INTERVIEW: BILLBOARD
MADONNA TALKS CREATING HER ‘MADAME X’ PERSONA, WORKING WITH MALUMA & MOTHERHOOD IN ‘TODAY’ INTERVIEW
Early on Friday (June 14), Madonna unveiled her 14th studio album Madame X, her first full-length since 2015’s Rebel Heart.
The Queen of Pop sat down with TODAY‘s Harry Smith to chat about the album, which was inspired by her time living in Lisbon, Portugal.
“She’s a spy, she’s a secret agent, she travels the world, she changes her identity, she sleeps with one eye open and she travels through the day with one eye shut,” the icon described Madame X. “She’s actually been wounded so she covers up one of her eyes. I made a lemonade out of a lemon.”
She also discussed how the Madame X nickname was given to her by her dance teacher, Martha Graham, and the album was meant to “reclaim” the nickname. “I was thinking about how the music was influenced by so many parts of the world,” she explained. “Each time I collaborate with somebody or I work with another artist, I have a different feeling but I’m still the same. [Jeremy Scott and I] were discussing my encounter with Martha Graham and she kept complaining that she couldn’t identify me as a student in her class and I felt the same way while recording in that moment.”
As for her sultry “Medellin” collab with Maluma, Madonna credits the Latin superstar for “keeping up” with her, and revealed how they bonded over a love of horses. He sent her a photo of his own horses, and Madonna was hooked. “I was like, ‘Okay I love you. We’re working together,'” she said.
On her role as a mother, Madonna said it taught her a lot of things. “It’s reminded me how precious time is and how each child requires attention and vigilance and guidance in a different way and you have to be ready for everything,” she explained. “Children teach you, everyone says that. First and foremost, they teach you to not be obsessed with yourself because they’re always there to throw a wrench into the works.”
As for baby number seven she said, “Not right this second, but never say never.”
“Seven is a lucky number and a psychic did tell me once I was going to have seven children, so who knows?”
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