She is the undisputed Queen of Pop who has sold more than 300m records worldwide in a near four decade career.
And Madonna has detailed her fight against ageism in the music industry and addressed her reported feud with Lady Gaga in a stunning new spread for British Vogue.
The iconic singer, who turned 60 in August 2018, spoke about the battles she has fought – and continues to face – in a career which has seen her push the boundaries of modern music and image.
Candid: Madonna has detailed her fight against ageism in the music industry and addressed her reported feud with Lady Gaga in a stunning new spread for British Vogue
What drama? The Like A Virgin hitmaker also dismissed the notion she and Lady Gaga, 33, had ever been enemies – with the pair famously butting heads for eight years over Gaga’s song Born This Way in 2011 (pictured 2010)
The songstress, who broke into the music scene in 1982, said: ”People have always been trying to silence me for one reason or another, whether it’s that I’m not pretty enough, I don’t sing well enough, I’m not talented enough, I’m not married enough, and now it’s that I’m not young enough.
‘So they just keep trying to find a hook to hang their beef about me being alive on. Now I’m fighting ageism, now I’m being punished for turning 60.’
The Like A Virgin hitmaker also dismissed the notion she and Lady Gaga, 33, had ever been enemies – with the pair famously butting heads for eight years over Gaga’s song Born This Way in 2011.
Madonna said: ”People got very excited about that we were enemies, when we never were enemies.’
Icon: The iconic singer, who turned 60 in August 2018, spoke about the battles she has fought – and continues to face – in a career which has seen her push the boundaries of modern music and image (pictured May 2019)
Smoulder: Madonna looked stunning in the vintage-inspired spread, reminiscent of Sophia Loren in La Dolce Vita
The superstar singers were seen posing together at Guy Oseary and Madonna’s Oscars after-party in Los Angeles in February, showing any bad blood had vanished after the initial spat was sparked in 2011.
At the time critics claimed that Gaga‘s Born This Way sounded a lot like Madonna‘s Express Yourself- which Gaga branded ‘ridiculous.’
In 2015, Madonna seemed to agree that her track had been borrowed.
But in 2016 Gaga said, ‘Madonna and I are very different. I wouldn’t make that comparison at all. 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.’
Legendary: The songstress, who broke into the music scene in 1982, said: ”People have always been trying to silence me for one reason or another, whether it’s that I’m not pretty enough, I don’t sing well enough, I’m not talented enough’ (pictured 1985)
Edgy: ‘So they just keep trying to find a hook to hang their beef about me being alive on. Now I’m fighting ageism, now I’m being punished for turning 60’ (pictured May 2018)
Madonna didn’t seem to like that as she shared a meme of Hillary Clinton looking at her phone.
The text read, ‘Can’t hear you. Too busy being awesome’ with the caption reading, ‘Like a boss! LOL.’
Candid: See the full feature in the June issue of British Vogue, available on digital download and on newsstands Friday, May 10
The Live To Tell singer, who recently returned to the music scene with single Medellín and new album Madame X after a four year hiatus – revealed she didn’t have role models because no-one is in her specific position.
She said: ‘There are no living role models for me. Because nobody does what I do.
‘And that’s kind of scary. I can look back at women who I think were great and amazing – freedom fighters, like Simone de Beauvoir or Angela Davis – but they didn’t have kids.
‘Being a single parent of six children, I continue to be creative and be an artist and be politically active, to have a voice, to do all the things that I do. So I mean, there isn’t anybody in my position.’
Madonna looked stunning in the vintage-inspired spread, reminiscent of Sophia Loren in La Dolce Vita.
She donned a coiffed brunette wig paired with smoky eye make-up and a dark lip as she coquettishly bit a pen in one stunning black and white snap.
The star wowed in a crisp white blouse and slacks in the arty snap.
The opulence continued as she reclined in a bath tub in a black off-the-shoulder gown with a shimmering strand of pearls around her neck.
Madame X is slated for a June 14 release and, as well as Medellín collaborator Maluma, featured contributions from the likes of Diplo, Migos’ Quavo, Rae Sremmurd’s Swae Lee, and Anitta.
See the full feature in the June issue of British Vogue, available on digital download and on newsstands Friday, May 10.
Confident: The Live To Tell singer, who recently returned to the music scene with single Medellín and new album Madame X after a four year hiatus – revealed she didn’t have role models because no-one is in her specific position (pictured 1990)