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Madonna
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan, in 1958 and grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. She first took piano lessons, but chose ballet. In 1978 she dropped out of her studies and moved to New York to break through as a dancer and musician. She sang, drummed and played guitar in the rock bands Breakfast Club and Emmy. In 1982 she persuaded DJs in the clubs to play her demo. DJ Mark Kamins of the club Danceteria put her in touch with Sire Records, where her first single Everybody was released.
Music and breakthrough
She broke through with the debut album Madonna (1983). Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986) and Like a Prayer (1989) followed. Her music came out of the dance clubs of New York: danceable pop with synthesizers and drum machines. Hits such as Like a Virgin, Papa Don't Preach, La Isla Bonita, Like a Prayer and Vogue made her, together with Michael Jackson and Prince, one of the biggest stars of the 1980s. She co-wrote her songs, also produced herself and kept coming up with a new look. Later she continued to reinvent herself, with the electronic albums Ray of Light (1998) and Music (2000) and the disco record Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005).
Influence
Madonna also acted in films, such as Desperately Seeking Susan and Evita, and had her own record label in Maverick. Her work often deals with sex, religion and politics, which brought admiration and uproar. She broke boundaries for women in pop music: she decided for herself about her music and her image, and so she became a role model for many later pop stars.
Listening
Vogue · Madonna, 1990Apple Music ↗
Discography
Studio albums
- 1983Madonna
- 1984Like a Virgin
- 1986True Blue
- 1987Who’s That Girl: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 1989Like a Prayer
- 1990I’m Breathless (soundtrack)
- 1992Erotica
- 1994Bedtime Stories
- 1998Ray of Light
- 2000Music
- 2003American Life
- 2005Confessions on a Dance Floor
- 2008Hard Candy
- 2012MDNA
- 2015Rebel Heart
- 2019Madame X
- 2026CONFESSIONS II
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 2: Youth Cultures 1950-1980NL Reader
- Mixtape 7: The 1980sNL Reader
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