New Madonna Interview

Reminiscent of her smooch with Spitney back in 2003, Madonna made out with one of her backup dancers in Paris yesterday - lucky her!

anyway…

There is a new interview with the Queen of Pop in the Summer Issue of RedHanded Magazine (UK)

Madonna on creative juices: “I collaborate with people in lots of different ways. I either can come with an entire idea with all the lyrics written or often I hear music, like eight bars of music, and via a lyric. Like when I heard the music from Miles Away I immediately started singing and the words came and I don’t know where they came from. But I don’t really question the creative process it just happens the way it happens.”

For the whole interview,

She is unquestionably the queen of pop. Twenty-five years after her career began, Madonna has just released her 11th album. It went straight to number one in 27 countries including the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan and Australia. And she’s a remarkable businesswoman. She recently left her record label Warner to sign a groundbreaking new deal with a concert promoter instead. Her deal with Livenation covers all her musical activities – including tours, albums, merchandise and DVDs – meaning she gets a cut of, and has control of, just about everything. She’s certainly not going to be short of a bob or two, but no one could ever accuse her of not working hard for her money.

RH: After all these years you still seem very driven. Do you have a strong work ethic and how did the collaborators on your album like Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Pharrell adapt to that?
Madonna: Yes, that work ethic still exists. I don’t think it was a surprise to Justin, but for Pharrell…

RH: He found Hard Candy quite hard going?
Madonna: He just kept referring to me as a ‘work horse’. He complained a little bit about my relentless inability to sit still for a very long, but he got over it eventually. (Laughs)

RH: What prompted you to work with Justin and Pharrell?
Madonna: I love their music and when I like something I go after it. (Laughs). It’s not like we hit it off right away. Writing is very intimate. You have to be vulnerable and it’s hard to do that with strangers. I had ups and downs before everybody got comfortable, but I grew very fond of Pharrell and Justin.

RH: Can you explain a bit more about the songwriting process?
Madonna: I collaborate with people in lots of different ways. I either can come with an entire idea with all the lyrics written or often I hear music, like eight bars of music, and via a lyric. Like when I heard the music from Miles Away I immediately started singing and the words came and I don’t know where they came from. But I don’t really question the creative process it just happens the way it happens.

RH: Your lyrics have a sense of urgency. Is that because that’s what you want to do - save the world in 4 Minutes? Is it about growing older?
Madonna: I don’t think my age has anything to do with my sense of urgency. I would say the world has to do with my sense of urgency. I’ve had this sense of urgency for quite a while, I just haven’t voiced it in my music. I do feel like we’re living on borrowed time and I think most people are coming to that understanding. And it’s impossible for that not to be reflected in pop culture.

RH: How hard is it expressing yourself in your lyrics without giving too much of your own privacy away?
Madonna: I don’t think it’s hard. I think most people whether they write fiction, non-fiction, pop songs or screenplays, or whatever, even if they’re writing about somebody else completely, there is always going to be an element of that person in that story. And most of the things that I’ve done end up being somewhat autobiographical. But I think there’s a clever way to tell a story and put your heart into it and your experiences without being obvious about it.

RH: How have your views on your work and music changed from your 20s, 30s, and 40s?
Madonna: Like as an artist?

RH: Well, in your 20s you were there trying to make those hits… now that you’re established, what’s different?
Madonna: I’m still trying to make those hits. Everybody wants to make music that people want to listen to; that people want to hear on the radio. I never ever made a record where I didn’t care if people heard it or not. I think that as I have evolved as a human being, my music has reflected that. I think I wrote simple, straightforward, ‘let’s just have a good time’ songs when I first started out. I think that my songs now have a sense of irony in them or contradiction in them. I like to think that they are more complex.

RH: It seems hard to believe, but you’re going to be 50 this year. What’s the secret of staying on top of your game?
Madonna: The secret? I think a big part of it is the recognition that I’m not the owner of my talent, I’m just the manager of it. And that I know I have been blessed with many gifts. I think as soon as you think you own what you have, it will go away. I think that’s part of it. The other part is that I have a great sense of curiosity about the world and I’m always trying to learn new things and put myself into the position where I’m working with people who know more than I do. So if I constantly put myself in the position where I’m learning something, then I have something new to express.

RH: And the physical part?
Madonna: Well, I love to dance. I love to feel physically strong. In fact, I feel stronger now than maybe 20 years ago. But I think your physicality is connected to your consciousness. So if your mind is strong, your body will be strong.

RH: Hard Candy is your 11th album - do you have any other ambitions you’d like to achieve after all of your success?
Madonna: Well, I’m sure I wasn’t put on this earth just to make records. So there are a lot of things I want to achieve. I’d like to become a better human being. I would like to learn more than I already know. I would like to be a better parent. I still have my children to raise. That’s a big responsibility. I’m not done with that. I would like to direct more films and write them. I’ve only done one. To me that’s the beginning of that career and I want to make more records. I love music.

RH: When you listen to the song Like A Virgin, what do you hear and when you see the video who is the young Madonna that you see?
Madonna: Now when I hear the song Like A Virgin, it’s kind of a statement about the sounds that everybody was making - the music of the early 80s. There’s a kind of simplicity about it. There’s innocence about it. And when I look at the video I also see a girl who’s innocent and wide-eyed and really excited about life and the beginning of a career.

RH: You’re coming to the end of your relationship with Warner Bros. It’s been 25 years, is that scary or liberating? And how did the other deal come about?
Madonna: It’s not scary and I wouldn’t even say, it’s liberating. It’s just the end of contract and the record industry is changing and so the way that I make music and the way I get it out to people, the way that we will market it and release it, will also have to change. I’m excited about my new deal because it’s more of a partnership and after 25 years, I feel like I deserve to be a partner.

RH: What did happiness mean to you 30 years ago; and what does it mean now?
Madonna: Wow. Good one. I think 30 years ago it meant that I could feed myself, put a roof over my head and that I could survive in New York and carve a place for myself in the world and have my voice be heard. Now, happiness is being grateful that all these things keep on happening for me.

15 Responses to “New Madonna Interview”

You must be logged in to view comments.

Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment.