Music : Madonna’s Rebel Heart
It’s a rather large understatement to say that it’s been a crazy couple of weeks for Madonna.
On Tuesday night, more than 10 of the singer’s unreleased demo recordings turned up on the Internet, causing the singer and her team to go into “overdrive” to combat the stolen leaks. The songs were from the sessions for her forthcoming 13th studio album, which at the time, had not been announced (and is still not finished).
To counter the leak, Madonna accelerated the release of new music: On Friday night (Dec. 19), she announced that her album, Rebel Heart, would be released on March 10, 2015 through Interscope Records, and six of its tracks would become immediately available to purchase. Among those tracks are the set’s lead single, the Diplo-produced soul-meets-house jam “Living For Love.”
The album — which features a collaboration with Nicki Minaj — is also available to pre-order, and has topped the iTunes Store’s top albums tally in more than 40 countries, including the United States.
Are you happy with this early Xmas present from Madge?
Dave
Hey, all well and good if you’ve limited yourself to an iconic gay stereotypical music choice.
The so-called leaks are a marketing ploy that obviously worked. Listened to the songs she released and couldn’t figure out which I hated most. And this is coming from someone who has listened to her since she first released “Everybody.”
Coming from someone who has been an on and off fan for 24 years, like her previous album, this one is horrible. I listened to all the songs she so called released early and said to myself why oh why am I punishing myself listening to this crap. The lyrics alone are so bad it sounds like it came from someone from an IQ of 2 digits.
She’s desperate to remain relevant by pairing up with another trashy and untalented self proclaimed “artist” Nikki Minaj (the term artist is used to loosely). The word artist should be used only if you produce somewhat good material, and this is anything but good.
She has enough money to retire, she is making a fool of herself with this crappy so called music. It only went to #1 because of the off guard release, it will peak people’s interest to listen. The real test is if it remain #1 or if it falls.
I once liked her but now I just love to hate her, she’s a desperate,trashy,narcissistic old hag who is money hungry, she knows concert is a money machine for her so she releases album followed by concert.
More of a scam artist if you ask me.
Oh by the way, that album cover is of her when he was in her 40s or now but extremely airbrushed like her other photos. Airbrush much?
I loved the six new songs. She has found her voice again. Like Time Magazine’s review stated, it’s her best work in a decade.
I’ve seen Madonna tour, purchased most of her albums, and have learned to appreciate the ever evolving styles she produces. For her to be #1 in over 40 countries tells me that she is still the best at evoking her audiences to take note and get ready for her next reincarnation. I’ve downloaded the singles and for the most part, they’re catchy, vocally decent, but better yet, has the music industry turned upside down. She is a master at what she does whether or not her music resonates with fans/non-fans. The spectacle that has always been Madonna is back in the spotlight just as she’s planned. I think this will be a superb record/tour/marketing blitz for M. Cheers to her Rebel Heart!
frankly, her crass and commercial faux personality, not to mention that pathetic effort to not look her age, bore me. I’m glad someone “stole” her music — she likely did it for commercial buzz she’s that cunning. Admirable business sense but a fraud nonetheless.
I can’t madonna album released .. Still love her and she always great . .. But sorry iTunes . I hated down load . I want a masterpiece for my collections .. Always support Madonna
I could not agree more with Hunter0500 and Efftee. I’ve listened to Madge since the beginning of time; But it’s time for her (and her new delusions of grandeur) to retire from songwriting. Couldn’t get past 15 secs of each song. The pieces are… well… God awful!
I LOVE the new songs! Can’t decide which one is my favorite – I guess they all are my new favorites for different reasons. Living for Love is catchy and fun to sing to, with a great message. Devil Pray has a fantastic beat and vocals. Ghost Town is a wonderful ballad with amazing vocals and poignant lyrics. Unapologetic Bitch has been played the most in my house . . . I love the “reggae” influence and the refrain is so much fun. Illuminat has a trance-like feeling . . . vocals are cold, but that adds to it Doesn’t everyone feel like “everybody at the party looking like Illuminati”. Finally, Bitch, I’m Madonna: I wasn’t expecting to like this song . . . but what a great party/dance song! “Go hard or go home!”
I’m happy to have some new Madonna songs to listen to and am very thankful that all of her music changes and evolves!
I think her new music is great. It is so sad that haters have to always throw her age into it. What does that have to do with making music?? Live for Love people!
I loved it. She really put her might and all into this new album. Sorry Madge for downloading and listening to all 13 leaked demos.
Everything Diplo produces turns to gold. Let Madonna sing over diplo songs all day I’m gonna stay twerking!!
This song (and some of the so called leaked ones) gives the impression of an okay effort but I don’t hear the novelty. It makes me think that in record speaking Madonna has reached the m limit. However, as a performer she manages to bring something thrilling for what it’s the strong part right now.
NOW Waiting for MISS JANET I hope she as something on the way soon!!
I liked Madonna’s earlier work and she had a string of great songs and big hits. She was edgy, energetic, ambitious, rebellious and hungry for success. She changed the way women were expected to behave in pop culture. She was determined to conquer the world and she did just that. However, being appreciative, gracious, humble or humane were never mentioned in the same breath when speaking of her. Now it seems she lacks humanity, is in denial about her age and refuses to age gracefully. In interviews, she comes off as nasty and aloof, not really caring how she achieved her success (via fans money and support)and other celebrities have stated is was a very unpleasant experience meeting her in person.
Over the last 30 + years she has amassed a fortune and a legion of fans but I have never seen her acknowledge or thank her fans or show any appreciation for their support. Also being a gay icon, you would think she would be doing more publically to promote awareness of gay men’s issues and contributing some her wealth to gay causes. Even her brother said in his book that she is cold, very narcissistic, arrogant and controlling. She should take notes from pop stars such as Taylor Swift and Gaga on how to treat fans. Her dissing Gaga (who admitted she idolized Madonna while growing up) shows just how petty she can be. BTW, I am not a huge fan of Gaga but went with a friend to see her live and was blown away with her talent and amazing voice. Gaga has more talent in her left boob than Madonna has in her whole body.
Also, it seems her wild success had made her a bit delusional. She is a mediocre vocalist whose voice has not grown after decades. She’s a horrible actress and her only memorable role was in ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ where she basically played herself (Evita was awful). She is a good dancer but at 56 how much longer can she dance full throttle? But I guess as long as people continue to pay exorbitant prices to see her she will keep fooling herself (and thanklessly take their hard earned money). With her minimum talent she takes credit for the talent of others (producers, song writers, stage directors, choreographers) without acknowledging their contributions to her work. I do have to give her credit for stretching out what should have been a 10 year career (max) into tree decades.
You would think that a post-menopausal woman with four children and tremendous success would mellow out and find other interests in life or a least do new, innovative or interesting music. She has not evolved and will do anything to try to remain relevant among the new wave of pop divas. She is old enough to be a mother to these girls. No amount of plastic surgery, workouts, diet regime or provocative pictures will turn back the hands of time. Money and success does not create class or graciousness. Kind of sad to see a middle aged woman clinging so desperately to her long gone youth.
Seriously? Marketing ploy highly likely. She’s just so sadly desperate to be at all relevant. Seriously shallow ridiculous pretentious.
Such visceral hatred for Madonna. Why? So, when you reach your 50s (if you live that long), should ignorant ageists like yourself force you to become invisible? Are you threatened by billionaire women? lol. Isn’t your mother over 50? I take it she’s an “old hag” too? Get a fuckin grip bitches, evolve!
Why the hell do I have to give a rat’s ass about Madonna? I thought we were out of “the closet”! There seems to be a deeper closet within the gay “community” (a phrase I really don’t see happening in this “age-o-phobic” sect of society. As homosexuals, we pride ourselves with being so “arts-oriented, and yet, I find such a narrow-mindedness regarding music. I grew up listening to everything from Burt Bacharach to Frank Zappa, and yet , when I decide to “come out of the closet”, I am faced with a selection of Cher, Madonna, and music that is composed entirely on a computer! I play a guitar (oh God no…a musical instrument!). What is this flag with many colors that we fly? I don’t see the colors…only a boring monochromatic scheme. I want to be proud of my “community”. Can we please come out of this closet?
I would love Madonna and Cher even if they weren’t gay icons. I’m not sure why so many gay men have contempt for anything that is popular among gay people generally. We all have different taste in music. Just because someone likes Madonna doesn’t mean they are doing so just because they are gay.
Haven’t listened to a note yet, but can’t wait! For all the haters…. Why do you spend so much effort, time and energy talking about something you believe to be a “piece of trash”? Geez
Oh please, nobody is buying her fake anger. She leaked this crap herself. Anyone who knows anything about Madonna knows that NOTHING happens without her involvement when it comes to her career.
I really wanted to like Madonna, but I cannot tolerate her rude, selfish, greedy, nasty behavior. She has never evolved as a mature human being. She takes, uses and discards people. What’s more, this rotten, pathetic behavior is even glorified by gay men. She uses the gay community because we keep her “relevant”. As for her stolen songs, this is a publicity gimmick. If anything, the old bag is smart about protecting her music. The sagging bag of bones would never let anyone profit from her.
Seriously? What a bunch of negative and bitter responders. Shame on you for Criticizing a woman that is one of the hardest working women on this planet. She is mega talented and gifted, and sorry gays – she did not make her fortune off of you. Her billion dollar fortune came from millions of people around the world, majority of who are not gay. She may be a gay icon, but primarily because she has stuck by her gay friends and supported the hiv awareness when in its infancy. And to the responder who said Madonna doesn’t care about her fans, you are clueless! Madonna is one of the most gracious artists and has “always” thanked her fans. And enough about Stephanie germalotta or whatever gagas real name is. She made her fortune off of imitating madonna, good for her, but it’s over, now let’s live for lice. And Madinna :). Kisses
It`s so sad and quite pathetic to see all these haters on here. Most are as old if not older than her. Age has nothing to do with art. Cher is older and has been around much longer than Madonna and is still just as relevant today as she was back in the 70s! Stop being such jealous faggitty bitches! Geez!
It’s sad to see how many of us that love and support her now turn against her because of age. What the hell you evil nasty queens think is going to happen to you when you’re ‘old’ – if you’re even lucky to make it to 56. I admire her – she’s made an amazing life and entertained us all along the way. God bless her and her family. I wish her all the happiness and success she can handle – and if any of you evil bitches had an once of talent and could entertain like she has, I’d wish the same for you. It’s a shame that so many of us can find joy in being so nasty and critical. We as gay men put up with so much shit, yet many of us delight in the chance to be vile and mean to others. I suppose that’s considered ‘talent’ these days anyway. Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion so either listen to the music and enjoy it or just shut the hell up.
Maybe you guys are the old souls that are not willing to accept change. Why wouldn’t Madonna still want to stay relevant, this is what she worked on her whole life. MDMA was the shit! Though I didn’t like her collaborations with Nicki! Listened to this new album a few times! I expect a lot!!
Just wanted to weigh in again on the guys who think MDNA (or whatever she goes by these days) is being wrongfully criticized. I am close to age 50 and have been watching her from the beginning of her career and used to be a fan. I have seen her in many interview and have known people in the business who have meet her.So I speak from experience. I also come from an era where people are actually talented signers, songwriters, musicians and songwriters(every heard of Carol King, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Mariah? etc, etc)so I know real talent when I see it. Unfortunately for many of you younger men you grew up listening to and watching garbage on radio and TV, so you think that it’s actually talent. Being pretty and shaking your a** is not talent- it called MARKETING. MDNA is where she is because she is a master manipulator who slept with the right people and has had the right support (producers, songwriters, video and stage directors, etc.) Many of her past acquaintances have stated she uses people for what she can get then drops them like dead weight. She is not even close to being MEGA talented; she is mediocre at best.
Also, I do not discriminate against age- I would be a hypocrite since I am approaching 50. I believe that would age should come maturity, wisdom and acceptance. You should be proud to have lived for decades and being a whole person. There is nothing wrong with trying to look your best and stay fit and attractive. My problem with MDNA is that she is desperately trying to hold on the age 25 and still doing antics to shock people (pulling out her boobs in concert, “artsy” photos shoots showing her surgically enhanced breasts) and after seeing it for 30 years it’s old (would you want to see your mother t*ts on a concert stage?). Getting older does not mean sitting in a rocking chair and wasting away, you can still be full of life and active without the childish antics that she still does. A real women ages gracefully. You would never see music legends like Diana Ross, Tina Turner or Barbara Streisand stooping to such antics for attention to stay hip and relevant. It really is pathetic. I feel sorry for the younger, misguided generation of music fans.
That tired thing needs to retire. I was her biggest fan back in the day but that day is over and she is just a bitter old irrelevant thing now.
I think her last epic album was Confessions on the Dancefloor, Hard Candy was good and MDNA was a disaster. Her music career is going downhill because she is trying to compete with Gaga, Cyrus and Rhianna instead of being a music diva and legend. She is ruining her legacy. Kim Wilde is 50 plus and she acts her age, she is not pretending to be 25 like Madonna. Annie Lennox is also doing what she needs to do at 59, we do not see her pretending like it is 1982 all over again, hello? I think Madonna needs to retire or do something else like doing music for her 35 plus fans, otherwise it is getting pathetic, tired and sad, like one of the characters from a Bette Davis and Joan Crawford movie.