2023-10-14 08:49:13
What does a sex symbol do in retirement? Pop icon Madonna’s answer is: go on a world tour. The 65-year-old “Queen of Pop” is kicking off her “Celebration Tour” this Saturday in London, with which she wants to celebrate her four-decade career.
She was once considered blessed with eternal youth. But recently there have been increasing rumors regarding health problems. When Madonna postponed the start of her tour due to a bacterial infection and even had to be treated in intensive care for several days, her fans were very worried.
Performance at the Grammy Awards caused speculation
Her appearance also caused speculation. When she performed at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this year, her cheeks, forehead and lips were severely swollen. Some commentators wanted to recognize the consequences of beauty treatments and suggested that she “age with dignity”.
But Madonna didn’t want to know anything regarding it. She complained on Instagram that she had once once more become the victim of misogyny and age discrimination. “I’ve never apologized for the creative choices I’ve made, nor for how I look or dress, and I’m not starting now.”
With around 330 million records sold, she is considered the most commercially successful singer ever. She made her breakthrough in 1983 with the hit “Holiday”. Just a year later, “Like A Virgin” catapulted her to the top of the charts. Many more hits, around a dozen albums and numerous awards followed.
Madonna keeps reinventing herself
It always seemed as if her career was coming to an end, but then she reinvented herself once more. Over the decades she continued to embrace new styles of music. To do this, she relied on collaborations with younger artists from various genres. From the dance-pop of her earlier years, she turned more towards electro and borrowed elements from hip-hop and Latin pop.
Now she’s back with an opulent show, which the promoter advertises with the sentence: “Get ready to dance your ass off!” It wouldn’t be the first time that Madonna makes a brilliant return to her career following a swan song.
Live performances didn’t always go as planned
Madonna’s live performances sometimes went wrong. For example, when she tumbled off the stage at the Brit Awards in 2015 or failed to hit the notes at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019. Her supposedly weak singing voice was repeatedly criticized.
But the Madonna phenomenon was always more than just singing. She has always been a songwriter, stage star, choreographer and style icon.
She often triggered scandals with her lavishly produced shows and music videos, some of which contained explicit gestures and erotic elements. The video for “Like A Prayer” from 1989, in which she brings the life-size statue of a black Jesus to life with a tender touch on the cheek, caused a stir.
Madonna recently proved that she still loves to provoke with the video announcing the tour. In a large group she plays the party game “Dare or Truth” with frivolous tasks that are given to the participants. Celebrities such as US comedian Amy Schumer, actor Jack Black, rapper Lil Wayne and director Judd Apatow are sitting at the table.
The clip is a reference to the 1991 documentary “Truth or Dare” regarding her tours – which was also considered offensive. In the last round it’s Madonna herself. She chooses “duty” and is given the task of going on a world tour with the biggest hits from her 40-year career. “Do you think people will come to these shows?” she asks the group with mock seriousness.
The fact that there can be no doubt regarding this is shown by the great demand for tickets for the “Celebration Tour”. The six concerts in London and many others in Europe have long been sold out. Appearances in Canada, the USA and Mexico are also planned. (dpa)
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