Madonna Louise Ciccone (born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and businesswoman. She is widely recognized for her influence on popular music, visual presentation, and music video production. Throughout her career, she has explored social, political, sexual, and religious themes in her work, often generating public debate and critical discussion. She is regarded as one of the most commercially successful and influential recording artists in popular music history. Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Rochester Hills. Her father, Silvio "Tony" Ciccone, worked as an engineer and physicist, while her mother, Madonna Louise Fortin, was an X-ray technician. Her mother died of breast cancer in 1963, when Madonna was five years old. She attended Catholic schools and later studied dance at the University of Michigan on a scholarship before leaving college in 1978 to move to New York City and pursue a career in dance and music. In New York, Madonna worked various jobs while studying dance and performing with several bands, including Breakfast Club and Emmy. In 1982, she signed a recording contract with Sire Records. Her debut single, "Everybody", was released the same year, followed by "Burning Up" and "Holiday". Her self-titled debut album, "Madonna" (1983), reached the top ten of the US Billboard 200 and established her as a prominent pop artist. Her second studio album, "Like a Virgin" (1984), became her first number-one album in several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. The title track became her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single. The album and its accompanying performances contributed to her growing public profile and influence on 1980s fashion and popular culture. During this period, she married actor Sean Penn and starred in the film "Desperately Seeking Susan" (1985). Madonna released "True Blue" in 1986. The album produced several successful singles, including "Papa Don't Preach", "Open Your Heart", and "La Isla Bonita", and became one of the best-selling albums of the decade. She also appeared in films including "Shanghai Surprise" (1986) and "Who's That Girl" (1987), and embarked on the "Who's That Girl World Tour". Her marriage to Penn ended in divorce in 1989. In 1989, Madonna released "Like a Prayer", which incorporated autobiographical themes and collaborations with Patrick Leonard, Stephen Bray, and Prince. The album received critical acclaim and included the singles "Like a Prayer", "Express Yourself", and "Cherish". The accompanying music video for "Like a Prayer" generated controversy because of its religious imagery. In 1990, she released the soundtrack album "I'm Breathless", which included the single "Vogue". That same year, she began the "Blond Ambition World Tour", noted for its theatrical presentation and controversial imagery. Her first greatest-hits compilation, "The Immaculate Collection" (1990), became one of the best-selling compilation albums of all time. During the early 1990s, Madonna expanded her business activities by founding Maverick, an entertainment company that included Maverick Records. The label later signed artists including Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch. In 1992, she released the album "Erotica" and the photography book "Sex", both of which attracted extensive media attention because of their explicit content. She also appeared in films such as "A League of Their Own" (1992), "Body of Evidence" (1993), and "Dangerous Game" (1993). In 1994, Madonna released "Bedtime Stories", which featured a softer musical direction and produced the singles "Secret" and "Take a Bow". She later portrayed Eva Perón in the musical film "Evita" (1996), for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. During this period, she gave birth to her daughter Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. Following the birth of her daughter, Madonna became interested in Eastern spirituality and Kabbalah. Her seventh studio album, "Ray of Light" (1998), incorporated electronic music influences and collaborations with producer William Orbit. The album received critical acclaim and won several Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Album. Its singles included "Frozen" and "Ray of Light". She later recorded "Beautiful Stranger" for the film "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (1999). In 2000, Madonna released the album "Music", which became her first US number-one album in more than a decade. She married film director Guy Ritchie later that year and gave birth to their son, Rocco Ritchie. In 2001, she returned to touring with the "Drowned World Tour". She subsequently appeared in the films "Swept Away" (2002) and "Die Another Day" (2002), for which she also recorded the title song. Madonna's album "American Life" (2003) addressed themes related to fame, identity, and American culture. The album received mixed reviews and lower commercial sales than her previous releases. The title track's music video was withdrawn following the start of the Iraq War because of its military imagery. During this period, she also published children's books, beginning with "The English Roses" (2003). In 2005, Madonna released "Confessions on a Dance Floor", a dance-oriented album produced largely with Stuart Price. The album received positive reviews and included the international hit "Hung Up", which sampled ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". She supported the album with the "Confessions Tour", which became the highest-grossing tour by a female artist at the time. During this period, she founded the charity Raising Malawi and adopted a child from Malawi. Madonna signed a major touring and recording agreement with Live Nation in 2007. She directed the documentary "I Am Because We Are" (2008) and her first feature film, "Filth and Wisdom" (2008). Her album "Hard Candy" (2008) included collaborations with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Pharrell Williams, and featured the single "4 Minutes". The accompanying "Sticky & Sweet Tour" became one of the highest-grossing tours by a solo artist. Madonna and Guy Ritchie divorced in 2008. In 2009, Madonna released the compilation album "Celebration". She also launched several business ventures, including the Material Girl clothing line and the Hard Candy Fitness chain. Her second feature film as director, "W.E." (2011), received mixed reviews but earned her a Golden Globe Award for the song "Masterpiece". Madonna performed at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show in 2012, which became one of the most-watched halftime performances in television history. That year, she released the album "MDNA" and embarked on the "MDNA Tour". In 2015, she released "Rebel Heart", followed by the "Rebel Heart Tour". Around this time, she became involved in a legal dispute with Guy Ritchie over custody arrangements concerning their son Rocco. In 2017, Madonna relocated to Lisbon, Portugal, with her children. Her experiences in Portugal influenced the album "Madame X" (2019), which incorporated elements of fado, morna, and Latin music. The album became her ninth number-one album on the Billboard 200. She supported it with the "Madame X Tour", which was affected by injuries and later ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Madonna contributed to charitable initiatives supporting vaccine research and therapeutic development. She also participated in musical collaborations, including "Levitating" with Dua Lipa and Missy Elliott. In 2021, she released the concert documentary "Madame X". In 2022, Madonna returned to Warner Records in a catalog partnership that included reissues and remix projects. She released the remix compilation "Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones". Between 2022 and 2023, she collaborated with artists including Christine and the Queens, the Weeknd, and Playboi Carti. In 2023, Madonna launched the "Celebration Tour", a retrospective concert tour covering her career. Before the tour began, she was hospitalized with a serious bacterial infection. The tour concluded in 2024 with a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro attended by approximately 1.6 million people. The tour grossed more than $225 million. Madonna has sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide and is frequently described as the best-selling female recording artist in history. She has achieved numerous Billboard chart records, including the most number-one songs on the Dance Club Songs chart. Her awards include Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. In addition to music and film, Madonna has been involved in fashion, publishing, fitness, philanthropy, and film production. Academic analysis of her work and cultural impact has contributed to the development of a field sometimes referred to as "Madonna studies". Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna Studio albums Madonna (1983) Like a Virgin (1984) True Blue (1986) Like a Prayer (1989) Erotica (1992) Bedtime Stories (1994) Ray of Light (1998) Music (2000) American Life (2003) Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) Hard Candy (2008) MDNA (2012) Rebel Heart (2015) Madame X (2019) Confessions II (2026) . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.