Madonna's career story: The queen of pop music and ultimate fashion icon

Madonna’s reign as the Queen of Pop has been undisputed since she burst onto the scene in the 1980s. The superstar has now finished her incredible 'Celebration' tour, where she brought Kylie Minogue on stage, to perform a couple of songs. Kim Petras also joined her on stage in Miami in April 2024. So, it's no surprise that she’s one of the most commercially successful artists in pop music history and a true icon of the video age and beyond.

Madonna has maintained her exalted status through the decades thanks to her innate understanding of pop music and the industry, and after celebrating her 66th birthday on 16th August 2024, she's proven that age really is just a number.

We look back at how Madonna has changed throughout the years from her days of curly blonde hair with her iconic cone bra, to her 'Ray of Light' era with long dark blonde hair and flowing costumes.

With 14 studio albums and a remixed album of her greatest hits, Madonna's music is just as popular today as it ever was.

Where was Madonna born?

Born Madonna Louise Ciccone in Bay City, Michigan, USA. She rose to fame in the early 80s after moving from her home town to New York City, to pursue a career in dance. Madonna has an Italian-Catholic background with both of her parents being Italian immigrants who moved from Pacentro, Italy.

Madonna is one of six siblings and was often called Little Nonni by her family as she had the same name as her mother. Her Italian-Catholic background has often inspired her as a songwriter, most famously for her 'Like a Prayer' album which was released in 1989.

How old is Madonna?

She was born on 16th August 1958, the middle of six children, making her currently 66-years-old. She has two older brothers, Anthony and Martin, and three younger siblings, Paula, Christopher and Melanie. Sadly, her mother died when she was just five-years-old.

What was Madonna’s first single?

In the early 80s she signed to Sire Records and released 'Madonna', the first of many albums that would enjoy chart success for the next four decades. Madonna’s first single was ‘Everybody’ which was released in 1982 and taken from her eponymous debut album, ‘Madonna’.

It wasn’t until 1983 and her third single, ‘Holiday’, that she cracked the UK charts when it peaked at Number 2. Any notions that she was a flash in the pan were soon dispelled by an incredible run of hit singles that included the suggestive ‘Like A Virgin’, the iconic ‘Material Girl’, and ‘Into The Groove’, Madonna’s first UK Number 1.

‘Papa Don’t Preach’, ‘True Blue’, ‘La Isla Bonita’, ‘Who’s That Girl’ and the contentious ‘Like A Prayer’ all followed to the top of the UK charts. Her other chart toppers include ‘Vogue’, ‘Frozen’, ‘American Pie’, ‘Music’, ‘Hung Up’, ‘Sorry’, and ‘4 Minutes’.

Why was Madonna's song 'Like a Prayer' controversial?

The singer's video for 'Like a Prayer' was criticised when it was released in 1989 with many saying it was 'blasphemous use of Christian imagery'. The video shows a girl being attacked by a group of white supremacists while a black man is arrested for the crime.

Madonna witnesses the attack and seeks refuge in a church where she hopes to gain the courage to speak out about what she has seen.

WATCH: Madonna - ‘Like A Prayer’ (Official Music Video)

The banned advert using 'Like A Prayer'

Back in 1989, Pepsi made an advert which used Madonna's song 'Like a Prayer' and featured the singer. The advert was banned at the time following the release of the music video, due to its controversy.

In September 2023, Pepsi released the advert, and Madonna also shared it with an explanation.

In 2024, the album 'Like A Prayer' celebrated its 35th anniversary, and a limited edition of the album was announced, it was released on 6th September 2024. The single 'Like A Prayer' was certified 2x Platinum the following month.

How did Madonna become famous?

Madonna’s genius lies in her ability to take the press, the public and her collaborators with her, while retaining complete control of her music and image, which is ever-changing.

As someone who trained as a dancer, performed in Paris in a disco act and worked as a hat-check girl in New York’s underground Mudd Club in the early 80s, Madonna understood and applied the circular process that drives pop music.

Taking styles from the streets and the clubs, she applied those ingredients to put them back onto the streets and the clubs before expanding into radio and then video.

Working closely with a variety of top writers and producers, including celebrated DJ Jellybean Benitez, Chic’s ‘Le Freak’ hitmaker Nile Rodgers, and long-time partner Patrick Leonard, Madonna not only set the pace for the 1980s, she also defined the era.

Ever restless, Madonna grabbed the new decade by the scruff of the neck by truly conquering the arenas and stadiums of North America, Europe and Asia with the 1990 ‘Blonde Ambition World Tour’.

1998’s ‘Ray of Light’, saw her collaborate with producer William Orbit, a move that saw Madonna returning to her club origins. Combining the dynamics of rave and techno with sleek song-writing, Madonna metamorphosed once again. The lead single, ‘Frozen’, was her first to debut at the top of the UK charts.

How successful is Madonna?

Madonna has consistently had Top 10 albums across the world since 'Madonna' in the early 80s, right up until now, with the release of 'Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones'.

The singer also holds the record for most Number 1 albums by a female artist. She currently has had 12 Number 1 albums, which are 'Like A Virgin', 'True Blue', 'Like A Prayer', 'The Immaculate Collection', 'Evita', 'Ray of Light', 'Music', 'American Life', 'Confessions on a Dance Floor', 'Hard Candy', 'Celebration', and 'MDNA'.

Madonna's 'Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones'

In 2022, Madonna made history by becoming: 'The first and only recording artist to have 50 Number 1 hits on any single Billboard chart'. With the release of 'Girl Gone Wild' in 2020, she has now topped the Billboard Dance Club Chart 50 times, and she released an album to celebrate the milestone.

The album is called 'Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones' and includes dance remixes of 50 of her greatest hits, including 'Like A Prayer', 'Into The Groove', and 'Vogue'. The full 50-track version became available on CD, vinyl and digitally on 16th August.

With her latest album going to Number 1, she also became the first female artist to have a Number 1 album in the US in each of the last five decades.

Is Madonna on tour?

Madonna has now finished 'The Celebration Tour, after postponing the North American leg due to ill health, she started her tour in the UK, with an impressive 26-song setlist. You can also find out about her tour in numbers, including how many archived costumes were remade for the tour.

In March 2024, to celebrate International Women's Day, Madonna took to the stage in Inglewood near Los Angeles, where she brought on Pop Princess Kylie Minogue. The pair performed Kylie's hit 'Can't Get You Out of My Head', and a cover of Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive'.

Then, in April 2024, she brought out Kim Petras as the Guest Vogue Judge at her final Miami show, wearing a full Vaquera look styled by Natasha Newman-Thomas and Tarrell Mitchell

Is there a film about Madonna?

Madonna announced that she was working on a film about her life in 2020 which she described as a "visual autobiography". It was later announced that actress Julia Garner had been offered the role of Madonna in the biopic.

She spoke to Associated Press and said of creating the film: "It's a pretty crazy experience so far, I’m just in the writing process, and just deciding which stories to tell, how much detail to go into, which characters to develop. It's really been a long and arduous process, but it's been really therapeutic as well."

However, Variety reports that the film has been put on hold as Madonna focused on her 'The Celebration Tour' which will take her all over the world from July 2023.

Is Madonna married?

Not anymore. Madonna was married to actor Sean Penn but the couple divorced in 1989 after four years. Her second marriage to Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director Guy Ritchie ended in 2008, following eight years of marriage.

As she was then based largely in the UK, many people asked if Madonna was British, but it’s fair to say she became something of an adopted national treasure.

Who else has Madonna dated?

Madonna has had a number of high profile partners over the years including her ex-husbands. Between 1995 and 1997 she was in a relationship with fitness trainer Carlos Leon who she had one child with, Lourdes, in 1996.

Does Madonna have children?

Yes, she does. At the time of writing, her oldest daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, is 26-years-old, whose dad is Carlos Leon. Madonna also has a son, Rocco, by ex-husband Guy Ritchie.

The singer also has four adopted children – David Banda, Mercy James and twins Esther and Stella. They were all adopted from the East African country of Malawi, with Stelle and Estere being the most recent additions to Madonna's brood after she adopted them in 2017.

David’s footballing skills have been recognised by Portuguese club Benfica who have signed him to their youth academy and Madonna moved to Lisbon to be near him.

David is Madonna's only adopted son and was adopted in 2006 by the singer when he was just 13-months-old.

Is Madonna on Instagram?

Yes, Madonna is on Instagram! At the time of writing Madonna has over 18.5 million followers and regularly posts on the social media platform - mostly sharing photos of herself in extravagant outfits, and photos of her children.

However, in preparation for 'The Celebration Tour', Madonna cleared her Instagram account, so we can't see the lovely pics she's been sharing over the years.

Was Madonna in Evita?

Madonna successfully lobbied director Alan Parker for the role Eva Perón in 1996’s cinematic version of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita, a role that won her Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical. Her other movies include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Who’s That Girl and James Bond thriller Die Another Die.

What is Madonna’s net worth?

Having sold more than 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is the best-selling female recording artist of all time. She’s also the highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time and has earned around $1.4 billion from ticket sales.

With her clothing and perfume lines taken into consideration on top of her music sales, as of 2021, Celebrity Net Worth reports that Madonna's estimated net worth is around the $850 million (£719 million) mark... Not too shabby!

Madonna's music catalogue

In August 2022, Madonna revealed that she doesn't ever plan on selling her impressive music catalogue. With the likes of Bruce Springsteen selling his music rights for around £376 million, it can be a tempting offer, but Madonna said: "They’re my songs. Ownership is everything isn’t it?"

How does Madonna stay healthy?

The superstar puts her youthful looks down to her mostly vegan diet, yoga and pilates. Madonna is believed to be on a macrobiotic vegan diet which means she eats food which is 'whole, unprocessed grains and vegetables that are locally grown and in season' as described by the veganforward.com website.

In 2016 she told Celebrity Health Fitness website: "I started doing yoga again, which I haven’t done in years. I’m so used to exercising with music playing very loud. And when you do yoga, you’re just listening to your breath."

Has Madonna been on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon?

Yes, Madonna has been on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon twice! The most recent time Madonna has appeared on the show was in August 2022 when she performed her 2000 hit 'Music' accompanied by Jimmy and house band Roots on classroom instruments.

Scroll through to see 19 of Madonna's biggest fashion looks and moments through the years:

WATCH: Madonna's most iconic looks through the years:

You can hear hits from Madonna on Downtown Radio.

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