Hello everyone! A few things first: I have a mustache, a goatee and a stye. But that's not what I'm here to talk about. Today, I'm here to tell you guys a new story! It's been a long time since we all sat down together and go through a music legend's life. And today's biography is particularly interesting. We all have dreams. Some might be easier to achieve than others. But imagine that your dream is to become the biggest star on this planet. Now, imagine that in your day and age,ff Being a star means you have to bend

to a whole bunch of rules and principles that do not fit your personality. And on top of that, you are a woman whose artistic talent is considered average by most people in the business, and that same business is mostly filled with macho-minded men. The chances of this dream coming true... are almost zero. Very few people would even have the motivationff to embark on such a project, under such circumstances. But today's artist completely beat the odds and even managed to change the game. How do you become a global star in a world that doesn't understand you?

It is the challenge of a lifetime, it is the challenge... ... of Madonna. Madonna, the Queen of Pop... - Madonna... - The Madonna craze... The Story of Madonna Before we start the video, you have to know it's sponsored by... HOLY. HOLY is a brand that sells ice teas and energy drinks that can be seen as an alternative to soft drinks. Which is good for everyone! HOLY mostly sells shakers, with a powder you can add to your water. Now, they have Thermos bottles too, which is super handy! Drinks come in many flavors, I don't know about

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filled with samples so you can taste it all. I don't have one code to give you... But two! If you want to place your very first order, use code "SEB5" to have a 5€ discount on your first order. If you've already tried HOLY, you can use code "SEB" to get a 10% discount on your orders. Link in description, thanks to HOLY for supporting the channel and thank you guys for sticking with me! Now, it's time for the intro. Madonna Louise Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958 in Bay City in Michigan. Her grandparents on her

dad's side are Italian immigrants, And those on her mom's side are French Canadians. Yes, Madonna has Quebec blood... Just a little fact for my viewers in Quebec! She has her father's family name and her mother's first name. But that's all she kept from her mom. In 1963, only 5 years after her birth, Madonna lost her mother to cancer. 3 years later, Madonna's father, Silvio Ciccone, married the family's housekeeper, Joan Gustafson. This union was to upset the young Madonna, who began to rebel against her father. This event market the beginning of many tensions Between father and

daughter. Madonna attended several Catholic schools in Detroit, where she achieved good grades, but was also noted for her unconventional behavior for a young girl at the time. In one of her biographies, she declared herself: "A lonely girl who was searching for something." "I wasn't rebellious" "But I studied and I got good grades..." "I wanted to be somebody." She was constantly dancing, doing cartwheels, she even was provocative from a very young age: she would lift her skirts to show her underwear. Well, in a religious school curriculum... that might be a bit out of the ordinary! But

it was just the prequel of a personality that, you'll see, will last throughout her career. Speaking of careers, it all began with classical piano lessons. But that isn't Madonna's passion. Piano can only go so far and Madonna knows what she wants to do: dance. She convinced her father to enroll her in Ballet lessons. She will thrive in this new activity, and her dance teacher, Christopher Flynn, persuaded her to persevere in the discipline. She does just that: during high school, she is a cheerleader. But after 2 years of higher education... Madonna has other dreams. Somehow she

feels very different from the others, and she is confident that she can become a dancing star. So she gave up her studies and left Michigan to move to New York. She is only 20 and only has $50 in her pocket. It sounds like a clichéd story about web entrepreneurs... ... only it's true! This creates even more conflict with her dad who objects to this decision And decides to cut off all financial support to his own daughter. But she quickly finds a job in a donut restaurant while performing with dance troupes. She earns little money and

struggle to feed herself. But she can eat donuts, right? She's in such a tight spot that she has to live illegally in a super small studio in New York for a while. As luck would have it, Camille Barbone lives in the very same building. Camille isn't just her neighbor, she's the director of a little record company. Camille and Madonna become friends. They like each other, like they really hit it off and that's how Camille became Madonna's very first agent, taker her under her wing. OK. Madonna has a plan. Quick reminder: she wants to be a

star, at all costs. So she takes on a bunch of odd jobs and invests all her money in what she believes: dancing lessons, with a renowned choreographer: Martha Graham. A woman who is aware of Madonna's dancing skills, who is intrigued by her unusual personality and who sees that she's HUNGRY. At the time, Madonna was very mysterious, often changing her identity, her appearance. That's why Martha nicknames her: Madame X. An important nickname for her, which Madonna will use during her career. But more on that later! It's a tough life for Madonna, but it's the life she

wants. She lives from her passion and it suits her. Unfortunately, New York wasn't a very safe city in the late 70s. The first year, she was held at gunpoint. A few months later, her flat was repeatedly burgled. And as if that wasn't enough, one night, after a rehearsal, two men threatened her with a knife and raped her on a building roof. This event could rightly have traumatized Madonna, and led her down a different path: back to Michigan with her family, back to studying, fear of the nightlife world... But no. She was aware of how grave

things were, but saw it as a foretaste of weakness, And more generally, of how some men are abusive towards women. But in no case will this diminish her motivation and passion for dancing. She keeps at it, tries new art forms. Then her career has a turning point. From dancing to singing. Madonna has sacrificed a lot to perfect her dancing in order to get opportunities. That is about to pay off. After a few auditions to dance along well-known artists, she is auditioned by one of the most fashionable artists of the time. He's French, he's from Périgord

(south of France) (like me) He's disco's hottest star... ladies and gentlemen... Patrick Hernandez! And because life is funny like that, she auditions to dance with our boy Patrick. Thing is: Hernandez isn't necessarily looking for dancers, more singers. Madonna refuses to sing, though. She came for a dancing audition, not to sing. She ends up playing along and sings Jingle Bells, the Christmas song. I'm sure it wasn't the performance of a lifetime but it was enough for Patrick Hernandez to think "hey, there's potential here!" It's not amazing, but... you know, it's not bad either! You must think

I'm going mad: Patrick Hernandez, Jingle Bells, Madonna... Well guess what: Patrick Hernandez is going to hire her... as a substitute dancer. He deemed her personality was too strong to blend in with other dancers. So she follows Patrick Hernandez on his tour, in Paris, in Tunisia. But she feels out of place. The Southern French vibe... that's just not her. She understands very well that Hernandez is a disco star in the making, but most of all, she understands she had a better shot at becoming a star as a singer than if she went on with dancing auditions.

She was hit with a cold, hard truth: Singers get more famous than dancers. Just putting it out there. And Madonna is convinced that she is promised to a great career. But she doesn't think it'll happen in Paris. Nope, not here. So she terminates her contract, packs up And returns to New York. For the record: she actually left all her luggage in France! That's who she is! Those tiny details give you an idea of that girl's energy: on a whim, she can be like "mhh nah, not here!" and leave EVERYTHING behind! The year is 1979, Madonna

is 21, and she falls in love with Dan Gilroy, an amateur musician with whom she forms he first band: Breakfast Club. It's clearly a rock band and Madonna plays the drums, some guitar, but, for the first time, she also sings. At the same time, Madonna is scouted at a casting session and lands her first role. It's a low-budget movie, but it's still her first role as an actress. It's only a little seed, but it matters: she likes it a lot. She's like "hey, that's not bad..." "... being an actress..." Madonna ends up leaving her band

fairly quickly and joins another rock band: Emmy and the Emmys. And then she decides to launch her solo career. She's having trouble to make up her mind in the beginning, She's trying things out. So she likes singing, wants to be a star... ... and she likes the nightlife. She's a clubber! She's here to party and she doesn't give a shit! Remember, we're still in the 70s. So she is gonna go to New York clubs, with her first demos, trying to get noticed, like, "hey, erm, can you play my songs?" The absolute old school way. She's

very bold basically! And guess what my friends? It's gonna work. Notably, with Mark Kamins. He's that DJ at Danceteria and he likes her music. They become friends. Well, more than that maybe, but that's besides the point! Karmins sees a lot of potential in Madonna. He uses his connections so that the future Queen of Pop finds a good record label. Mark knows people. He introduces her to Seymour Stein, president of Sire Records, subsidiary of Warner Bros. It's one of the biggest labels. After the meeting, Madonna has a contract, with three singles and an optional album. Life

is easy when you know people who know people! I know, not the best conclusion. Oh well. With her new contract, Madonna parts way with her agent, Camille Barbone. You know, her neighbor. Camille had gone out of her way to increase Madonna's popularity, but is discarded when the singer finds a new opportunity. Camille feels betrayed and had a hard time recovering from the separation. And when you look at what comes next for Madonna... ... you understand her disappointment. She just came to me one day to tell me that we had to reconsider our collaboration because she

had met people in the business. People way more powerful than me. But I couldn't accept that. OK, that's one way to do things. You may find that disloyal. But without the right opportunity, Madonna doesn't go. Anyway, that's it. Madonna's solo career is afloat, she has a contract. Wow! Now, she wants to create innovative music. But that's not all. She joins forces with a French stylist living in New York, Maripol, who would then have a key role in the rest of her career. It's time to give everything, and to show everyone she can be the star

she thinks she can become. The birth of a Star In 1982, her very first single, Everybody, is released. Madonna performed it at Danceteria then on TV in 1983. The same year, the two other singles in the contract were released too. On her first three tracks, you can already feel the Madonna touch. Despite the downfall of the Disco phenomenon, of club tracks, she bases her songs on fast rhythms, with sounds reminiscents of the nightclubs of the time. But what makes her music so special is the union between a poppy interpretation and very catchy tunes. I know,

it sounds trite, but you have to realize that at the time, it was that obvious! OK, 3 tracks, that's good. She held up her end, she's now kind of famous in a few US clubs... but Madonna dreams so, so much bigger. She wants to be a star, the biggest star! So she does what she does best: promote her tracks in nightclubs. She takes her work to Europe, to London's night clubs. Around this time, Madonna and painter Jean-Michel Basquiat has a romantic relationship. We know that then, he knew just how talented she was. And even if

she was a nobody at the time, he believed in her And had no doubt that she would become someone important. Her first 3 singles do quite well. It's a very promising start. So logically, her label asks her to release her album. Madonna goes back to the studio and begins to try extra hard. This is July 1983 and it's time for her first album, called Madonna, to be released. Let's take a closer look at this track. It was written and composed by a band called Pure Energy, who tried to sell it to many artists, to no

avail. The band then talked to John Benitez, Resident DJ for one of New York's biggest nightclubs, and Madonna, who was in a relationship with the DJ, just loved the music and offered to perform it. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it's coherent with what I've been saying: that girl can provoke her own luck. When she wants something, go goes extra hard to get it. And when she smells a good opportunity, it usually works well. And Holiday... well, it works! No need for suspense: her first album is a huge hit. It even goes global: top

10 charts in Australia, Croatia, Netherlands, France, New Zealand, Great Britain... Madonna is no longer a no name. Her musical uniqueness and her dress style intrigue the world. At the time, Madonna is a real sensation, she's intriguing, she's obviously awesome. She set trends, new codes, on so many aspects, so that you HAVE to talk about her. At least ONE element will catch your curiosity. OK, let's take a step back in the story: Only 4 years have elapsed between her coming to New York... and now! It took her only 4 years to become a star. But... she

wants to be a little more than that! Being a star is cool, but you know... But how do you go from star to icon? Well, for Madonna, it was just a matter of releasing her second album. From Star to Icon. In 1984, the album is released. Ladies and gents, make way for an absolute classic: Like A Virgin This track, Like A Virgin, is going to give her career another dimension. The song, written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, tells the story of someone who just got out of a complicated relationship to end up in a

healthy, happy one. They're reborn, revived... ... as if they were a virgin. Madonna heard the demo of the song And she obviously loved the idea. She's ready to do anything at any time, and has no problem shocking her audience. And she will, when she interprets Like A Virgin at the 1984 MTV Music Awards. She shows up on stage with a bride dress And her iconic "BOY TOY" belt and her performance was very sensual, erotic even. This led to controversy, especially among conservative Americans who deemed the song promoted premarital sex and was a danger to family

values. Some context for you guys: The Thriller video clip isn't even out yet! Just to give you an idea of WHEN this is. But Madonna doesn't care about controversy She doesn't give a shit! And she knows EXACTLY what she's doing! Her thing is to break rules and principles she doesn't agree with. You have a problem with it? Don't care. At that time, in the music industry, female artists were expected to be prudish and didn't control their own image. With Like A Virgin, Madonna changes the game completely. She breaks all the rules and has no problem

showing her sexy side and to be sexualized. She uses that image like nobody ever did! Let's talk about another track in the album: Material Girl. It was instrumental to the album's success. The clip is a reference to one of her idols, Marilyn Monroe in the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. And the lyrics will shock the audience. Material Girl sounds like it praises gold diggers: Madonna is saying that she's only interested in men who can pay her stuff. There are two interpretations: she criticizes the 80s' mentality or she completely accepts being venal. It's unclear, and that's why

it works so well. Again, you have to imagine that it's the 80s! Today, this is almost a cliché! But back then, it was ground-breaking. On the set of the shooting, Madonna met Sean Penn for the first time. He was a very famous American actor at the time. Let's leave that anecdote aside, it will be important in a few minutes. Madonna's choices are the talk of the town and will play a huge role in her career. After the clip, she becomes the first woman sell more than 5 million albums in the United States. I mean, it's

only her second album! And her career started like... 2 days ago! Madonna is definitely a star, And is on her way to becoming an icon, proving that it wasn't just luck. Her success is now confirmed. Her music is now global and her impact is even bigger than her music. In the 1980s, Madonna isn't just fashionable. No. Madonna is FASHION. All women, even rival artists, copy her look with voluminous hairstyles, leather jackets, tons of accessories, etc. For instance, this was Cyndi Lauper's look in 1981. But after the Madonna tidal wave, she completely changed her look. Really,

guys, Madonna was the number 1 influencer. She redefined all the tropes of the female pop artist. It doesn't matter if you like it or not, it is a fact. In 1985, in parallel with all that, Madonna stars in her first major movie, Vision Quest. She appears in one scene to sing Crazy for You and Gambler, two unreleased extracts. The hype around Madonna is so huge that some countries like the UK or Australia change the movie's title to "Crazy For You" To better capitalize on the artist's name. OK, that's a bit sad for the movie. But

it shows just how popular she was at the time! There's a new Madonna rule: she stars in a movie, her OST is in it, if the OST is n°1, then the movie is n°1. End of the rule. That same year, she also appeared in the comedy Desperately Seeking Susan, where she played a secondary role. She's also about to release a new classic track because she's just unstoppable now. This track was a huge, huge success. Her first n°1 single in the UK. In short, Madonna is untouchable and turns everything she touches into gold. But some events

can be impossible to control as Madonna will quickly realize. Still in '85, Madonna embarked on her very first tour the Like a Virgin Tour. All goes well until she learns that Penthouse and Playboy magazines have just published photos of her in the nude. These photos date back to 1978, the year Madonna arrived in New York And had to work odd jobs to make ends meet. Those photo shoots were one of her income sources. The publication of these photos caused a media outcry but Madonna remained unphased. On the contrary! She never apologized or said she regretted

anything. She's the first girl who's thinking: "there's so such thing as a bad buzz." "You're talking about me? I'm gonna use that." Oh, and look who's back: That same summer, Madonna makes her union with Sean Penn official. They get married quickly, the wedding was supposedly private, Family and friends only found out about it... ... the morning of the wedding. Like the venue address, etc. It's 8am, you get a text that says: "oh I'm getting married at 3pm!" But despite this, 10 helicopters came out of nowhere for a few photos of the wedding between two young

hotshots. This relationship and love was a huge inspiration for Madonna. In 1986, she was ready to release her third album, dedicated to her husband. It is a much more introverted album, more focused on her vision of love. Its name: True Blue. The album was on top of the charts in 28 countries around the world. It's a first for a female singer. It is Madonna's best-selling album ever: more than 25 million of sold copies. It even entered the Guinness Book in 1992 as the best-selling album by a female artist of all time. After three albums, Madonna

is a canonical artist. She became an icon for young people, but also the best-selling female singer in history In 4 years, she finished the game. Mission complete: She is now the star she always dreamed she would be. Now it's all about keeping that status, making sure she's more than just a One Hit Wonder. It is time for her to diversify and to add a few more tricks up her sleeve. From Icon to Queen During the next two years, Madonna embarked on her first tour. She breaks the attendance record for a female artist concert: 130,000 spectators,

on August 30, 1987 in Paris. Fun fact: During the concert, she threw her panties into the audience and rumor has it that it landed on... Jacques. France's PM at the time, Jacques Chirac. Madonna is already very committed to the fight against AIDS. All the profits from this huge concert would go to Line Renaud's non-profit, defending this cause. Madonna maintains her career as an actress with 2 new films: Who's That Girl & Shanghai Sunrise. In Shanghai Sunrise, she plays alongside her husband well have been the last moments of happiness they shared together. Sean Penn often appeared

as a very impulsive person, violent even. During their relationship, the actor physically attacked paparazzi and even spent time in prison. One evening in December 1988, the police receives a call and went to the home of the two stars. They find Madonna, locked in her car, barely recognizable because of the swelling on her face. Sean Penn is questioned, but is quickly released, as Madonna would not press charges against him. No one really knows what happened that day, although theories emerge. Madonna was allegedly tied to a chair for nearly 8 hours and assaulted, repeatedly. Some even speak

of rape and of injuries caused by a baseball bat. Madonna never went through the details of this event. Later, she would make a statement: So we don't know. What's certain is that this event would mark the end of their union. Madonna asks for a divorce, but doesn't forget Sean Penn. End of digression and back to the music. The year is 1989 and Madonna is about to release her 4th album: Like A Prayer. Like a Prayer was the first single from the album. It was also a huge hit. A new Madonna hit? It's time for a

new scandal! Originally, it was to be released through a collab with Pepsi, The clip was previewed in one of their ads. But the advert didn't run that year as the clip was full of references to the Bible: stigmata, crosses, a chapel, burnt crosses... It also represented Saint Martin de Porres a black-skinned saint symbolizing social justice Then there's this scene where a woman is assaulted, a black man saves her, the police shows up and he's the one who's arrested... Well, well... With all those references, she gives social criticism and tries to open people's minds. But that's

not what happened. The Vatican, YES, the Vatican, condemns the video. Several religious groups called it "satanist" and called for boycotting. On her Blond Ambition tour in 1990, one of Madonna's show was very controversial. In addition to the many religious symbols, the choreography of Like a Virgin upsets large groups of people. She interprets her song in a bed, simulating a... well, you get the idea. She's then joined by her dancers who stroke her body, then she casually masturbates. There were obviously a lot of reactions. In Moscow, religious figures demonstrated against her concert and even went so

far as to burn photos of her. At that time, she's seen as... the Devil! In Canada, the police went to her concerts to stop the show if Madonna masturbated or imitated a sexual act during the concert. Spoiler: she didn't change A THING! And the police never stopped her. Then came her concert in Rome, land of the Pope, Who had condemned her clip a few months ago. John Paul II obviously urged his followers to boycott her concert But at the airport, Madonna gave a speech interrupted by hissing and insults. She quotes the Bible: "Let him who

is without sin cast the first stone", provoking the Pope... ... on his own turf! Madonna's concert will nevertheless go ahead The Queen of Pop has just won a political arm wrestle... ... against the Pope! I don’t know if you guys realize, But it's quite the symbol. Madonna's very first documentary, In Bed With Madonna, goes behind the scenes of this tour. We learn a lot more about the star's personality, who has an almost maternal bond with her dancers. She is shown as scandalous, provocative, very demanding and very impulsive, sometimes borderline rude when she talks. We also

see her visiting Her mother's grave for the very first time. But she does it in front of a camera. Her brother Christopher is present during this scene and considers her behavior to be way over the top. He criticizes her for using his mother's death as a means of creating public sympathy. They won’t stay in touch after that and he will later release a book: Life With My Sister Madonna, without asking her permission. Family dinners must be nice. After all that, she does what she usually does. It's always the same routine: she stars in movies, like

Dick Tracy, which ends up topping the American box-office. And like all her movies, the OST features some of her unreleased singles. The year is still 1990 and Madonna is about to release her very first compilation In the music industry, compilations are quite a business... ... often a lucrative one. The Immaculate Collection becomes the best-selling compilation in history For a solo artist. Of course, you get it, "Immaculate Collection" is yet another biblical play of words. We know you too much, Madonna! The compilation also features two bonus tracks: In this clip, she is even more provocative. The

scene is clearly erotic, both homosexual and heterosexual, and features some BDSM activities. TV channels deem it too sexual, and choose to censor it. But it would take a lot more to impact Madonna. She is the 80s personified: scandalous, with super publicized weddings, influencer, fashion icon, banger after banger... Those small scandals only feed the monster even more and she is free to try new things. It's only logical that Rolling Stone would cite her as "the decades most influential artist." Yup. Mission complete. Quick reminder: Madonna's dream was to become famous. Just like that. Now that she's made

it and enters her 30s, her new goal is to REMAIN famous. Provocation and cooling down The year is 1992, things go well for Madonna. She continues her career as an actress. She stars in A League of Their Own. As usual, she does the film's OST with that track: The film reaches the top spot at the box office And the music is on top of the Billboard charts. It's the Madonna classic now. Plays in a movie, writes the OST, film makes n°1, OST makes n°1. She's the queen of the entertainment kingdom. It's quite amazing! Life goes

on. In April Madonna founds her own entertainment company: Maverick. It comprises a record label, a publishing company, a production company, a TV company as well as some book editing And merchandizing. Madonna is looking to broaden her artistic proposals. That's how she's planning to become an absolute must. When the game... becomes your game. She feels the need to diversify. Maverick is a collaboration with Warner Media, a leading company in the field. The group paid her an advance of $60 million and grant her 20% royalties on her music rights. That's just huge. At the time only two

artists achieved that royalty rate: her, and Michael Jackson. Another achievement unlocked. The same year (that girl just never stops!), her 5th album drops. Erotica. But for the first time in her career after an album, there's no drama! OK, OK, the Erotica clip was censored in several countries. But as far as her songs go, there was no controversy. But controversy will appear somewhere else! She's Miss Drama! Now she's into book edition and stuff, she has an idea: publish a book parallel to her album: SEX. Yes, that's the title. So, what do you guys think the book

is about? Bingo! Can you smell the controversy? Though heavily censored, Madonna's Sex Book comprises sexually provocative and explicit pictures. Remember: in her early days, nude pictures of her had leaked in the press. Today, she's super famous, And she willingly publishes those photos. And I think that's typical of Madonna's personality: she's in the driver's seat. Of course, she's provocative and knows people will react. But considering her recent Warner deal, she's trying to impose them her vision and send them a message: "I'm in charge." "I'm making the calls." Obviously, Warner Media were not keen on this project.

They had to go through with it Because she's the boss. Obviously, no one gave a green light for her to wear a BDSM outfit, on an altar with a cross. Or to have a dog between her legs, or to pretend to poop in a bowl. Yep. No green light for those. In only a few days, Madonna sells close to 1.5 million copies of his book. Because... her CD was sold with the book! The book cost $50 when it came out. You guys do the math. Yup, that's a lot of money in little time. However, the

book has completely overshadowed her latest album. The attention was elsewhere. Except her 1st project, Erotica is Madonna's 1st album not to reach the top of the Billboard charts in the U.S. You can't have everything. She's still doing well. At that time, she has a relationship with 2Pac. Yup, yup, 2Pac. Now you know. But she also flaunted her bisexuality without shame, And have relationships with women. The next year, she stars in another movie with some BDSM scenes. She isn't done with her provocative side! She has pushed back boundaries for a long time, but she never really

had problems because of it! Every time she played with conventions, nobody has stopped her. So why would it change? Unfortunately, her new tour is even more provocative and for once, It will impact her career! The Girlie Show is a 2-hour show and truly is a masterpiece. Dozens of unique costumes, dancers, an orchestra, set design, choreographies for every fucking sound... Everything was perfect... ... until her concert in Puerto Rico. We're not sure what's got into her: she grabbed the Puerto Rican flag and rubbed it against her legs. The audience was stunned And outraged by this. Madonna

was in hot waters again. A few months later, she was a guest on David Letterman's Late Show. She could have kept a low profile, calmed things down, speak up... But come on guys. She's Madonna. She didn’t stop being rude and provocative during the show. The network even having to censor several scenes. But what got people talking was her offering the host her underwear, asking him to feel it. Repeatedly. So, in a year, we've got: The sex book, the BDSM movie, the flag-rubbing on her p****... And on TV, it's even worse! By the way, the Letterman

interview in on YouTube. It's so typical from the 90s, I was amazed by the informal tone! Go have a look, it's a learning experience! So with all those events, people think she went too far and that her career is over. And it's kinda true. Madonna is a bit lost and her popularity is falling by the day So she takes her time to prepare her 6th studio album: Bedtime Stories. This is a radically different album: softer melodies, more R'n'B than pop, lyrics are less explicit. She clearly tried to tone down her provocative image. The audience could

tell and liked it. The album is more successful, with to Take A Bow reaching number one on the Billboard charts. Despite all we said, it's the 1st time that a Madonna single lasts so long at the top of the U.S. charts. And still, no drama! Madonna is rebuilding her image, she went too far before so she takes her time. She even sings ballads. Some people accuse her of glorifying bullfighting in her clip, But apart from that, she really is trying to change her artistic direction. And I mean, even outside music. She sponsors several art exhibitions,

including one dedicated to former lover Basquiat, one of the first people to believe in her. Let's digress a bit: that chick dated: Basquiat, 2Pac, Sean Penn, Denis Rodman, Guy Ritchie, Brahim Zaibat... It's so weird, she has known so many eras! End of digression. The year is 1996 (what a nice year!) Madonna, as usual, Is about to be in a movie. The most important one in her career. For once, she's not in there because of her looks, her fame, her provocative side. She is to play one of the most influential women in Argentinaʼs political history, Eva

Perón. Evita is a musical about this woman's life. So Madonna has a major role in a historical film with song and dance. It's the role of a lifetime. As of today, in interviews, She says that it's what she is most proud of in her career. During filming, she is often ill. her role is very demanding and requires intense emotional effort, even impacting her health. She doesn't give up on the shooting, but feels weaker and weaker. She has her blood tested at a doctor's. Results are in: Madonna... ... is pregnant! On October 14, 1996, she gives

birth to a daughter named Lourdes becoming a mom for the very first time. Good news keep piling up. In December of that same year, Evita was finally released in cinemas and Madonna's performance is critically acclaimed for the first time in her acting career. She even won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a musical motion picture. What a great year! She managed success and scandals alike, she's 38 and she keeps climbing. Nobody thought she could achieve more! She has a child now... her career takes a whole new dimension, reinventing herself musically and even artistically. Ray

Of Light In 1998, Madonna keeps working on changing her image and releases her 7th album: Ray Of Light. With this album, Madonna explores new musical genres, very trendy in the 90s: rave and electro. With producer William Orbit, she adds Madonna's pop touch and a sound close to British rock. This mix made the album unique, totally different from anything Madonna had done before. The Queen of Pop once again reaches the top 10 of the charts in many countries around the world. She also wins four Grammy Awards including Best Pop Album and Best Dance Recording. But, but,

but, but, buuuuut... Guess what's coming? A heated debate! Knock knock, who's there? Controversy. It will fuel the marketing of the album and once again damage Madonna’s image. Shortly before the release of this album, she publicly claimed to be a follower of The Kabbalah. The Kabbalah is a group nurturing a mystical tradition stemming from Judaism in search for direct and intimate knowledge beyond the intellect. It sounds complicated, right? But you can't summarize it in any other way. The problem is that Kabbalah is seen by many Westerners as a HUGE CULT! This new album reflects her change

of spiritual perception. It affects her music and even her clips, here she wears a red bracelet, symbol of this group. Part of her audience sees this album as propaganda. A cult? Well, that's a new type of scandal! Yet another box ticked by Madonna! Madonna would remain loyal to this group for 15 years, donating up to 18 million dollars to the cult! And of course, most of this sum was embezzled by the movement. It's just a fucking cult. After that, it was hard to believe that it was a healthy organization. Anyway, back to Madonna's story. With

her 7th album, the Queen of Pop creates a charity with the same name: Ray of Light Foundation. its main mission is to promote peace, equal rights, education and women empowerment. Madonna has really smoothed out her image and this foundation is one of the most telling examples. She has gone a long way since her sex book from a few years ago. After a number of singles for films such as Time Stood in The Next Best Thing, and Beautiful Stranger in Austin Powers, for which she won another Grammy Award, I mean why not, Madonna releases her 8th

album in September 2000. The project is a collaboration between Madonna and French producer Mirwais. It has the electro vibe of her previous project. Music critics and the public alike appreciate this new album, which reaches the top of the charts in over 20 countries worldwide. It also tops the billboard charts in the U.S. It had been more than 10 years since Madonna had reached her throne. Ah, oh, dramas? Not this time! Apart from the clip for What It Feels Like for a Girl censored by TV channels. It shows Madonna committing crimes and acts of vandalism in

a car, with a granny at her side. I'm sorry, but what's the big deal? Compared to previous years? Even today, some of that stuff aged badly! It's just a clip! Those people would be shocked by today's productions! The year 2000 continues and Madonna gives birth to her second child, from her 2nd marriage to film director Guy Ritchie. The couple moved to England and worked together on the film Swept Away, which was a commercial and critical failure. It happens. Must have been quite a sad mood at home. But that's OK. Thanks for failing, thanks for being

a human sometimes. When someone is always on top and never fails, I find their story less meaningful! Anyway, Madonna is still a legend and it's time for her to go back on stage for her first world tour in 8 years. It becomes the most profitable tour of the year: $75 million for 47 sold-out dates. She also releases a new greatest hits compilation and sells no less than 7 million copies. Most of the film she stars in are failures, but she can afford to try new things (sometimes shitty!), because she has solid stuff going on. Let's

move on to 2003. What an insane career Madonna has had, there's so much to say! She just never stops. 9th album! American Life is based on her observations of American society. The clip will provoke... A debate, a drama or a controversy? A controversy! Due to its violence and anti-war imagery. As a reminder, 2003 was marked by a very tense political context: the U.S. invaded Iraq following the 9/11 attacks. Madonna was against this war and decided to shock By showing the horrors war can bring. The album becomes political and George Bush's supporters will call for a

boycott. We thought Madonna had no limits, but this time, she calmed things down for the first time in her career asking for it to be withdrawn from distribution platforms, censoring herself. In the end, American Life became her least successful one at the time. However, she shocked everyone with her famous performance at the MTV Music Awards where she kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. A huge pop culture moment. Remember the shot on Justin Timberlake's face? It's still funny today, production knew what they were doing! Around the world, those images were the talk of the town. It

has been a while since we saw Madonna being provocative, and to be fair, it suits her well. After all that, she keeps that line and announces she wants to publish books. The media are thrilled: "Oh yeah, we're gonna have a Sex Book 2!!" End of 2003: everyone is expecting a new controversy Everyone's watching. But very unexpectedly, Madonna announces the release of two children's books she wrote. And the medias are like: "erm, how about sex book 2?" The story is beautiful. One might have expected a flop, with children's books written by the queen of controversy. But

not at all. Her first would even become the best-selling childrenʼs picture book of all time at that time. I had to talk about this! She sold a sex book a few years before, now she holds the record for a children's book. She's the same human! I think it's awesome. And she's super into it too! It's not only for the sake of her image, she's for real! That's inspiring. It inspires people to be themselves. She will end up publishing about 20 children's books and donated all the profits to a charity... ... for children. A class act.

After a new world tour and appearances at charity concerts, including one in support of the victims of the 2004 tsunami, the Queen of Pop is about to set a new milestone. She managed to cool things down and avoid, like many people thought, the end of her career, Madonna is about to face new competition in the pop world. Once again, she has to reinvent herself so that she can endure. Legends always manage so stay relevant. Above all, Madonna wants to remain the Queen. Remaining the Queen. Her 10th album is already ready to come out of the

oven. It is structured like a DJ set. In 2005, she releases an album that would set clubs on fire and get millions of people dancing: Confessions On A Dance floor. Madonna has returned to the source of her success with a poppy, upbeat album, that is all about dancing and having fun. On her home turf, she's untouchable. It would go on to win a Grammy Award for Best Electro/Dance album, and initiate the most profitable tour for a female artist at the time. It's all going well, what could go wrong? The album is a big hit, all

about fun and dancing. Madonna adds bible-related symbols to her show. She gets into trouble with the Orthodox Church, some Jewish communities, but also the Pope himself, who calls for her exclusion from the Christian community. Yup. Oh yeah, there were also kidnapping threats from Russian mafia. Must be nice being her. The tour goes on normally She justifies these stagings by a desire to raise public awareness of the consequences of the AIDS pandemic in Africa. OK, that's a noble cause. But why do this by staging the crucifixion of Christ? This new controversy could have been avoided but

the cool thing is that she put the spotlight on the fight against AIDS. OK, she says that there's no bad buzz... But maybe you should still avoid it when you can? The Confessions tour would gather over 1.2 million spectators for nearly 194 million in takings. A record for a female artist. At the same time, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry announces that Madonna is now part of a very select group of artists having surpassed 200 million albums sold worldwide. Let me write it down for you: 200 MILLIONS. And those are old numbers too. At

the same time, Madonna founds a new organization in 2006: Raising Malawi, whose goal is to finance orphanages, hospitals, trips... In short: support and improve the lives of Malawians. But during one of her trips to Malawi a new controversy arises. *sighs* OK, this is too much. Her career be like: CONTROVERSY, SUCCESS SUCCESS, CONTROVERSY, CONTROVERSY, SUCCESS RECORD, CONTROVERSY, CONTROVERSY, CONTROVERSY. Madonna and her husband are about to adopt a young boy named David Banda. But the law requires the parents to reside for a minimum of one year in Malawi before the adoption. Madonna has never done that. She

is suspected of buying the child using her influence to circumvent the laws. Complaints are filed and David's biological father sides with Madonna. In the end, the trial will rule in the artistʼs favor and the adoption is made official two years later. We're still in 2008 Madonna directs and releases her very first film: Filth and Wisdom She now has a new trick up her sleeve: Movie direction. The movie or the critics aren't great, it's a bit of a flop, But like every time, Madonna is planning something big, so that people remember who she is. It all

starts with the signing of a new contract with Live Nation and the Interscope Records label. Live Nation works with a lot of famous names: Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Shakira, Drake, etc. in short, this contract will allow Madonna to work with promising young artists And maintain a hip image. This gives birth to her 11th album. For this new album, Madonna left the reins to the youngsters. Danja, Timberlake, Timbaland, The Neptunes, they all showed their potential with this project and succeeded in modernizing Madonna. She has never had so many featuring before, and it's a huge success. The album

will top the charts in almost 37 countries. And guys, don't forget: she is in her early 50s! All her life, she has ruled over the industry. And she still manages to grow more popular. Some saw her as an upstart trying to appeal to a more "urban audience", but the criticism will fade out... because it's untrue. Remember her previous tour that reached $194 million? Well, the following tour would yield $408 million. Just the tour. It was a record for a female artist, she... doubled it. In 2008, Madonna divorces director Guy Ritchie. She then tries to adopt

another Malawian child, but the country's high court rejects her request because she still doesn't comply to the law stipulating that she has to live in Malawi for 1 year to adopt. After another legal battle, Madonna is vindicated It's really mind-blowing to think that Madonna always said: "I'm handling it." "I'm the one in charge." There are LAWS against it! But she wins anyway... Like... but... how?! All this power, it's insane. She welcomes a new child into her family, Mercy James. A year goes by, and you know the drill: Madonna releases another compilation, Celebration, with he greatest

hits with Warner Bros. 2009 also marks the passing of one of the greatest artists of her generation, Michael Jackson. He was the King of Pop, she is the Queen of Pop, so she pays him tribute with a speech recounting their relationship and the impact he had on the music scene at the MTV Music Awards that same year. In a desperate attempt to hold on to his memory, I went on the internet to watch all clips of him dancing and singing on TV and stage. and I thought: "My God..." He was so unique, so original, so

rare. And there will never be anyone like him again. He was a king. Madonna closed the 2000s as the decadeʼs best-selling artist, and also the best-attended on tour, with over 6 million people coming to watch her. Total gains for this new tour: $800 millions. Uh huh. Record, record, record... OK, can you please stop? I'm telling those, those artists are bulldozers. It's like they never dive too deep! She's been the boss the whole time! At 52, Madonna is timeless. her music spanning different eras and styles without ever experiencing a real flop. Despite competition from much younger

pop artists she has managed to maintain a certain appeal and modernity to her music. She's alone on her throne, nobody even comes close, and now she enters a new decade with a new idea in mind. Provocation and activism After launching a clothing brand with her daughter And her own fitness chain, Madonna starts off 2011 by revealing her latest biographical movie: W.E. But even with her as a director, the movie isn't very successful. She really gave cinema a go, but sometimes it's just not meant to be. She did, however, win a Golden Globe for Masterpiece, which

she wrote for the film. In 2012, Madonna comes back on stage. But not any stage. The Queen of Pop is the headline act At the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. Her show became the most watched in the event's history, with 114 million viewers. That's more viewers than for the match itself! I made a video on the Super Bowl if you guys are interested. During the event, Madonna would tease her next album, released a few weeks later. With this project, Madonna is back with more poppy, electro songs. She surrounds herself with expert producers: William Orbit, who already

helped with Ray of Light, Mika, Martin Solveig, Benny Benassi. Like in her previous album, she puts her trust in youth by doing collabs with: M.I.A., Nicki Minaj and LMFAO. After the Super Bowl show and her going back to the style she likes the most, her album was not that successful. Let's take a step back, though: Her reign began more than 30 years ago! You might not be 30 yet! You can't always win! It's natural. Madonna still goes on yet another tour, a successful one at that! It's a commercial success, the comeback of the Queen of

Pop and her provocative side. During the MDNA Tour, Madonna's show feature violent scenes, guns, nudity and political statements. She is criticized. At Olympia Hall, she is 45 minutes late, goes on stage for 45 minutes, then she's out. She also gave concert at the Stade de France where she showed pictures of Marine Le Pen with a svastika on her forehead, very subliminally. Just to show you guys that Madonna knows who Marine Le Pen is. More importantly, she takes a stance by supporting activists advocating for women's rights such as the Pussy Riots. She condemned the attempted assassination

of Malala Yousafzai, who fought for women's education in Pakistan, as well as the violation of LGBT rights in Russia. Madonna isn't just some bland girl who doesn't take stances. In 2013 and 2014, Madonna makes a few appearances and delivers a committed speech. At the GLAAD Media Awards ceremony, she appears in a Boy Scout outfit to denounce the attitude of the Boy Scouts of America organization, refusing to have homosexual Scouts. The same year, on BitTorrent, she releases the short film secretprojectrevolution, in favor of human rights. She launches Art For Freedom program, which promotes art and freedom

of speech as weapons against persecution and injustice worldwide. Time goes by crazy fast. It's 2015 already! 3 months after some of her tracks leaked, she releases yet another album: Rebel Heart. She surrounded herself with major artists of the decade: Aviici, Diplo, Kanye West... The project reflects her personal reflection and introspection on her career. The album is critically acclaimed, but the audience isn't sold. Not so much, anyway. With 1 million sales, considering it's Madonna we're talking about, it becomes her least-sold album. Bit of a flop. Too bad really, the album has a feat. with Mike Tyson!

Madonna x Mike Tyson! But honestly, some tracks like Bitch I'm Madonna, you listen to them and think: her approach is so poppy, in 2015... it's not that far! She was always very aware of trends, very in, and the song ages differently. The audience wasn't sold at the time, but it's still interesting. You may remember this: at the Brit Awards, promoting her album, Madonna had an accidental fall during a live show. Images went viral and she was laughed at by the whole world on social media. Quick digression: around the same time, she kissed Drake during her

Coachella concert. She responded to critics on Instagram: If you don't like me and still watch everything I do, Bitch, You're a fan. OK. Message received. She is about to embark on a new world tour. Those shows are less successful, but Madonna continued her activism. She sported the Hong Kong and Taiwan flags, drawing protests from Chinese people. She paid her respects to victims of the Paris attacks. On the Place de la République, where she sung Imagine by John Lennon and Like A Prayer. There were a few slip-ups, like showing up to shows very, very, very late,

or being drunk. She was criticized. She also pulled on a woman's bustier, like Timberlake or Janet Jackson. One might think it's OK, but the girl was 17, so underage. Not so great. In the end, Madonna apologized to the girl, but offered her to do the same. Madonna, everybody! After the Rebel Heart Tour, Madonna is named Woman of the Year at the 2016 Billboard Awards. What struck people that night was her very direct and honest speech On ageism and the place of women in society. Do not age. Because to age is a sin. You will be

criticized. You will be vilified. And you will definitely not be played on the radio. People say that I'm so controversial, but I think the most controversial thing I have ever done is to stick around. If you have some time on your hands, go listen to that speech. She talks about moments in her career, Showing emotions, talks about controversy... it's interesting. The very essence of who she is is in this speech, somewhere between provocation, activism and sincerity. The next months, she actively supports Hilary Clinton at the 2016 presidential election. She's upset by Trump's victory and takes

a stance against his ideas. She joins the Women's March in Washington a day after he was invested. She even threatened to blow up the White House. She might be the most committed artist of all time. That's why I highlight all of her fights the causes she used her fame for. And she's not just speaking up: she's threatening to blow up Trump's White House! You get it: Madonna is getting older and logically, her music is less trendy. Same goes for her tours. But she hasn't disappeared either. Today, she sings and dances mostly for herself, and for

her long-lived fans. She still travels across the world to talk about battles she holds dear: Feminism, LGBT rights, aids prevention. But Madonna isn't done: her career is just taking a turn. She leaves the U.S. to go live... in Portugal! The Reign goes on. After adopting two Malawian twins, the whole family flies to Portugal to follow closely her son David's football career in the Benfica Lisbon club. Madonna focuses on her new cosmetic range, And that's it. 3 years go by, it's 2019. Madonna releases another album! You have to respect her legacy: it's her 14th album! Madame

X. In the album, she draws inspiration from worldwide music: Portugal, Brazil, Colombia, Morocco, etc. It's a daring project, different from all her previous work. The Queen of Pop is number one again: The album is her 9th project to top the Billboard charts. Yup. If you followed closely, "Madame X" may sound familiar to you. It's the nickname given to her by Martha Graham her 1st dance teacher in New York. Those details are always nice, they loop the loop and make for a nice story. Her following tour was cancelled, because of the pandemic-who-must-not-be-named, Madonna donated to the

Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. A 1 Million euro donation to help finance vaccine research. Years go by, we're almost caught up! In 2023, she announces the Celebration Tour, a tour with all her greatest hits. A best-of show. Lately, she was featured 3 times in Christine & the Queens album, and appeared in single Popular, with The Weeknd and Playboi Carti. As the Celebration Tour is about to kick off, Madonna is found unconscious in her New York apartment on June 24, 2023. Following a serious bacterial infection, Madonna would spend 5 days in the hospital and was even

placed in an induced coma. Today, she is better. Her tour ended on January 2024 and is apparently working on a biopic of her entire career. Yup. I stole her job. Oh yeah, another digression: You remember the Pepsi ad, the censored one with Like A Prayer? On September 12, 2023, this ad is finally aired in its entirety on TV, during the commercial break of the MTV Music Awards. It's a bit random and might seem like nothing, but it's actually a big win for Madonna! No matter the images in the ad, it is today accepted without censorship.

It shows that the ways have changed since the 80s. It's a perfect anecdote before I wrap up, because this ad is a witness of Madonna's unwavering artistic integrity. What she brought to the table was a huge inspiration for the next generation of artists. Those who come after her, In a way! Conclusion We went through many different story on this channel, and Madonna's story hits different. She had a very strong personality and always felt the need to control everything. But the moral could be that thanks to her self-confidence, determination and ambitions, all of which were huge,

that today, she has such a career, such a legacy in music history. And even I researched into her life so much, to try and understand that, there's still something I can't explain about Madonna. She went from nobody to global icon in only 4 years. Media overdose has impacted many artists, we saw that many times. Not Madonna though. She knew it was only a step to fulfill her dreams, to become who she wanted. And she used that to remain herself until the end. Her career is full of controversies, Looking closely, Each of those was meant to

trigger reactions, open minds and make our world a bit less discriminatory. For Madonna, art is the best way to convey a message and artists must shock their audience for the message to be impactful. The process isn't perfect, but she proved that it works. If Elvis Presley is the world's first music idol, if the Beatles are the same, for a band, then Madonna is the first women for this category. Her career paved the way for many, many female artists. Britney Spears, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, etc. It's an endless list. But they all draw their inspiration from the

Queen of Pop. She broke down many barriers so that many artists could express themselves freely. For me, if you listen to music, you're an art consumer. If he should advocate for something, it should be for this freedom artists have. Because without it, art has no meaning. This may be commonsense for some, but maybe not for everyone. Today, Madonna's career spans over 45 years with over 400 millions albums and singles sold worldwide. She should be overtaken by artists like Taylor Swift who are killing it all, but until then, she's the best-selling female artist of all time

with one of the most successful career. And when it comes to influence, she simply has no match. Last May, at 65, she once again made music history by gathering over 1.6 million people To her concert in Rio. It's... huge. And all her career until that new record, she remained committed, true to herself, unwavering. One thing is sure: her career has exceeded her youthful dreams and her music, her social influence will remain forever. Thanks for sticking around, it's an unusual success story, A bit outside the box. It's still interesting, please respect that. I had to talk

about Madonna at some point, She's one those great names I wanted to study, research, understand. I enjoyed myself in the process. It was insightful for me. Please subscribe, leave a comment, a little something, any feedback is welcome, really. My socials are in the description, Thanks to my sponsor, there's a link in the description. Have a nice evening, a nice day... Not sure what to say except enjoy music, and long live art. Because it's awesome. Bye!

L'INCROYABLE HISTOIRE DE MADONNA !