired bass line and some very direct sexual instructions – is the purest definition of what Madge is combatting at this stage of her career – ageism.
Think it’s impossible for a woman pushing 60 to be sexy?
Listen to ‘S.E.X.’ and you may reconsider. [RASHAD]
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JoJo – ‘Like That’
Following the release of JoJo’s debut in 2004 (which was praised for its maturity, as well as the then 13 year old’s mind-blowing voice), 2006 saw her unleash her sophomore effort ‘The High Road’.
Though ‘Too Little Too Late’ was that album’s shinning diamond, it was filled with many other gems, ‘Like That’ was one of them.
Helmed by Ryan Leslie and Corey Williams (the team behind Cassie’s ‘Me & U’), the track saw the starlet showcase her “grown.” Through minimalistic production and soft delivery, the mood is set for Ms Levesque to let her love interest that she is ready to take that next step with him.
Recent times have seen the songbird resuscitate the song during her live shows. Fitting, as it’s exactly the flavour of music she releases nowadays (see: ‘Demonstrate’) as opposed to the R&B-tinged Pop numbers from her first LPs.
Re-visiting this (as I do frequently) has me oh so excited for her new album. [JOE]
Prince fans who can’t exactly get into the groove with Queen of Pop Madonna tributing her fellow music royal at this year’s Billboard Music Awards will be sorely disappointed to learn she’s still being billed as the show’s most highly anticipated feature.
According to Mark Bracco, the ceremony’s executive producer, the show will continue as planned despite a viral petition calling for Madge’s removal from any tribute to the fallen icon. Their efforts, Bracco suggests, were noticed…but disregarded.
Queen of Pop Madonna proved a long time ago her reign was far from limited to pop charts.
Currently holding the record for the most successful tour ever by a solo act (see: 2008’s whopping $408 million-generating ‘Sticky and Sweet Tour’), the songstress is now making more noise in touring history books thanks to her current outing ‘The Rebel Heart Tour’ (christened after her 13th album of the same name).
And, while the ‘Living For Love’-led project is the worst-selling of her career, its supportive tour is singing a much different tune.
