What makes an icon? An icon is someone who for four decades manages to remain relevant. Who constantly challenges and reinvents herself time and time again.
Madonna has done all this and more. She a living legend as well as the most iconic female pop star of all time. Get to know her story and check out these 10+ facts about Madonna that fans didn’t know!
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1. Yes, her real name is actually Madonna.
The Pop Queen was born Madonna Louise Ciccone in August of 1958, in the small town of Bay City Michigan.
With a name like Madonna, could she have been anything other than a pop star?
2. She wrote a children’s book!
Madonna is the author of a book called ” The English Roses “. It’s a magical story about four little girls who learn that appearances aren’t always what they seem.
I wonder if it has a soundtrack?
3. Madonna was a movie star!
Throughout the early ’90s, Madonna was recognized as much for her acting ability as she was for her musical talent. Her breakout role was as the memorable Mae Mordabito in 1992’s A League of Their Own .
But that was only the beginning for Madonna.
4. In 1996, she starred in *Evita*, a musical based on the life of Evita Duarte.
Madonna won the Golden Globe for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture”!
The win was validating for Madonna and silenced all her critics in one fell swoop.
5. Madonna is writing a secret screenplay with Diablo Cody!
Cody won an Academy Award for “Best Original Screenplay” for her work on Juno .
Madonna captioned the video “When you’re stuck in a house with multiple injuries what do you do.? ………..Write a Screenplay with Diablo Cody about…………..”
Just an FYI, that track playing in the background is a banger called ” Walk For Me ” by Tronco Traxx.
6. She started from the bottom, now she’s here!
Madonna was also sure to add “No IG, Twitter or Tik Tok either!”
She was only 20 years old when she first moved to New York in order to pursue her dream.
7. Madonna released an erotic coffee-table book called “Sex”.
When does art become erotica? When does erotica become porn? Alas, I don’t have the answers to these questions. But I can tell you that Madonna’s incredibly revealing book is an uncomfortable read.
Even Vanilla Ice agrees!
8. She’s in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame!
Madonna gave one of the best (and longest) acceptance speeches:
“The ones that said I was talentless , that I was chubby, that I couldn’t sing, that I was a one-hit wonder. They pushed me to be better, and I am grateful for their resistance.”
9. Madonna kissed a girl…and she liked it!
During a performance at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna was on stage with both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
It was supposed to be a symbolic passing of the torch but turned into a make-out session between all three pop stars!
10. She also had an intensely long and awkward kiss with Drake at Coachella in 2015.
Did you ever walk in on your parents kissing as a kid? Didn’t it just make you want to die? That’s what watching this kiss feels like to me.
Judging from Drake’s reaction, clearly, he wasn’t a big fan either.
11. Madonna is a Guiness World Record holder.
That’s right, it’s not Beyoncé (although, I’m sure she is on her way). Madonna’s career spans more than four decades — that’s positively unheard of in pop music!
All hail to the Empress of Pop!
12. She’s a Free Agent for the first time in more than 10 years!
Madonna’s 10-year record deal with Interscope Records has now officially come to a close. This has huge implications! Could we be seeing a brand new self-produced album on the horizon? A world-tour?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
13. Madonna was banned by MTV!
That’s right, the brand that she helped catapult to the stars pulled the plug and refused to air her music video for ” Justify My Love .”
Madonna fought back and even appeared on Nightline to discuss the subject.
“If we’re going to have censorship, let’s not be hypocrites about it. Let’s not have double standards.”
Madonna went on to say that,
“We already have these videos that display degradation to women and violence that are played 24 hours a day, but yet they don’t want a video playing that deals with sex between two consenting adults.”
14. Rob Van Winkle, better known as Vanilla Ice, dated Madonna for a short period of time in the ’90s:
“When the book came out I was so embarrassed and ashamed. It was a porno. She threw me in like I was a product off a shelf and I didn’t appreciate it. That was it and I ended it.”
