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"A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That's why they don't get what they want."

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Singer, actress, director, writer, producer, it's hard to think of a role in the entertainment industry that Madonna hasn't occupied at one time or another. As a performer alone, Madonna has lived multiple lives, reinventing her sound and image time and again, from her time as an 80s pop star to her edgier 90s work to covering Leonard Cohen in the 2010s. There's simply not much that Madonna hasn't done.

"I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams."

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A Rebellious Youth

"I wouldn’t have turned out the way I was if I didn’t have all those old-fashioned values to rebel against."

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Born August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan to Madonna Louise and Silvio Anthony Ciccione, it should come as no surprise to learn that Madonna comes from a strictly Catholic family, having been confirmed by the Catholic Church in 1966 under the name of Veronica. Much has been made of Madonna's rebellious years, but people often skip over the personal troubles that created strife in her childhood. Losing her mother at a young age, Madonna was reluctant to warm to anyone she saw as trying to fill that role in her life. Throughout her childhood Madonna was an excellent student, but would often act out at school, doing anything she could to get attention.

In hopes of channeling that energy in a positive direction, Madonna's father signed her up for piano lessons, but she was able to negotiate ballet lessons, instead. She would eventually receive a dance scholarship that would allow her to study at the University of Michigan and at the American Dance Festival. She would train under Martha Graham, who gave her the nickname "Madame X." She eventually decided against using that as her stage name, but did use it as the title for an album, Madame X (2019).

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Madonna dropped out of college and moved to New York in 1978. Here she would take whatever job she could find, including waitressing at a Dunkin' Donuts, and would perform as much as possible. She attended classes at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and performed wth the Pearl Lang Dance Theater, and would work as a backup singer and dancer for Patrick Hernandez when the disco performer launched his 1979 world tour. She formed a rock band with boyfriend Dan Gilroy, the Breakfast Club. The band never quite hit it big, but did have a couple minor hits, including "Rico Mambo" (1984) and "Right on Track" (1986) which hit number 7 on the US charts, although both of these singles would be released after Madonna quit the band.

After The Breakfast Club, Madonna formed the band Emmy with Stephen Bray, but already, she felt that she wouldn't really make her mark until she became a solo act. She found a fan in record producer Mark Kamins, who set up a meeting between Madonna and Seymour Stein, of Sire Records. She landed a singles deal and immediately found success on the club scene with "Everybody" (1982) and "Burning Up" 1983.

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First-Name Basis

"I’ve been popular and unpopular successful and unsuccessful loved and loathed and I know how meaningless it all is. Therefore I feel free to take whatever risks I want."

To capitalize on the success of her debut singles, Madonna would need a full length album. She went to work on her self-titled debut album, Madonna (1983). However, she would be unhappy with the production on the album provided by Warner Bros.' Reggie Lucas. She would move in with John "Jellybean" Benitez to remix the album to her liking, and this extra work paid off. The Benitez-produced "Holiday" (1983) wound up her first international hit. The Benitez version of the album relied heavily on synthesizers and drum machines, helping to define the slick, electronic sound of the 1980s. She would soon become a fashion pioneer, as well, with skirts over pants, bleached hair with dark roots, and way too many bracelets.

Since the release of Madonna (1983), the singer's career has essentially been a runaway train. She followed up on the success of this album with Like a Virgin (1984), the first album by a woman to sell more than five million copies in the US, with twenty one million sales worldwide, and certified diamond status. In the late 1980s and early 1990, Madonna explored a somewhat darker persona on albums like True Blue (1986) which featured the single "Papa Don't Preach" (1986) and became a chart-topper in twenty-eight countries, selling twenty-five million copies. She would begin starring in films like Shanghai Surprise (1986) and Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), where she debuted the single "Into the Groove" (1985).

Some of Madonna's ventures around this time were more successful than others. Shanghai Surprise (1986) was a critical and commercial disappointment, but Desperately Seeking Susan became a cult favorite, while her role as Breathless Mahoney in Dick Tracy (1990) earned mixed reviews, but went to number one at the US box office for two straight weeks, and won Madonna a Saturn Award. Musically, however, it seemed that she could do no wrong. Her controversial Blond Ambition World Tour earned strong reactions for its frank sexuality, with fans ultimately declaring it one of the best tours of 1990, and her greatest-hits album, including two new songs, "Justify My Love" (1990) and "Rescue Me" (1990) was certified diamond, selling thirty-one million albums.

Since then, Madonna has reinvented herself time and again, focusing on an electronica sound for her album Music (2000) and directing her first film, Filth and Wisdom (2008) that same decade.

Her career has not been without its rocky patches. Her folk-influenced album American Life (2003) was generally met to lukewarm reception, and her film Swept Away (2002) directed by then-husband Guy Ritchie was considered one of the most disappointing of either career, but she's always managed to bounce back with another celebrated album like Hard Candy (2008) or her title track for Die Another Day (2002). Madonna has had her up and downs, but it's safe to say that she's going to remain a hit-maker for as long as she cares to stay in the spotlight.

"Fame is a by-product. Fame is something that should happen because you do work that speaks to people and people want to know about your work. Unfortunately the personality of people has taken over from the work and the artistry and it’s this thing now that stands on its own. I don’t think one should ever aspire to being famous."