“Madonna – World of Madame X” Now Available on Amazon Prime Video (press release)

Madame X, Madonna News, Madonna VideoJuly 3, 2019

Amazon Prime Video added Madonna’s new documentary, “World of Madame X” to its comprehensive catalog, making it available to over 100 countries and territories. The 23-minute documentary gives customers an inside look into the start of Madonna’s record-breaking career and inspiration behind her music.

Customers can also stream an exclusive clip from the documentary on Prime Video, which is available to watch here, and hear two, brand-new Amazon Original remixes of tracks from Madonna’s new album from Robbie Rivera and Erick Morillo. Simply ask, “Alexa play the Amazon Original by Madonna” on enabled devices and with Alexa in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android to get started.

“MADONNA – WORLD OF MADAME X” AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

Set in Lisbon, Portugal, Madonna Shares the Inspiration Behind the

“World Of Madame X” in this Documentary Short About Her Recent #1 Album

Madonna gives an intimate, behind-the-scenes look of how her recent #1 album came together in the documentary short “World of Madame X,” which is available now globally in over 100 counties and territories on Amazon Prime Video. Madonna is joined in the 23-minute documentary, beautifully set in Lisbon, Portugal, by collaborators that were part of, and inspired, Madame X.

In “World of Madame X,” she tells the story of how she was given the name Madame X when she was 19 and newly arrived in New York City as she took dance classes at the Martha Graham School and how the album was born while living in Lisbon, Portugal for the past several years.

Amazon Music is currently streaming an exclusive clip from the documentary, which is available to watch here. In addition, fans can hear two, brand-new Amazon Original remixes of tracks from Madonna’s new album from Robbie Rivera and Erick Morillo, and simply ask, “Alexa play the Amazon Original by Madonna” on enabled devices and with Alexa in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android.

Watch a Clip From “Madonna – World Of Madame X” at Amazon Music:

A longtime fan of Fado (a form of Portuguese singing done in social environments) and Morna (widely considered the national music of Cape Verde), Madonna formed a bond with Dino d’Santiago, a Portuguese singer of Cape Verdean descent, who invited her to join local musicians to living-room sessions, where singers and instrumentalists gather in someone’s home to play music. “What struck me most was this organic, authentic feeling of people being there because they just love music,” she recalls. “Money had nothing to do with it. Fame had nothing to do with it. Instagram followers had nothing to do with it. It was really about passion, and music, and art.”

Madonna began filming the proceedings, as shared in the documentary, and sending clips to her longtime producer Mirwais. “I said to him, ‘I know this is crazy, but tell me if it inspires you. Let’s chop up the guitar sounds, and synch them to modern sounding drums.’ Within a week, he had sent me back music. It was amazing and I felt super inspired.” Thus, that is how Madame X was born. “I had the honor of meeting musicians from all of these places, to be inspired by their music, and to let it influence me. That’s how these songs came to be.”

Madonna’s critically-acclaimed 14^th studio album Madame X debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The #1 chart debut marks another milestone in her legendary career, becoming her ninth #1 studio album. In addition to Mirwais, Madonna collaborated on Madame with producers Mike Dean and Diplo, among others.  

Madonna is getting ready to bring Madame X to life by embarking on a series of rare and intimate concert performances to take place exclusively in theaters, giving fans an opportunity to see her perform in an environment like they never have before. The Madame X Tour will kick off September 12^th at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House in New York and will feature multiple nights of shows in each city including performances at the Chicago Theatre, The Wiltern in Los Angeles, the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston, The Met Philadelphia and at the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theatre. The Madame X Tour will continue in early 2020 with performances at the Coliseum in Lisbon, the Palladium in London and at the Grand Rex in Paris. Madonna is the best-selling female solo touring artist of all time and has the highest-grossing concert tour ever by a female artist with her Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008-2009) at $408 million. Tickets and further information is available at https://www.madonna.com/tour. Here is a link to a video from Madonna about the Tour: https://madonna.lnk.to/TourVid.

Madame X comes in a standard and deluxe version of the album and exclusive album bundles with limited edition merchandise are now available direct from Madonna.com.

Madame X at FAME in Amsterdam

Madame X, Madonna NewsJuly 2, 2019

If you are still searching for the Madame X box set FAME Megastore in Amsterdam has quite a few in stock. Unfortunately the CD versions are a lot more limited (3 copies total to be exact).

FAME is located in the Media Markt near Amsterdam Central Station.

Madame X Tour Paris subway advert

Madame X TourJuly 2, 2019

Kunstlezing Copy / Paste: Madonna (art reading Dutch event) July 11 Amersfoort

Madame X, Madonna NewsJuly 2, 2019

Kunstlezing Copy / Paste: Madonna

De Volmolen
Plantsoen Noord 2
3811 GH Amersfoort

Meer informatie

Wat heeft Sneeuwwitje met Johannes Vermeer te maken? En hoe is Michael Jackson met de West Side Story gelinkt? In een reeks van 5 lezingen laat kunstdocent Paul Buijs je de hoeken van lage en hoge cultuur zien. Door middel van verhalen, anekdotes, foto’s en film legt hij connecties tussen de meest uiteenlopende kunstenaars. Een lesje kunstgeschiedenis is er niks bij! MADONNA: Van Monroe glamour naar het nieuwe alter ego MadameX. Madonna verstaat de kunst van een nieuw imago aanmeten maar al te goed. Daarbij maakt zij veelvuldig gebruik van de kunst en filmgeschiedenis. Tamara de Lempicka, Fritz Lang, Horst P. Horst en Liliana Cavani zullen o.a. de revue passeren. Hoe heeft Madonna zich laten inspireren door deze meesters? Welke rol spelen het katholicisme en haar jeugd? Na het bijwonen van deze avond kijk je met een nieuwe en frisse blik naar dit postmodernistisch popicoon.

Wanneer

Donderdag 11 juli 2019 19.00 – 22.00 uur

Prijzen

€ 5,00

Madonna – Madame X in the Mix (Part 1) Megamix (audio)

Madame X, Madonna NewsJuly 2, 2019

Madonna Gives the Most Touching Tribute to LGBTQ Community at Pride Island 2019 | Billboard News Video

Madame X, Madonna News, Madonna VideoJuly 1, 2019

Sound On: The Best Albums of June 2019

Madame X, Madonna NewsJuly 1, 2019

Welcome to Sound On, where we’ll highlight the albums and songs that you should know about each month—from the hits that landed to the tracks you might have missed. We’ll even tell you which moods each album evokes, so you know just when to turn them on to maximize their effects. Happy listening.

Who:

Are you serious? Effin’ Madonna.

What:

Anytime the Queen of Pop does anything, it warrants paying attention. She’s a journeywoman. She invented this shit. Madame X is an experimental, heavily Latin-influenced record that’s worth visiting. “Medellin” (video below) is an ominously sparse opening track that nevertheless demands your attention. (And that pill she references in the beginning is probably Ambien rather than anything someone is doing in Ibiza; Madonna’s been around the block too many times for such childishness.)

There are also some interesting guest choices, including Quavo (sans Migos) on dancey “Future” and Swae Lee (sans Slim Jxmmi) on midtempo but nevertheless catchy “Crave.” It’s not like anything she’s done before, for better (“Crave”) or worse (the graphic, inexplicably-included mass shooting imagery of the “God Control” video). “Crazy” is a slinking anthem, though it might be accused of landing a bit on the nose in this era of “Hispandering.” There are other brilliant pop moments, and a few truly bizarre ones. But it’s Madonna—she does what she wants and may or may not care what we think.

Best Time to Listen:

Before praying at your Madonna shrine, I would assume.

listen now

Madonna closes out WorldPride with massive concert at ‘Pride Island’

Madame X, Madonna NewsJuly 1, 2019

The city’s record-breaking WorldPride celebration was capped off Sunday night with a blockbuster performance by the Material Girl.

“This is my gay rite of passage,” wrote one Madonna fan on Twitter, who attended the event.

“We’ve been ready for this for nearly 30 years,” another said, sharing footage of himself as a kid dancing to the song “Vogue.”

Thousands of people gathered for the show — held on “Pride Island” at Pier 97 in Manhattan, where they got into the groove in celebration of the LGBTQ community.

“Madonna ordered me to Pride Island,” an attendee said, sharing pics from the pop star’s waterfront performance.

Frankie Grande, brother of singer Ariana Grande, was also at the event and tweeted: “I’m beyond grateful right now. world pride was everything i could have asked for… celebrated at pride island with @Madonna…w/ my loving boyfriend at my side… & completely SOBER!”

Closing out WorldPride week was said to be a huge honor for the Queen of Pop, who spoke about the opportunity earlier this month.

“It means everything to me,” she told Out magazine. “I’m proud of having been even a small part of fighting for LGBTQ+ equality.”

Millions of people flocked to NYC on Sunday to celebrate 50 years of the gay rights movement and take part in the Pride parade.

More at PageSix

Madonna thanks LGBTQ community in moving speech to close World Pride

Madame X, Madonna NewsJuly 1, 2019

‘I always felt like an outsider but you made me feel like an insider,’ said Madonna at World Pride performance in New York City

Madonna rounded off World Pride celebrations in New York with a performance at the festival’s ‘Pride Island’ on Manhattan’s Pier 57.

The iconic singer’s performance was one of the most anticipated events of the weekend. This year’s New York Pride hosted the World Pride festivities, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in 1969.

Storm conditions nearly cancel set from Madonna

For a short while, Madonna’s actual appearance was thrown into doubt. At around 4pm yesterday afternoon, the Pier was evacuated due to stormy conditions whipping up the wind.

However, it was reopened when safe and her appearance went ahead as planned.

As it turned out, Madonna performed a short set of just four songs. However, the packed pier went ecstatic when she launched her set with her classic hit, Vogue. The song brought ballroom culture and vogue dancing to the mainstream masses back in 1990.

She followed this up with 2003’s American Life, before giving a speech to the crowd.

‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart’

‘It’s weird, I know we’re on a pier and this pier has a lot of history. God knows it has a lot of history. Do you feel like you’re crammed on a parking lot right now?’ she began jokingly.

The piers in this part of Manhattan were notorious cruising grounds for men seeking sex with other men in the 1970s.

‘So, Fifty years people,’ Madonna continued in a more serious vein. ‘Fifty years of revolution, fifty years of freedom fighting, fifty years of putting up with discrimination, hatred and indifference, fifty years of blood, sweat and tears, fifty years of not bowing down to fear. That’s what I’m talking about.

‘We have been on this journey together, and I am so proud and honored to share this historical evening with you.”

‘You really don’t know. Since I came to New York as a wee little girl, I have always been embraced by queer nation. I always felt like an outsider but you made me feel like an insider. You must know how much I love and appreciate everyone here tonight. All members of the LGBTQ community.

‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart.’

‘Short but powerful’

She then launched into God Control, one of the latest tracks from her Madame X album. The song is a call for greater gun control in the US. Madame X, her 14th studio work, hit the top of the Billboard Top 200 last week.

She finished the set with the anthemic I Rise, also from Madame X. At the end, fireworks exploded over the pier.

Among those watching the performance was her friend Donatella Versace, who posted video to her Instagram account.

Also in the crowd was Madonna fan Fabricio Longo from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He told Gay Star News Madonna’s set was ‘really short but powerful. Madonna is Madonna and she knows what it means to be who she is and sing to an LGBTQ audience for pride. So the performance was very emotional, since everyone was so excited to be there.’

Madonna’s performance caps off a hugely successful World Pride in New York City. Other performers to take part included Grace Jones, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Melissa Etheridge. Organizers say the event was enjoyed by up to 4.5million people over the course of the entire weekend.

More at Gay Star News

Madonna performs at Pride Island (fan video’s)

Madame X, Madonna News, Madonna VideoJuly 1, 2019

Madonna performs onstage during Pride Island (press images)

Madame X, Madonna NewsJuly 1, 2019

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 30: Madonna performs onstage during Pride Island – WorldPride NYC 2019 at Pier 97 on June 30, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Pride Island)
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 30: Madonna performs onstage during Pride Island – WorldPride NYC 2019 at Pier 97 on June 30, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Pride Island)

Madonna Closes World Pride With Message About Gun Violence in America

Madame X, Madame X Tour, Madonna NewsJuly 1, 2019

“Fifty years, people,” Madonna ad-libbed on Sunday night in Manhattan to a crowd of 7,000 rapturous, mostly shirtless fans.

The setting for this 30-minute concert? River Island stage on Pier 97 in Manhattan, better known as “Pride Island.” Madonna’s performance of four songs closed a week of festivities for World Pride, which included the June 28 commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the gay liberation movement.

“Fifty years of revolution,” Madonna said in a short sermon that she delivered between songs. “Fifty years of freedom and fighting. Fifty years of putting up with discrimination, hatred and ignorance. Fifty years of not bowing down to fear. I’m so proud and honored to share this historical event with you. Fifty f–king years. It’s insane. Are you with me?”

Full article HERE

Madonna Pays Heartfelt Tribute to the LGBTQ Community at Pride Island 2019

Madame X, Madame X TourJuly 1, 2019

“What are you lookin’ at?”

Well, at Pride Island 2019, the annual queer pier dance in Manhattan in conjunction with New York City Pride, revelers were looking at one of the most beloved, iconic and vociferous LBGTQ icons: Madonna.

Madame X closed out day 2 of Pride Island, which was especially packed considering that New York Pride — already a massive event — was more than doubled thanks to WorldPride taking up residence in NYC this year with June 28 marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, where Black trans women kicked off the modern fight for LGBTQ equality.

Madonna opened with her Harlem ballroom scene-indebted smash “Vogue,” and the audience response was deafening. After that, the musical shapeshifter brought out a single it’s safe to say no one expected to hear as part of a limited-length set: “American Life.” That being said, while it’s not one of her, say, 20 most iconic songs, the message of “American Life” has only grown more timely in the 16 years since its release, and its strangely compelling melange of squelching synths, strings and folk had the crowd rapt — especially when she dove head-first into the “soy latte” rap (which reals Stans in the crowd parroted back to her perfectly).

Full article HERE

Madonna ends WorldPride with a bang with concert at ‘Pride Island’ Pier 97

Madame X, Madame X TourJuly 1, 2019

‘Madame X’ album review: Madonna holds out for optimism

Madame X, Madonna NewsJune 30, 2019

The singer’s new album can be considered her boldest act of defiance

Madame X album-1561811542469 — Image Credit:

Frankly, Madonna didn’t need to create ‘Madame X’, not for relevance, not for the tours and 360 branding opportunities that she invented.

When people want Madonna to sip chamomile tea and calm down, this act of creation is her boldest act of defiance, a tool she is all too familiar with.

‘Madame X’ can be seen as a defiant response to the trolls. But it very quickly reveals higher ambitions. This is a record that cuts across ethnic, religious, geographic and economic barriers. An act of music, an act of inspired politics. It speaks of dismay but holds out for optimism.

Travelling through her many incarnations, Madonna has finally become her own muse. ‘Madame X’ arrives, in full embrace of its author’s incredible life, the paths she has travelled, the lessons she has learnt or wishes to learn — and, most interestingly, of where her mind is at.

In ‘God Control’, Madonna sings “Blood of innocence, spread everywhere. They say that we need love. But we need more than this”. Clearly, the current state of affairs is her priority. But, if we can dance whilst saving the world, why not strike a pose?

There is a sense of letting go of the ego too. In ‘Dark Ballet’, she cedes the screen to LGBTQ+ activist, Mykki Blanco, and in the anthemic ‘I Rise’, she gives her platform to those who, the powers that be would rather silence.

Musically, ‘Madame X’ ties all of Madonna’s albums that have come before in one neat arc. Yes, it has a clunker or two, and sometimes Madonna’s songwriting seems rambling, it is undeniably brilliant. It is charting a new, multicultural territory. And where Madonna goes, the rest of the Pop brigade eventually follows.

Throughout the record, there is a sense of vulnerability that Madonna has not displayed in years. It is that vulnerability that comes from making peace with being a student of life, for life.

On ‘Looking for Mercy’, which is arguably one of the best songs on the record, Madonna asks: “Is it really pain if it’s inside? On the outside, I’m strong. Hold my hand, please sympathise”. Don’t be fooled. The only person she seeks sympathy from, is herself. This is not a woman looking for approval. This is a woman who will rise above it all.

Long after Madonna has discarded the eyepatch, she will remain a bride married to amazement. In ‘I Rise’ Madonna says: “Freedom’s what you choose to do with what’s been done to you”. And she chooses to use the vitriol directed at her to fuel creation.

More at Gulf News

Sunday Sounds: The Many Excellent Drummers On Madonna’s ‘True Blue’

Madonna NewsJune 30, 2019

On June 30, 1986, Madonna released her third studio album True Blue. Madonna cowrote and coproduced the entire album with Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard, who also played drums with her on the record along with Jonathan “Sugarfoot” Moffett (pictured above).

Many posit that True Blue was the album that launched Madonna to superstardom, and indeed the record earned the pop singer a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, where she was given the title of most successful singer for 1986. True Blue was also the world’s top-selling album of that year and the best-selling album of the 1980s by a female artist.

True to its ’80s roots, in addition to acoustic drums the album features plenty of electronic drum programming, drum synths, and keyboard, along with some Cuban and Latin percussion on songs like “La Isla Bonita” and “Love Makes The World Go Round.”

Take a trip down ’80s memory lane with the following songs.

“TRUE BLUE”

Stephen Bray produced and drummed on this track.

“LIVE TO TELL”

With Patrick Leonard on drums.

“PAPA DON’T PREACH”

Stephen Bray on drums.

“LA ISLA BONITA”

With Patrick Leonard doing the drum programming, Jonathan Moffett on drums, and Paulinho da Costa on percussion.

WANT MORE JONATHAN MOFFETT?

More at Drummagazine

New cover “Rockdelux” (Spain)

Madame X, Madonna News, Madonna Press ReleasesJune 30, 2019

Available tomorrow in Spain! (official website HERE)

Decoding Madonna’s Disturbing “God Control” Video

Madame X, Madonna NewsJune 30, 2019

Violence has been a surprisingly consistent theme throughout Madonna’s music video canon, from “Like a Prayer” to “What It Feels like for a Girl” to, most recently, “Dark Ballet,” in which Mykki Blanco is burned at the stake. But the video for “God Control,” from her latest album, Madame X, is shockingly graphic in its depiction of gun violence.

The video, which premiered on Wednesday, was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who also helmed the clip for 2003’s “American Life,” the original version of was scrapped in the lead-up to the Iraq War. Parallels between the two videos are inevitable: “American Life” is a satire of modern society’s consumption of war as popular entertainment, while “God Control” depicts the carnage weapons of war can wreak here at home. Like “American Life,” the new video features a wealth of Easter eggs, hidden meanings, and cameos.

The brunette Madonna (we’ll call her Madame X) has framed photos of Frida Kahlo, Simone de Beauvoir, and Patti Smith hanging on the walls around her desk. Also visible are portraits of choreographer Martha Graham—who, according to Madonna, christened her with the nickname “Madame X” in the late 1970s because she was constantly changing her appearance—and political activist Angela Davis, a quote from whom is a featured at the end of the video: “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

God Control

The record Madame X listens to while writing is titled “We Need to Wake Up,” printed in a ‘70s-style typeface. The credits, unfortunately, are too small to make out:

God Control

Early in “God Control,” a statue of Christ is seen weeping blood, echoing a similar shot in Madonna’s video for “Like a Prayer,” in which a black saint cries tears of blood:

God Control

A brief close-up of Madame X’s typewriter pulls focus on the letters “D” and “C,” an obvious reference to Washington D.C.’s inaction:

God Control

Later in the clip, Madonna punches the “Power Return” button, an obvious allusion to the people reclaiming their power, which is followed by a montage of gun-control demonstrations:

God Control

Though the opening shot of “God Control” establishes New York City as the location of the story, the club scenes were filmed at downtown Los Angeles’s historic Globe Theatre, where the marquee reads “We Need To Wake Up”:

Blink and you’ll miss cameos from RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Monét X Change, YouTuber Gigi Gorgeous, and actress Sofia Boutella, who’s danced for Madonna on tour:

God Control

Surveillance footage featured throughout the video is dated “16/05/12,” which some fans have speculated refers to a passage from the New Testament:

God Control

In another possible reference to “Like a Prayer,” Madonna is thrown against a wall and attacked, similar to a scene in the 1989 video in which she witnesses a young woman being sexually assaulted by a group of men:

God Control

While Madonna gets ready for a night on the town, a poster in the background reads “Straight White Men Rule Everything Around Me”:

God Control

Theories abound over whether the two Madonnas featured in the video are the same person, if they’re neighbors, or if the blond Madonna is a fictional creation of Madame X. One clue could be right at our fingertips—or, rather, Madonna’s. Both characters appear to be wearing the same glittery nail polish:

God Control