Madonna's Instagram: 'Last day of 2014!'

Madonna posted this scenic view from her holiday in Gstaad on this New Years Eve with the caption: 'Last day of 2014! So lucky and grateful am I #livingforlove #rebelheart'

Giorgio Moroder predicting 'big' year for Madonna

Giorgio Moroder insists Madonna will be very 'big again' if she releases the right album.

The legendary producer-and-DJ is excited to hear the 56-year-old singer's next LP - which leaked earlier this month but is due for release next year - and is very pleased she is has been recording dance tracks with Avicii because he believes that is the best genre for her.

He told BANG Showbiz: 'Madonna is still relevant, people still love her and she's still good. She's getting older of course but she still has a great voice. I think if she makes the right dance album I think she could become quite big again. I know she's working with very young people and I think she could do well with the right record.'

Madonna is an admirer of Moroder and her track 'Future Lovers' - which featured on her 2005 album 'Confessions on a Dance Floor' - has a bass line inspired by Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love', which Moroder produced and she opened her 2006 'Confessions Tour' with a medley of 'Future Lovers' and 'I Feel Love'.

Moroder is releasing his own new album in 2015, his first studio LP for more than 30 years, and the record features collaborations with Britney Spears, Sia, Charli XCX, Kylie Minogue, Mikky Ekko and Foxes, among others.

As well as his album, the 74-year-old musician still DJs all over the world and admits he was pleased when the EDM movement took off because he started to earn more money.

Moroder - who was a pioneer of dance music in the 70s and 80s - quipped: 'I love EDM because there's a lot of money around and I'm a DJ too so I'm making nice money! It is the pop music of the world now, the music that is considered dance.'

From contactmusic.com

Madonna enjoys family winter getaway in Switzerland

Madonna's new album may have been leaked ahead of its release, but the singer hasn't let that ruin her Christmas holiday. The 56-year-old hit the slopes with her family, including daughter Lourdes, as they enjoyed a festive break in Gstaad, Switzerland.

Dressed in a chic all-black skiing ensemble, Madonna took to the slopes with her children, showing off her athletic skills on the piste. The mother-of-four and her family were seen laughing and taking occasional breaks as they made the most of the snow.

It's not the first time that Madonna and her children have headed to Gstaad during the festive period, having welcomed in the New Year at the idyllic ski resort in 2012.

From HELLO.com

Madonna's Instagram: 'The World is big enough for all of us!'

Madonna has posted this message on her Instagram page about the leaked tracks and demos from her new album sessions, including 'Two Steps Behind Me' which some people have imagined is a dig at Lady Gaga:

'There are those who want to shut me up but they cannot! We still live in a world that discriminates against women. There are People that are so hateful. they want to create feuds between strong women that do not exist! I do not wish ill will towards any other female artist and I never have! The World is big enough for all of us! I will fight for my rights as an artist and a human and a woman till the end if my days! Because I am a #rebelheart and I walk in the footsteps of giants and I will not apologize for or defend my unpublished unfinished STOLEN work. If you don't like who I am or what I have to say then why are you reading this? #unapologeticbitch'

Madonna's manager Guy Oseary had a Q&A session on Twitter last night and said this: 'That song is NOT about gaga or anyone in particular. The song is an unfinished demo she had no intention of finishing or releasing along with many others.'

Two more Versace SS15 campaign shots revealed

Two more pictures from the Versace Spring Summer 2015 campaign have been revealed:

Madonna's six new songs worth listening to

Leave it to Madonna to rhyme 'illuminati' with 'party,' as she does on 'Illuminati,' from her upcoming album, 'Rebel Heart.'

Like Prince, she has always been obsessed with both earthly pleasures and spiritual transcendence. But rarely have these two themes collided in such a head-on manner as they do on the six 'Rebel Heart' tracks she recently released after unfinished versions of some album tracks leaked; since then, 14 more unauthorized songs have surfaced on the Internet.

So what’s on Madonna’s mind? Just about everything. On 'Devil Pray,' a song about trying to overcome addiction, she sings 'Take my sins and wash them away/Teach me how to pray.' Yet 'Bitch I’m Madonna,' which features a guest rap from Nicki Minaj, is one of the most simplistic party anthems she’s ever done: 'We’ll be drinking, ain’t nobody gonna stop us/And well be kissing everyone that’s around us.'

'Unapologetic Bitch' is an angry breakup song, while 'Living for Love' is a gospel-inflected anthem about the healing power of love, and 'Ghosttown' is about retreating from the harshness of the world with your lover.

Granted, Madonna, 56, has never been particularly interested in thematic coherence on her albums. But these tracks are really all over the place. 'The reason I wanted to call the record ‘Rebel Heart’ was because I felt like it explored two very distinct sides of my personality,' Madonna told Billboard.com. 'The rebellious, renegade side of me, and the romantic side of me. In my mind, it was almost like I wanted to do a two-record set.'

'The music leads me - so I get lost in the sound of the music, and that creates a kind of emotional palate,' she elaborated to RollingStone.com. 'I found as I would look back at my songs and witness what I had written, I was coming from two very distinct places. I was observing, ‘Oh, these are two very strong sides of me that I need to express.’ '

Not including Madonna, who co-wrote and co-produced each song, 14 co-writers and 10 co-producers are credited on these six tracks. Alicia Keys co-wrote and played piano on 'Living for Love,' and Kanye West co-produced 'Illuminati.' Diplo - whose co-produced M.I.A.’s 'Paper Planes' as well as hits by Usher, Chris Brown and Alex Clare - is the dominant collaborator, with four co-writing and three co-producing credits.

Each song lives in a stylistic world of its own. 'Living for Love' is the most ecstatic dance number, 'Devil Pray' is moody mid-tempo semi-acoustic pop, and 'Ghosttown' is an atmospheric, warmly crooned ballad. 'Unapologetic Bitch' is ska-rap, and on the chilly 'Illuminati,' Madonna’s voice is processed to the point where it doesn’t really sound human. 'Bitch I’m Madonna' has a swirling, futuristic sound, and Madonna sings here with a childish sing-song quality, punctuated by angry outbursts.

And yet, despite their differences, these tracks have one thing in common: With their strong hooks, they all have the potential to be successful singles. And that kind of consistency hasn’t really been a hallmark of Madonna’s most recent albums.

Madonna may have been forced into releasing these songs, and she’s not happy about it, having called it 'a form of terrorism' and 'artistic rape.' But it’s going to work to her advantage, since these six tracks create a very good first impression of the 'Rebel Heart' album.

From www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/music

Madonna's Instagram: Rebel Heart Champagne

Madonna has been enjoying her Christmas champagne as this Instagram picture shows:
'It was a very good year,,,,#rebelheart'

Madonna Debuts Tracks on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart

Madonna catapults onto Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with three tracks from her upcoming Rebel Heart album: 'Bitch I'm Madonna' (No. 14), 'Living for Love' (No. 16) and 'Unapologetic Bitch' (No. 26).

The songs, available for instant download upon pre-ordering the album (due March 10) or as a la carte purchases, were made available digitally in a surprise move at midnight on Friday (Dec. 19), following massive demo leaks earlier in the week. (An additional 14 demos leaked on Dec. 23.) The songs soar onto the chart, therefore, on the strength of only a partial week of sales and with only small benefits from other metrics (streaming, radio airplay and club play).

The cuts mark Madonna's first entries on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, which premiered on Jan. 26, 2013.

'Bitch I'm Madonna,' featuring Nicki Minaj, leads with sales of 12,000 downloads, according to Nielsen Music. 'Living,' the album's first proper single, starts with 10,000 sold and 'Unapologetic,' 7,000. The tracks begin on Dance/Electronic Digital Songs at Nos. 9, 12 and 14, respectively. (She notches her first top 10 on the list, which launched in January 2010.)

Two versions of 'Living,' the album original and an instrumental, shipped to club DJs on the evening of Dec. 21. Remixes are currently in production and, once approved by Madonna, will be sent out.

Madonna leads all acts with 43 Dance Club Songs No. 1s, with her most recent, 'Turn Up the Radio,' ruling on Sept. 8, 2012.

Madonna told Billboard on Dec. 21 that 'Living' went through more than 10 incarnations during the recording process, including ones with vocals from British singer MNEK. 'There will be remixes with MNEK's voice,' she confirmed.

As for radio airplay, top 40 has so far not warmed to 'Living.' It's received a mere 10 plays at the format (through Dec. 23) (led by KMXV Kansas City, which has sampled it three times). Then again, Interscope Records serviced the song at midnight, Monday morning (Dec. 22) as a soft sell. An Interscope source tells Billboard that the label will re-service the song after New Year's and decide on an official 'add' date shortly thereafter. (Surely the song's rush release and Christmas week timing, when many programmers are on vacation, play into radio's general lack of interest in the song so far.)

Madonna last reached the Pop Songs airplay chart in 2012, when 'Give Me All Your Luvin' ' (featuring Minaj and M.I.A.) and 'Girl Gone Wild' reached Nos. 24 and 38, respectively. 'Luvin' 'was aided by coordinated first-day plays on iHeartMedia-owned stations, as well as Madonna's performance of it during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLVI.

'The reason I wanted to call the record Rebel Heart was because I felt like it explores two very distinct sides of my personality,' Madonna says. (The album's buzz spurred Madonna to top the Billboard + Twitter real-time Trending 140 chart on Dec. 22.) 'The rebellious, renegade side of me, and the romantic side of me.'

'(Fans will) just get my rebellious and romantic side all mixed in together.'

From Billboard.com - thanks to Micheal

Second batch of Madonna tracks leaks online

Fourteen more Madonna tracks have leaked, following the 13 demos that appeared online without the performer’s permission last week.

The leak comes in the wake of Madonna’s attempt to circumvent her previous unfinished work appearing online by releasing six tracks from her upcoming album Rebel Heart earlier than she intended to distribute them.

The new leak first appeared on Dec. 23 and includes 14 songs. According to Idolator, the tracks, including a collaboration with Pharrell, are: 'Veni Vidi Vici,' 'Beautiful Scars,' 'Freedom,' 'God Is Love,' 'Hold Tight,' 'Best Night,' 'Inside Out,' 'Tragic Girl,' 'Nothing Lasts Forever,' 'Holy Water,' 'Graffiti Heart,' 'Body Shop,' and 'Back That Up (Do It) feat. Pharrell.'

Madonna posted the upcoming album to her Instagram, writing, 'Real Rebels think for themselves! Real Rebels respect ART! Real Rebels are Rebels in their #rebelheart.' After the last leak, she also posted to her Instagram account and thanked those fans who have not listened to the leaked tracks.

From EW.com

Madonna's Instagram: Madonna's Christmas Wishes

Madonna posted this picture on her Instagram page with her Christmas message: '#unapologeticbitches wishing you a merry X-mas!#rebelheart'

Happy Christmas from #madonnalicious!

madonnalicious wishes all our readers a very Happy Christmas! Hope you have a great day!

Madonna's Instagram: 'Real Rebels respect ART!'

Madonna posted a colour version of the Rebel Heart artwork on her Instagram page:
'Real Rebels think for themselves! Real Rebels respect ART! Real Rebels are Rebels in their #rebelheart'

Madonna Hits Number One On iTunes In Over 40 Countries!

Madonna is hitting all the right notes this holiday season and her new music has gone to #1 in over 40 countries on iTunes charts around the world, including the U.S., with the release of six songs from her forthcoming album Rebel Heart. In seven of those countries she had multiple No. 1's. The single "'Living for Love' is currently No. 1 in over 20 countries and in another staggering achievement for the Material Girl, all six songs have been in the top ten on iTunes in several countries. The six songs – 'Living For Love,' 'Devil Pray,' 'Ghosttown,' 'Unapologetic Bitch,' 'Illuminati' and 'Bitch I'm Madonna (featuring Nicki Minaj)' - are available immediately when you pre-order Rebel Heart: iTunes.com/Madonna.

The news of the surprise drop came when Madonna posted a link over the weekend on Instagram announcing the release of the six songs as, 'an early Christmas gift' to those that preordered the album. Fans immediately went to iTunes and drove the songs to #1 around the globe.

Instantaneously Rebel Heart exploded on social media with the album topping the Billboard Trending 140 Chart.

Rebel Heart will be released in March 2015 on Interscope Records. Producers include Madonna, Diplo ('Living For Love,' 'Bitch I'm Madonna,' 'Unapologetic Bitch'), Kanye West ('Illuminati'), Billboard ('Ghosttown'), DJ Dahi and Blood Diamonds ('Devil Pray'). The album was recorded in London, Los Angeles and New York.

From PRNewswire

Madonna's Instagram: 'Today I'm a Cosmo Girl'

Madonna has been posting pictures from another photoshoot - this one for Cosmopolitan magazine: 'Today I'm a Cosmo Girl Living for Love #rebelheart'

'Love thy haters as thyself! ‪#‎rebelheart‬ verse 313....#livingforlove'

'Diamonds are an ‪#‎unapologeticbitches‬ best friend ‪#‎rebelheart‬'

Madonna Reveals the Story Behind Six Surprise Songs

For the past year, Madonna has been updating fans on the progress of her 13th studio album through Instagram posts picturing collaborators (Nicki Minaj, Avicii, Diplo) and inspirations (children in Malawi, Miley Cyrus, placards reading 'I need more money and power and less shit from you people'). But last week her creative process was interrupted by the leak of 13 songs she characterized as 'unfinished demos.' Faced with a potential calamity, her team made a quick decision: finish and release six of the tracks immediately on iTunes and set a firm early-March 2015 release date for the full LP, titled Rebel Heart.

The day after the tracks hit iTunes, Madonna was Number One on the digital music service's charts in 41 countries - everywhere from the U.S. and Israel to Russia and the Philippines. And she gave her first interview about the surprise launch to Rolling Stone:

It's safe to presume you've had a busy couple of days?
Oh my goodness. So busy. Let's talk about something good.

The album focuses on two themes: listening to your heart and being a rebel. When you sat down to write, were you guided by these ideas above any musical plans?
I never sit down and consciously think I want to write a song about a subject. Music leads me to ideas and to where I want to go emotionally. When I first started, I was writing with Avicii's team of writers and they were separated into two different groups. One of them had a much more upbeat approach to songwriting, sonically speaking, and the other team chose darker chords. The music leads me - so I get lost in the sound of the music, and that creates a kind of emotional palate. I found as I would look back at my songs and witness what I had written, I was coming from two very distinct places. That happened organically, not planned out, and I was observing, 'Oh, these are two very strong sides of me that I need to express.'

So decisions about who you trust to guide you, musically, are clearly quite crucial.
Yeah. And sometimes in the writing phase of the music, there are some people who I really felt a connection to, just as human beings, and felt they understood me as a songwriter and a person, so those people were easier for me to write with. Writing songs, you have to be vulnerable, you have to not be afraid to express yourself and to say things or share. It's almost like writing your diary in front of somebody and reading it out loud. Some people made me feel comfortable and I felt connected to them and other people seemed very strange to me. It was almost like an acting exercise, you know, just putting myself in a room and letting ideas flow even if I didn't feel so connected to the people.

'Living for Love' is a pretty triumphant breakup song.
It's a breakup song. [Laughs]

To read the rest of the interview visit: www.rollingstone.com/music/features

Madonna on New Album and 'Possibly' Crashing the Grammys

'It's kind of like the old me and the new me all mixed in together,' Madonna tells Billboard of her stunning new single 'Living For Love.'

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. ('I haven’t slept in a week,' she says.) 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.' How far ahead of schedule was the release? The single wasn’t supposed to premiere until Feb. 14, 2015.

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. She also dominated the real time Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 chart on Saturday night (Dec. 20), where two of the album’s songs ('Living For Love' and 'Bitch, I’m Madonna') were concurrently in the top three.

Billboard spoke to Madonna on Sunday morning via phone, to talk about her new album, its 'chaotic' recording process, and how her day-to-day business has changed because of the leaks. She also discusses her fondness of Diplo (he’s a 'badass'), a possible Grammy Awards performance, and how no one has ever called her an 'Unapologetic Bitch.'

Billboard: How are you doing?
Madonna: I'm good. I'm good, I haven't slept in a week, but I'm good.

I can only imagine the week that you've had so far.
Yeah. It's been a very intense couple of weeks.

Are you OK right now? As OK as you can be considering what's been happening?
Yeah. I mean, you know, I'm not happy that unreleased demos are out there in the world for people to hear, listen, judge, etcetera, etcetera. Once that happened we went into overdrive. A) Trying to figure out where the leaks were coming from, and then B) Trying to combat that with putting out finished music that people could focus on versus demos that were never meant for anyone to hear. So, that led to no sleep.

Did at any point you turn to someone and say 'Bitch, I'm Madonna,' this shouldn't be happening to me?
No. I said, 'Shit, this is the age that we're living in.' It's crazy. I mean, look at what's going on with Sony Pictures. It's just the age that we're living in. It's crazy times. The Internet is as constructive and helpful in bringing to people together as it is in doing dangerous things and hurting people. It's a double-edged sword.

To read the rest of the lengthy interview visit: www.billboard.com/articles

Madonna's new album is shaping up to be her finest in decade

When a handful of Madonna demos leaked last week - an event she called 'artistic rape' and a 'form of terrorism' - she decided to fight fire with fire by releasing the official versions of six songs cut from her upcoming thirteenth studio album, Rebel Heart. The bundle of new tracks represent her first collection of new material since 2012’s MDNA, a lukewarm flirtation with contemporary club music. Thing is, though, there’s a joy to every new Madonna release that’s just separated from determining the quality of the actual music: at this point in her career she’s pop’s cockroach, resilient and hardy and shockingly adaptable. With each new record, there are lessons about the genre’s present and near future in the specific sounds and figures she chooses to help realize her vision.

Based on this first batch of Rebel Heart material, Madonna is looking to strike a balance. First, there’s are the figures at the centre of EDM and synth-pop, her chosen modes of operation - meaning writers and producers like Diplo, Avicii, and Savan Kotecha. Then, she ropes in artists working at the vanguard across a variety of genres, from superstars like Kanye West to relative nobodies like producers Ariel Rechtshaid and Sophie. This is a savvy move - what a surprise, a smart play from one of the canniest pop stars to ever roam an arena - because it allows her to play to the masses while still pushing boundaries.

The songs that lead off this first Rebel Heart blast, lead single 'Living for Love' and 'Devil Pray,' could fit in neatly on the radio beside this year’s British house-pop crossovers and Avicii’s own 'Hey Brother.' The ones that close it, namely the abrasive half-rapped Kanye collaboration 'Illuminati' and caffeine-drunk trap anthem/Nicki Minaj feature 'Bitch I’m Madonna,' hew closer to the spirit of PC Music’s obscure SoundCloud accounts and the sharp edges of Yeezus.

And because Madonna exists in rarefied air, the kind reserved for luminaries like herself and Prince and very few others, each of her new releases is less of an independent statement than a response to everything she’s done before, another chapter tacked onto an epic novel with no definite end. The tones, themes, and imagery that make up her musical toolbox - the frank sensuality, the various methods of intoxication, the lapsed Catholicism, the uncompromising confidence - are gospel at this point, and they elevate some of the more forgettable Rebel Heart material to a base level of pleasure. It’s fun to hear Madonna deliver a line like, 'It might sound like I’m an unapologetic bitch / but sometimes you know I gotta call I like it is' (and try on 2 Chainz’ flow, just for kicks) because she has three’ decades worth of unapologetic bitchiness in her back pocket. It’s an easy score, sure, but it’s effective. And if the complete version of Rebel Heart, due March 10th via Interscope, can deliver a few more of those easy scores alongside a bit more adventurous songwriting, the album could be Madonna’s finest in almost a decade.

From Time.com

Madonna's Instagram: #livingformyfans

Madonna paid tribute to her fans with this Instagram post:

'Living for my fans! ‪#‎livingforlove‬ #rebelheart'

'unapologeticlayingdownbitch. #rebelheart'

Madonna speaks of 'crazy times' after songs leaked

Madonna and Sony Pictures both were separately torpedoed by major hacks this month, in what the pop icon called 'crazy times.'

'Shit, this is the age that we're living in. It's crazy,' she told Billboard magazine, when asked about the investigation into how at least 10 of her unfinished, unreleased songs were leaked onto the Internet.

'I mean, look at what's going on with Sony Pictures. It's just the age that we're living in. It's crazy times.'

Washington accuses Pyongyang of being behind the hack at Sony that led to the release of embarrassing emails and caused executives to halt the debut of the madcap comedy action film 'The Interview.'

The film about a fictional CIA plot to kill the country's leader infuriated North Korea, although Pyongyang has repeatedly denied it was behind the cyber-assault on Sony.

'The Internet is as constructive and helpful in bringing people together as it is in doing dangerous things and hurting people. It's a double-edged sword,' Madonna said.

Asked about her recording security, she said it already had been quite tight, so the leak came as a surprise.

'We don't put things up on servers anymore. Everything we work on, if we work on computers, we're not on WiFi, we're not on the Internet, we don't work in a way where anybody can access the information,' she said.

'Hard drives of music are hand-carried to people. We don't leave music laying around.'

From AFP Via Yahoo! News

Madonna defends music leak comments

Madonna has defended the extreme language she used in hitting out at the hackers who leaked her music online.

The Queen of Pop took to Instagram last week to hit out at the hacking of unfinished demo tracks from her upcoming album calling it 'artistic rape' and 'a form of terrorism', but then deleted the posts.

Madonna has now told the Guardian that she has been 'living in a state of terror' since the leak, and revealed the tracks had very likely been stolen from her own personal computer.

She said: 'Obviously there is a person, or a group of people behind this that were essentially terrorising me. I don't want to sound alarming, but certainly that's how I felt. It's one thing if someone comes into your house and steals a painting off your wall: that's also a violation, but, your work, as an artist, that's devastating.'

'I'm an artistic person, I'm very expressive. I'm sorry if words alarm people, but that's what it felt like. It was not a consensual agreement. I did not say 'hey, here's my music, and it's finished.' It was theft.'

The 56-year-old singer's quotes came as she released six tracks from her forthcoming album Rebel Heart on iTune without notice - immediately hitting number one in the iTunes chart in 36 countries.

Publicist Liz Rosenberg said the songs were released because several in-progress demos were leaked earlier this week.

The full album, Rebel Heart, is set for release in March. Rosenberg says additional tracks will be released on February 9.

Madonna confessed she had been very alarmed by the hacking of her music. She claimed it was much more serious than the recent leaking of other artist's material such as Kanye West or Lady Gaga because the attack had come so early on her personal work, rather then simply being leaked from someone who worked within the music label a few weeks before release.

Madonna said: 'It wasn't just music. Images were coming out that I'd never seen before. It was then I started to think OK, what's happening? What is the source of the leak? It's not just one person, or someone sitting next to me in an office, or someone in a recording studio. I've had leaks before, a couple of weeks before an album was released, a lot of other artists have too, we all have to deal with that. But to have songs in the earliest demo form, from last March, that's extremely disturbing to me.'

She went on: 'You have to rethink your approach to making music, how to get the information back and forth to people, how to work in a more secure environment. It's alarming . Alarming because what do we do as artists? We want to finish writing our book or editing our film, we want to finish writing or producing our music. People need the arts, we need to be inspired, we need to hear people's records and see people's films. Why destroy that process for creative people? It's going to affect everybody.'

Press Association Via Yahoo! News

Madonna's 'Living For Love': Billboard Single Review

When listening to Madonna sing a line like 'Took me to heaven, let me fall down/Now that it's over, I'm gonna carry on' on new single 'Living For Love,' it's hard not to think of the disappointment the pop queen felt earlier this week, when her thirteenth album leaked online in demo form before it was even officially announced.

Fortunately for fans, that initial shock is over, and Madge is carrying on with an album release - 'Living For Love' previews Rebel Heart, now due out in March, and hints at the defiant pose that the follow-up to 2012's MDNA may strike after a few overstuffed dance projects.

Unlike Madonna's previous two lead singles, the pre-EDM banger '4 Minutes' and the cheerleader pep talk 'Give Me All Your Luvin',' 'Living For Love' leaves its focus on its lyrics, with the singer beginning over a regal piano line that's eventually joined by pulsing percussion.

The confidence Madonna displays on the track recalls singular classics like 'Express Yourself' and 'Like A Prayer,' and when the song weaves its way toward a throbbing drop, Madonna continues crooning, refusing to be relegated to the background.

Living For Love' sounds like a giddy combination of Madonna's past and present, and represents an encouraging sign for a 2015 project that was unexpectedly thrown into jeopardy at the end of 2014.

From www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6414019/madonna-living-for-love

Furious at leaks, Madonna releases songs early

Madonna on Saturday suddenly released six new songs months ahead of schedule, furious that early versions had leaked online in what she had described as 'artistic rape.'

The songs will appear on the pop icon's first album in three years, 'Rebel Heart,' which comes out in March. The six tracks show Madonna going further in a hip-hop direction and include a collaboration with leading female rapper Nicki Minaj.

The Material Girl said she decided to put the songs on sale online after in-studio versions of her tracks dripped onto the Internet.

'I would prefer my fans to hear completed versions of some of the songs instead of the incomplete tracks that are circulating. Please consider these six songs as an early Christmas gift,' Madonna said in a statement.

Leaking has become an increasingly common problem for artists in an age where copying music takes little technical skill. Lady Gaga last year also released music early after leaks, while Beyonce avoided the problem by releasing an album with no prior publicity.

The new songs show Madonna - the creator of some of the most recognizable dance pop of the 1980s - further going into an R&B style, which she had touched on going as far back as 1989's 'Like a Prayer' and embraced on her 2008 album 'Hard Candy.'

One of the new songs, 'Living for Love,' merges elements from Madonna's career. Her vocals show clear R&B influence as a funky urban beat builds into club-packing house music. The song could be read as delving into Madonna's notoriously turbulent love life, with the anthem-like lyrics, 'Lifted me up, and watched me stumble / After the heartache, I'm gonna carry on.'

Madonna, whose purported romances have provided tabloid fodder since her eight-year marriage to British filmmaker Guy Ritchie ended in 2008, unleashes anger to an unnamed ex-lover in the evocatively titled 'Unapologetic Bitch.' As reggae guitars back up a hip-hop beat, Madonna blares: 'You know you never really knew how much you loved me until you lost me, did you? / You know you never really knew how much your selfish bullshit cost me? / Well, fuck you.'

Pursuing a lyrical theme, another song is called 'Bitch, I'm Madonna' as the 56-year-old pop icon raps with the younger Minaj in a hip-hop anthem on the joys of unabashed late-night partying.

Madonna shows her warmer side on the ballad 'Ghost Town' and goes in a completely different lyrical direction on "Illuminati," in which she plays on the 18th-century conspiracy theory of a global secret society. 'It's the Enlightenment that started it all / The Founding Fathers wrote it down on the wall / And now the media's misleading us all,' Madonna sings as she name-checks everyone from Steve Jobs to Queen Elizabeth II to ISIS.

The songs come after what had been a quiet 2014 for Madonna, who dropped off Forbes' annual list of the highest-earning female musicians after topping it a year earlier.

From AFP Via Yahoo! News

Madonna Releases Six Songs From New 'Rebel Heart' Album

Madonna has just released six songs from her new studio album 'Rebel Heart'. The six songs are currently available for purchase now via preorder at iTunes and other music outlets with purchase of the album and a la carte as well. The music will also be available on all streaming services. Additional music will be released on Feb. 9th. The full album of 'Rebel Heart' on Interscope Records is scheduled to be released the first week in March 2015.

Song titles that are currently available from the new album are Living For Love, Devil Pray, Ghosttown, Unapologetic Bitch, Illuminati and Bitch I'm Madonna which was recorded with Nicki Minaj. Producers include Madonna, Diplo, Kanye West, Billboard, was recorded in NY, LA and London.

The decision to release the songs much earlier than anticipated was due to the leaking of several work-in-progress demos earlier this week.

'I was hoping to release my new single 'Living For Love' on Valentine's Day with the rest of the album coming in the Spring. I would prefer my fans to hear completed versions of some of the songs instead of the incomplete tracks that are circulating. Please consider these six songs as an early Christmas gift,' commented Madonna.

Pre-order at itunes.apple.com/gb/album/rebel-heart/ or via your local iTunes store.

What do you think of the tracks you have downloaded from Rebel Heart? Add your thoughts using the 'Comments' button below.

Madonna's message to fans about full album leak

Madonna's 13th studio album has appeared online in its unfinished form.

The singer has been working throughout 2014 on her next studio album, which has tentatively been titled Iconic on this unauthorised leak.A total of 11 tracks have surfaced, including previously confirmed songs 'Rebel Heart', 'Bitch I'm Madonna', 'Joan of Arc' and 'Make the Devil Pray'.

Madonna has yet to announce an official title or release date for the album, which wasn't expected to be available legally to fans for some months yet.

The star has worked with a range of songwriters and producers for the album, including Diplo, Avicii, Natalia Kills and Ryan Tedder.

From Digital Spy

Madonna herself has commented on her Instagram page with the message: 'Thank you for not listening! Thank you for your loyalty! Thank you for waiting and if you have heard please know they are unfinished demos stolen long ago and not ready to be presented to the world.'

Later on Madonna also posted on Instagram: 'This is artistic rape!! These are early leaked demo's half of which wont even make it on my album the other half have changed and evolved. This is a form of terrorism. Wtf!!!! Why do people want to destroy artistic process??? Why steal? Why not give me the opportunity to finish and give you my very best?'

Madonna's response to Pakistan terror attacks

Madonna posted these messages and pictures on her Instagram page in response to the terrorist attacks in Pakistan:

'My heart goes out to the families of innocent children who were killed today in Pakistan!! I do not accept a world where kids are killed for wanting an education! This violence and ignorance has to stop!!!! It starts with all of us treating all human beings with dignity and respect!!'

'Pray for Peace in Pakistan and the rest of the world. Pray for an end to violence against children everywhere! #livingforlove'

2015 Madonna Calendar Competition Winner

Congratulations to Marcus Cunningham from Lincoln who is the winner of the official 2015 Madonna calendar in the competition we ran last week. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Madonna's Instagram: #Madonnagate

Madonna another leaked picture and a long message about people leaking unreleased pictures and songs and asking for help to find the people behind the leaks:

This is a fitting photo i did not release. I do not make money from the release of any of my photos. But other people do! I am asking my true fans and supporters who respect me as an artist and a human to not get involved with the purchasing trading or posting of unreleased images or music. I hope and pray we find the source of the leaks soon. Until then i am grateful for any leads or info and even more grateful for your support and loyalty! Please let me finish my work so i can give you my very best! #respectartandtheprocess

Madonna's Instagram: #karma

Madonna is finding leaked outtakes from photoshoots being posted online and is re-porting them on her Instagram page to show her upset:

'Out takes from steven Klein shoot I've never seen before. Thanks for showing me again and again that stealing selling and buying is alive and well in cyberspace! #fearnoevil'

'Another unreleased photo from a series I have just discovered! Stolen and sold to whom?? Wtf? Are my fans doing this? If so Im very confused! Stealing is a crime. #karma'

Win a 2015 Madonna Calendar!

madonnalicious has teamed up with Danilo to offer one of our UK readers the chance to win the official Madonna 2015 Calendar.

Just email your name and postal address to [email protected] and we will pick one winner at random.

Competition is only open to UK readers and entries will not be accepted after 6.00pm on Sunday 14 December.

The 2015 calendar offers pictures from Steven Klein and Tom Munro and each month will feature four pictures (one large, three small).

If you are not lucky enough to win you can buy the calendar direct from Danilo for £8.99 (with free delivery) at www.danilo.com/Shop/Calendars/-Madonna-2015-Calendar

Madonna's Instagram: Madonna With Attitude!

Madonna is meaning business with her two latest Instagram comments and pictures:

'Me With Attitude!....Yeesus loves Me!'

'Thank you @betches I was just thinking the same thing!'

Ryan Tedder: Madonna's new music is the 'best'

Madonna’s new music is 'her best' in recent years, OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder has revealed.

The lead singer from the pop-rock group has been drafted in to write tracks for the Material Girl’s new album, which will be released in 2015.

'It’s her best stuff in over a decade - it’s really strong,' he told the Daily Mirror.

But the 35-year-old musician added: 'The tracks I’ve done with her are really hard to explain.'

Ryan, who performed at Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball on December 6, has composed songs for the likes of One Direction, Leona Lewis and Ella Henderson.

Madonna has also teamed up with Avicii, and their track Rebel Heart was leaked online with another song, Wash Over Me. The singer admitted the breach of privacy 'broke her heart'.

And Ryan revealed his concerns that the leaked tracks could have been his collaborations with her.

'I was actually working on something with Madonna when her tracks leaked,' he said. 'So I panicked because I thought it was the song I was working on, but luckily it wasn’t. People have way too much time on their hands.'

From SNAP.PA

Madonna must give deposition in Hard Candy case

Madonna has been ordered to sit for a deposition.

The 'Music' singer is being sued by beauty firm Hard Candy for allegedly stealing their name for her fitness brand and will now be filmed answering questions from a lawyer as part of the case.

However, judge John O'Sullivan, in making the ruling, also stated the 56-year-old star can only answer questions pertaining to the lawsuit.

The ruling, as obtained by RadarOnline.com, stated: 'In the event that Hard Candy's counsel asks any further questions beyond the scope of permissible discovery during any future depositions, Defendant's counsel is instructed to object that the question goes beyond the scope, permit the witness to answer the question, and file a motion with the Court if Sanctions are appropriate.'

It was also ruled that Madonna and Live Nation LLC must turn over any licensing agreements in which merchandise is sold in Florida.

The Florida-based cosmetics company accused the 'Material Girl' singer of trademark infringement and unfair competition in their lawsuit.

The case claims Madonna began selling her goods under the Hard Candy name in 2011 despite a previous rejection from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Hard Candy are seeking financial damages and for Madonna to stop using their name completely.

From contactmusic.com

Events: 'REBEL HEARTS Holiday Party' in NYC

We're nearly the end of the year, so whether you've been naughty or nice, you won't need to think twice about coming to our next Madonna-thon! Happening Friday, December 19th, 2014 at Rockbar NYC at 10pm.

It will be a 'Madonnathon' Holiday Party you won't want to miss, full of Madonna cheer, and Madonna Stocking stuffer giveaways!

Music provided by DJ JENE !
Drink Specials / $5 cover
+Free Madonna giveaways all night!
RSVP Here: https://www.facebook.com/events/359683007537093/

Visit www.madonnathon.com, www.djjene.com or rockbarnyc.com for more info. or call (212) 675-1864

ROCKBAR
185 Christopher st. (bet. Washington and Weehawken)
NY, NY

Madonna's Instagram: Holding it down for @versace

Madonna posted another picture from the Mert and Marcus photoshoot for Versace SS15 on her Instagram page: 'Holding it down........@versace'

Events: Like A Virgin 30th Anniversary Istanbul Party

DJ Cenk Erdem calls on all Madonna fans in İstanbul to celebrate 30th Anniversary of Madonna’s classical album ‘Like A Virgin’.

'Like A Virgin' can be regarded as the most influential album in Madonna’s legendary career with over 25 million copies sold to date.

The party kicks off at Cihangir’s Leyla on December 10. Erdem previously held official parties for Madonna and throws a party to celebrate 30 year of 'Like a Virgin' with all the hits of 80’s.

Admission is free for the party, which will start at 10 p.m.
For information call: 243 21 48

This is what Madonna does to people who cross her

The hackers who leaked Madonna’s new tracks online had better watch out.

This is what she did to her iPod to vent her frustration.

Two tracks by the Queen of Pop - Rebel Heart, featuring DJ and producer Avicii, and Wash All Over Me - were leaked on the intermet over the weekend and Madonna has hit back at the culprits.

She posted a picture of a smashed gadget on Instagram with the caption 'This broken ipod is a symbol of my broken heart! That my music has been stolen and leaked! I have been violated as a human and an artist! #fuckedupshit'

From SNAP.PA

Madonna named as the face of Versace Spring Summer 2015

Madonna has been unveiled as the face of the Versace Spring/Summer 2015 fashion campaign. The pictures were shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

This is the fourth time Madonna has been the face of Versace and she said: 'It's always exciting to be dressed head to toe in Versace and experience first-hand Donatella's vivid imagination and passion that she has created for this collection.'

Donatella commented: 'Madonna is one of the true icons of Versace. I am thrilled to have my friend and the most powerful and directional artist as the face of Versace for Spring 2015.'

Madonna Named As World's Richest Recording Artist

Madonna tops a new list of the world's wealthiest recording artists, besting fellow 1 percenters Paul McCartney and Dr. Dre. According to Wealth-X's net worth valuation of the pop queen, Madge is worth a staggering $800 million.

That's significantly less than the one billion the New York Post valued her at in 2013, but it's far ahead of Sir Paul, whose net worth Wealth-X places at $660. For those of you who thought Macca had more scratch, keep in mind that his wife, Nancy Shevell, is worth a reported $300 million. So although the McCartney couple is worth more than Madge, the former Beatle isn't richer than her on his own.

Following McCartney comes Dr. Dre who - despite that massive Beats deal with Apple - is at No. 3 on the list with $650 million. Speaking of rap moguls, Diddy is the fourth-wealthiest recording artist in 2014 - although at this point, both Dr. Dre and Diddy are more businessmen than active recording artists.

But keep in mind that this is a list of the world's wealthiest recording artists. When you include musicians as a whole, you open the list up to composers and theater moguls like Andrew Lloyd Webber - a man worth around $1.2 billion. So clearly, Cats pays better than Beatles.

From Billboard.com

Pictures from Interview Magazine

All 16 pictures from Madonna's Interview magazine article are available to view online at: www.interviewmagazine.com/music/madonna-1#slideshow

And if that isn't enough, fans have a choice of three covers to choose from!

Madonna on the cover of Interview magazine

Madonna is featured on the cover of the December 2014 issue of Interview magazine.

She is photographed by Marcus Piggott and Mert Alas (in New York City in October 2014), styled by Arianne Phillips and interviewed by David Blaine.

To read the full interview visit: www.interviewmagazine.com/music/madonna

Madonna heads home after Malawi visit

Madonna left Malawi on Monday after a visit that included meetings with the president and the biological father of one of her adopted children.

Sarah Ezzy, director of the U.S. pop star's charity Raising Malawi, confirmed Madonna's departure on her private jet.

Madonna has been visiting Malawi since 2006. She funds a number of orphanages and schools in the country. On Thursday, she helped open a new 50-bed pediatrics ward in the commercial capital, Blantyre, that she helped fund.

On this visit, Madonna met President Peter Mutharika as well as Yohane Banda, father of her adopted son, 9-year-old David Banda. Madonna has another Malawi-born child, Mercy Chifundo James.

Associated Press Via Yahoo! News

More Instagram pictures from Malawi visit

Madonna posted lots of pictures from her visit to Malawi on her Instagram page, including visits with David and Mercy to the Home of Hope and a primary school.

Madonna supports the #APPSFORRED initiative

Madonna supports the APPS FOR RED initiative, which was developed by Red.org & Apple to help in the fight against AIDS.

Through December 7, every time you purchase a participating app, 100% of the proceeds go to the Global Fund to fight AIDS.

Go ahead and download your favorite Apps now!

More info: www.red.org #APPSFORRED #WORLDAIDSDAY2014