NEWS: Billboard.com

This Week in Billboard Chart History: In 1991, Madonna's 'Justify My Love' Hit No. 1

By Gary Trust | January 05, 2015 8:05 AM EST

MTV famously refused to air the song's racy video, but that didn't hurt its popularity. In fact, it fuelled its fire. On this date 24 years ago, "Justify My Love" became Madonna's ninth Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 (of 12 total).

NEWS: Page Six

No Valentino New Year’s Eve party after ‘tiff’ with Madonna

By Page Six Team January 3, 2015 | 9:35pm Modal Trigger

Perfectly plucked eyebrows in Gstaad, Switzerland, were raised when fashion designer Valentino didn’t throw his annual New Year’s Eve party at his chic chalet, Gifferhorn, and sources said it was because of a “tiff” with Madonna over last year’s bash.

“Valentino’s party last year had a ‘no kids’ rule,” sniffed a Gstaad source. “But Madonna brought all her kids anyway, and it screwed up the seating for the party.”

Last year, the superstar’s son Rocco break-danced at the intimate bash for about 60 guests, while her younger kids, David and Mercy, played on Valentino’s collection of pricey Claude Lalanne sheep sculptures.

Valentino’s partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, posted a picture of the kids at the time with the caption, “Don’t touch the sheep!!”

Another source said that although Valentino didn’t throw his traditional party this year, his current house guests include Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl, as well as glamorous Spanish socialite Naty Abascal. (One spy said that when Palermo posed for a pic near the same sheep, a guest joked, “Don’t sit on them!”)

Rumors have previously surfaced about a chill in the relationship between Madonna’s and Valentino’s camps, but a rep for the singer said there was “no truth” regarding any rift and “Madonna and Valentino remain close friends. The incident you described about the dinner did not happen.” 

But Madge had been seen giving Giammetti the cold shoulder at a MoMA event in November. She also seemed peeved when he tried to take a picture of her at a podium, saying, “Sir, put your phone away!”

Valentino’s rep likewise denied any issues with the Material Girl and told us, “Mr. Valentino did not have a party this year” because he “went to the house of friends instead.”

Still, we hear that Gstaad regulars noted that Madonna hasn’t been spotted at Grifferhorn. She also hasn’t made any appearances on Giammetti’s Instagram feed, which exhaustively documents his interactions with VIPs.

NEWS: Acclaimed Music's Best Of All Times list

The site Acclaimed Music compiled a Best Of All Times lists from professional critics creating a ranking of the most recommended music published. The ranking is based on the positions of the artists’ acclaimed albums and songs. Madonna is at #23, the #1 female artist. The list omits tours of the artist and we can assume a higher position for the Queen of Pop.  Click below for the list.

NEWS: Associated Press

Madonna defends altered Instagram pictures of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela

Madonna’s cover for the album Rebel Heart is a close-up of her face with black string on it. Her posts show King and Mandela with similar string. 

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Madonna said she was not comparing herself to Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, but acknowledging that they were rebels.

By: Associated Press, Published on Sat Jan 03 2015

NEW YORK—Madonna is defending herself against criticism after she posted Instagram photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela that were altered to look like her own image on her new album.

Madonna’s cover for the album Rebel Heart is a close-up of her face with black string on it. Her social media posts show the faces of King and Mandela doctored to make it appear as though they have similar string on their faces. Some consider the posts offensive.

In a statement released late Friday night, Madonna said she was not comparing herself to them but acknowledging that they were rebels. She also said the images were fan-generated and defended herself against claims of racism, adding she also posted other famous faces who were not black.

I'll Remember...1983

Happy New Year & All the Best for 2015!

Madonna: Rebel Heart

Madonna responded to the massive leak of her unfinished demos by announcing a new album, Rebel Heart, and sharing six new tracks, which are all available to download and stream now. “I was hoping to release my new single ’Living For Love’ on Valentine’s Day with the rest of the album coming in the Spring,” she wrote in a statement on her website. “I would prefer my fans to hear completed versions of some of the songs instead of the incomplete tracks that are circulating. Please consider these six songs as an early Christmas gift.” Rebel Heart is scheduled for release on March 10th. The new songs include “Bitch I’m Madonna,” which features Nicki Minaj and sounds a lot like the rumoured collaboration between her, Diplo, and SOPHIE. The album was recorded in NY, LA and London.  Listen to all of them below. 

Rebel Heart is scheduled for release on 3/10 via Interscope.

Madonna Pulled a BEYONCE & Not Even Knowing It

An entire disc of MADONNA's new music has find it's way online early this morning!  13 full songs from Madonna's new album rumoured to be called "UNAPOLOGETIC BITCH" or "ICONIC" surfaced online and spread like wildfire all over the pop music communities.  Madonna has been in the studio for most of 2014 working on the new music. She has yet to announce the official album title or release date.  The songs that leaked were produced by AVIICI, DIPLO, NATALIA KILLS and RYAN TEDDER

We don’t know if it is the actual album or just a collection of demos but thirteen new Madonna songs leaked today. It looks like they are just demos because Madonna’s vocals are not clear and don’t seem mixed at all though. However, we decided to review the overall thing, as she is the Queen of Pop and this leak is a big event in the pop music world.

There are quite a few stunning tracks actually. Living For Love and its anthemic chorus that will remind you of the best 90s dance songs is one of them. It really is the best song of all and it will remind you of Disclosure’s singles (which can only be a good thing, right ?). It is the album’s supposed lead single and that would be the most clever choice.

Bitch, I’m Madonna and Unapologetic Bitch are really crazy-sounding (as their producer -Diplo- said a few days ago) but they actually sound so fresh and entertaining. Illuminati is also incredible and it’s nice to hear Madonna referring to her best enemy, Lady GaGa. The song’s beat is crazy and it could be a great tour opener.

There is also something that we would call a musical UFO in this album. Indeed, Make The Devil Pray's instrumental was inspired by folk music and well… We can't say we don't like it but it was very surprising. However, we loved the religious references in the lyrics. Revolution also starts with acoustic guitars and claps and would have fit perfectly in Madonna’s latino or gypsy parts during her tours.

And then there are the Avicii tracks. We already knew Wash All Over Me and even though it is fun and its lyrics are good, it really is not a good song. Addicted (The One That Got Away) is better but it still sounds really weird and quite dated. Hopefully it will be better with clearer vocals. The same can be said about Borrowed Time. We liked its acoustic intro but the rest screams Avicii. Rebel Heart is still amazing and should be track #1 on the finished product. Its lyrics sum up the album’s atmosphere pretty well.

Finally, the collection also include some ballads and that is where you realize the most that you are listening to demos. For example, Messiah could be grandiose but Madonna’s voice is not deep enough. We loved the orchestra part though. Joan Of Arc sounds unfinished too (but that is fair considering it was not supposed to leak). The lyrics are really beautiful though and it unveils Madge’s unsuspected vulnerability. The last song was Heartbreak City and it is one of the best tracks of the pack. Once again, Madonna decides to be honest and to drop the mask. The lyrics are indeed heartbreaking.

The variety of this album is quite astonishing. It is not all about dance music like MDNA was (thanks God !) and it has a very introspective vibe (mostly because of the lyrics and the guitars playing throughout the entire thing). In our opinion, Avicii is way too present but hopefully the final thing will not include some of his songs. The first album who comes to our minds when we listen to these new songs is American Life and considering it is our favorite Madonna album, it can only be a good thing.

However, we can’t give it a grade because we did not listen to it in a particular order chosen by Madonna herself and because it is not finished yet. It does not even have a title.

Madonna’s team should react very quickly and rush-release the finalized album to iTunes in the next days if they don’t want really messy sales though. Still, congrats to the Queen of Pop for delivering such a heartfelt piece with experimental and crazy-sounding tracks 

Tracklist:

01. Unapologetic Bitch

02. Bitch I'm Madonna

03. Addicted (The One That Got Away)

04. Borrowed Time

05. Heartbreak City

06. Illuminati

07. Joan Of Arc

08. Living 4 Love (Carry On)

09. Make The Devil Pray

10. Messiah

11. Rebel Heart

12. Revolution

13. Wash All Over Me

“Please let me finish my work so I can give you my very best! Respect art and the process.”

—

Madonna.

Madonna set for world tour in 2015 to mark 30 years since debut Virgin concerts

The Material Girl is working on an album of new songs with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder and plans to go on the road to mark three decades since her 1985 Virgin Tour. She is our favourite Material Girl, and we can reveal Queen of Pop Madonna will be back with a world tour in 2015. Hurrah. 

It will mark the 30th anniversary of her debut 1985 Virgin Tour, where she performed across the US and Canada.

Madge, 56, is currently in early talks about the concerts, which will come after an album of new material. In 2007, she inked a 10-year, £75million deal with tour promoters Live Nation. 

A source said: “This is going to be one very special tour. Madonna wants to pull out all the stops, especially because it is 30 years since the Virgin Tour.

“Like her 2012 MDNA tour, where she played 88 dates in places including Europe, South America and Asia, Madge will be ­travelling the world. Once the new record is finished she can concentrate on the concerts.”

We recently told how Madonna has drafted in Simon Cowell’s favourite hit-maker to help her pen tracks for the new album.

She is desperate to ensure it is a success and has tapped some of the industry’s biggest hitters to help, including OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder.

I'll Remember...1987..and that awful hair! LOL

Is Madge just learning how to use the internet?

I'll Remember...1999

I'll Remember...1994

Paparazzi ...1985

Paparazzi ...1990

Madonna Stars in New Versace Ad Campaign

Perched on the edge of her chair, fixing the camera with a smoldering gaze, she looks feral, poised for the kill.  She is Madonna, enshrined in a new advertising campaign showcasing Donatella Versace’s spring/summer 2015 collection. Lean and faintly menacing, she appears, at least in the lens of the fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, the image of candid aggression.  She is that and more, said Ms. Versace, whose latest print collaboration with the star (a 12-page portfolio set to break next spring in magazines including Vanity Fair and the American, French and Italian editions of Vogue) is but the latest expression of a running theme.  “Madonna says it best herself: She is unapologetic,” Ms. Versace said the other day. “She is her own woman, a role model who shows other women how we can do what we want, and get what we want, and do so for all of our lives, with no compromise.”

Just Saying...

Was Madonna influenced by Miley Cyrus?

Madonna For Interview Magazine

Madonna wants to remind you of something rather important. Her feature story for Interview magazine reasserts a vital fact that may have gotten lost in the pop culture shuffle: In a world of female power players — the likes of which seem to change by the week — Madge has remained the queen. 

Interview magazine calls Madonna "the living paradigm for the character-based, image-centric presentation of an artist." As the cover star of Interview 's December issue, the songstress shows you exactly what that means. In an interview with friend David Blaine, Madonna addresses everything from failure to the benefits of being the dumbest person in the room. And, she's gone topless for the accompanying photo shoot. Presenting: an exclusive first look at Madonna's editorial spread, plus the images that will remind you who's queen bee around here. Ahead, how Madge does NSFW.

ABC News on New Album Leaks

I'll Remember...1999

Gives Good face...1989

Strike a Pose...1993

Paparazzi...1991

Ill Remember...1996

Madonna talks about Evita + Backstage

Madonna Covered...

Nelly Furtado - ‘Like A Prayer’

I'll Remember...1989

I'll Remember...2001

I'll Remember...1994

DeVante and Madonna. Goodnight 😴💤🌙 #ForeverDeVante #DeVanteSwing #madonna

Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ at 30

On her self-titled 1983 debut, Madonna sang perky little tunes about going on vacation (“Holiday”) and falling in and out of love (“Lucky Star” and “Borderline”). These were ideas grandma and grandpa could get behind, and yet the 20-something Michigan native caused a minor sensation, setting the stage for a total pop-culture takeover. Clearly, music was only one of her weapons. 

While Madonna offered Middle American mallrats a taste of underground NYC dance culture, what really got people talking was the singer herself. This spunky, self-assured club kid with the belly shirts and rubber bracelets liked being a topic of conversation, and with her second album, Like a Virgin, she endeavoured to keep her name on everyone’s lips.

Madonna and Valentino feuding?

Is Madonna friendship with Valentino and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti taking a bow?  The three have been close friends for years, with the Material Girl notably spending time at the designers’ many estates. But spies at the recent WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards bash say Madonna and Giammetti were at the same table but didn’t acknowledge each other.  “It’s so weird,” an onlooker tells Threads. “It looked like there had been a falling out between the two.”  Furthermore, the sharp-tongued singer scolded Valentino’s partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, snapping, “Please put your phone away, sir” while onstage speaking. 

Plus Madonna skipped out on two events for Valentino last week — a party for his entertaining guide, “Valentino: At the Emperor’s Table,” and a dinner hosted by Christie’s on Saturday night. 

I'll Remember...1985

Strike a Pose...1986

Jennifer Lopez inspired by Madonna

Promothing her new book on USA Today, Jennifer Lopez talked about Madonna being an inspiration to her.

Madonna & Nicki Minaj Collaborate On Song Produced By Diplo

Diplo and Skrillex recently sat down with Ebro, Peter Rosenberg and Laura Stylez on their Hot 97 “The Morning Show” for an interview, which you can watch below.

During the 10:25 mark of the interview, Diplo mentions that he produced a “ridiculous” beat for Madonna and Nicki Minaj. There is currently no release date just yet for the collaboration, but it will appear on Madonna‘s upcoming thirteenth studio album.