Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16, 1958), known artistically as Madonna, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and Golden Globe winning actress. Regarded as "one of the greatest pop acts of all time", she has been dubbed the "Queen of Pop" by the media. In her youth, Madonna aspired to become a ballet dancer and studied dance under the tutelage of choreographer Alvin Ailey. Following her debut in the entertainment industry as a member of Patrick Hernandez's dance team, Madonna formed a pop duo with Dan Gilroy known as the Breakfast Club. While initially performing as the band's drummer, Madonna also served as lead singer until her departure from the group. She joined a second music group—Emmy—with drummer Stephen Bray, though both performers eventually left the group to focus on the launch of Madonna's solo career as a recording artist. Beginning with the release of her self-titled debut album in 1983, Madonna rose to stardom producing three consecutive number one studio albums on the Billboard 200; Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), and Like a Prayer (1989). Though the entertainer faced colder critical reception and more modest sales on subsequent albums Erotica (1992) and Bedtime Stories (1994), she garnered critical acclaim with the release of her seventh studio album Ray of Light (1998), which opened at number two. Madonna continued to remain in the forefront of pop music with four more consecutive number one studio albums; Music (2000) American Life (2003) Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) and Hard Candy (2008). Madonna is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the "Best Selling Female Rock Artist of the Twentieth Century" and the second top-selling female artist in the United States (behind Barbra Streisand) with 63 million certified albums. According to Guinness World Records, she is the "World’s most successful female recording artist of all time" and the top earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of over $400 million, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide.Billboard reported that her 2006 Confessions Tour holds the record for the highest grossing concert tour by a female artist. On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Madonna made her acting debut with the low-budget feature film A Certain Sacrifice (1979) and went on to star in the 1985 box office hit Desperately Seeking Susan, her first starring role. She then starred in the relatively unsuccessful Shanghai Surprise (1986), Body of Evidence (1993), The Next Best Thing (2000) and Swept Away (2002) — in addition to numerous supporting roles and cameo appearances. She also starred in the box office hits Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992) and Evita (1996) — based on the musical of the same name, which earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
2007-Present: New record deal and film directionOn May 16, 2007, Madonna released the download-only song "Hey You", in anticipation of Live Earth, which was free for its first week. Madonna performed "Hey You" amongst other songs at the London concert of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium on July 7, 2007. Madonna was also guest vocalist on the song "Sing" on the Annie Lennox 2007 album Songs of Mass Destruction. The song involved twenty-three female artists joining Lennox for the colla
boration. This "powerful feminist anthem" was born out of Lennox's involvement with Nelson Mandela’s 46664 and Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) – organisations fighting for human rights, education and health care for those affected by the HIV AIDS virus.[citation needed] "Sing" was released as a single on December 3, 2007. In October, 2007 Madonna announced her departure from record company Warner Bros. and a new $120 million, 10 year contract with pop concert promoters Live Nation. She will be the founding recording artist for the new music division, Live Nation Artists (formerly Artist Nation), and the deal will consist of albums, tours, merchandise and promotion. The Warner Bros. deal will be completed with her 2008 Hard Candy album and a compilation album due at the end of 2008 or early 2009. On December 13, 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Madonna as one of the five inductees of the class of 2008. The ceremony, which also included fellow inductees John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, the Ventures, and the Dave Clark Five, took place on March 10, 2008. Madonna was inducted into the Hall by Justin Timberlake.
Madonna also directed her first film, Filth and Wisdom and produced I Am Because We Are, a documentary on the problems and difficulties faced by people in Malawi. Her directorial debut was premiered at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival on February 13, 2008. During most of 2007, Madonna recorded her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy, which contains collaborations with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams and Danja. It is due to be released on April 28, 2008 in Europe and April 29 in North America. The first single from the album is "4 Minutes", a duet with Timberlake and featuring Timbaland on backing vocals.
As of issue date April 12, 2008, "4 Minutes" moved up sixty-five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 from #68 to #3, after debuting at number two on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs. The song is Madonna's highest charting single in the United States since her 2000's chart-topper "Music" and became her 37th top ten hit in the U.S., breaking the previous record of 36 top ten hits held for almost the past 37 years by Elvis Presley; his last TOP 10 single was "Burning Love" which peaked at #2 in the fall of 1972. "4 Minutes" also became Madonna's 61st top ten single on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the female artist with the most top ten singles in UK. It is also currently #1 on the United World Chart, gaining 490,000 points this week, beating out other artists such as Mariah Carey and Leona Lewis. In April and May, Madonna will embark on a promotional tour for Hard Candy, playing three dates in New York City, Paris and London. On 10 May 2008 Madonna performed a collection of her songs including some off of her new album at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Maidstone, UK. On August 23, 2008, Madonna will begin the Sticky & Sweet Tour in Wales. This will be her seventh world tour, with dates In North America, Europe and Latin America.
LegacyBillboard reported that Madonna's 2006 Confessions Tour holds the record for the highest grossing concert tour by a female artist. In the United Kingdom, she is the most successful female in the album and singles chart history, having sold 3.6 million copies of her compilation The Immaculate Collection and accomplishing sixty-one top ten singles, thirteen of which were #1. In 2008, she surpassed Elvis Presley as the artist with most top ten hits in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, with thirty-seven top ten singles. She is also the most successful singles artist on the United World Chart with thirteen #1 and twenty-three Top 10 singles. On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2006 a new water bear species (Latin:Tardigrada), Echiniscus madonnae was named after Madonna. The paper with the description of E. madonnae was published in the international journal of animal taxonomy Zootaxa in March 2006 (Vol. 1154, pages: 1-36). The authors' justification for the name of the new species was: "We take great pleasure in dedicating this species to one of the most significant artists of our times, Madonna Louise Veronica Ritchie". The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) number of the species is 711164.
Personal lifeRelationshipsMadonna with Guy Ritchie.In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Madonna dated Dan Gilroy, with whom she formed the band Breakfast Club. In the early 1980s, she also dated her collaborator Stephen Bray, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, DJ and record producer Mark Kamins, and musician Jellybean Benitez. While filming the music video for "Material Girl" in 1985, Madonna began dating actor Sean Penn and married him later that year. After filing and withdrawing divorce papers in December 1987, they separated on New Year's Eve of 1988 and were officially divorced in September 1989. Of her marriage to Penn, Madonna later told Tatler, "I was completely obsessed with
my career and not ready to be generous in any shape or form." Madonna began a highly publicized relationship with Warren Beatty while working on the film Dick Tracy early in 1989. Despite rumors that the two had become engaged in May 1990, the couple's relationship seemed to have ended by the summer. In a 1991 interview with Vanity Fair, Madonna said, "I'd go, 'Warren, did you really chase that girl for a year?!?' And he’d say, 'Nah, it's all lies.' I should have known better. I was unrealistic, but then, you always think you're going to be the one." In late 1990, Madonna dated Tony Ward, a young bisexual model and porn star who starred in her music videos for "Cherish" (1989) and "Justify My Love" (1990). Their relationship ended by early 1991, and Madonna later began an eight-month relationship with rapper Vanilla Ice, who appeared later in her Sex book. Madonna dated basketball player Dennis Rodman in the mid 1990s. In September 1994, while walking in Central Park, Madonna met fitness trainer Carlos Leon who became her personal trainer and lover. On October 14, 1996, Madonna gave birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon in Los Angeles, California. The couple ended their relationship in 1997. Madonna then began dating Andy Bird, who sold his story to the newspapers in a tell-all about their eighteen-month relationship in late 2000/early 2001. On August 11, 2000, Madonna gave birth to a son, Rocco John Ritchie in Los Angeles, California, with Guy Ritchie, whom she had met in 1999 through mutual friends Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler. On December 22, 2000, Madonna and Ritchie were married in Scotland. As of 2008, Madonna resides in Marylebone, London and her country estate in Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, with Ritchie and their 3 children.
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