FEATURE:
New Confessions on a Dance Floor
PHOTO CREDIT: Madonna
that I constantly think about and wonder what is coming. Even though The Beatles are obviously not active, there is always thew possibility that something wonderful from the archives will come. A reissue of one of their classic albums. It is exciting as you know this year is going to bring at least one really cool project. Whether that is a book, documentary or album reissue, fans are never disappointed or left short! Madonna is obviously still recording and touring. Last year was one where she ended her incredible Celebration Tour. One that began in October 2023, it ended in May last year at Copacabana Beach at Rio de Janeiro. It was a record-setting gig where people flocked to see the Queen of Pop show that she is still peerless! At sixty-six, Madonna still is one of the most compelling and relevant artists in the world. I love how she speaks out on issues that are important. Rather than worrying about commercial repercussions or dividing her fans, Madonna says what needs to be said. At the moment, the state of the world. The U.S. particularly. How her country is in a bad place and run by a President whose motives are evil, selfish and very much not good for the people. Madonna also spoke out against the genocide in Palestine. Although she does say some controversial things and is not always right, Madonna is an artist that speaks truth and uses her voice for good. I do hope that there is something happening regarding new music. Recently, Madonna teased that new material is coming. Recording again with Stuart Price (the two collaborated on 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor), it follows 2019’s Madame X. That album was slightly darker than previous or earlier work. I think a new Madonna album might fit into the currently Pop landscape. Charli xcx, Sabrina Carpenter and Dua Lipa. Like 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, will Disco and Dance be at its heart? I am looking forward to seeing what comes.
I don’t think Madonna will be touring again soon. Very much focused on a new album. I sort of hope that there are not too many collaborators. An album where Madonna is more at the front. I find some of her more recent albums have relied too much on collaborations. It would be nice if there was one or two collaborations, but the remaining tracks were her alone. It would mean we’d get something purer and more personal. What form her fifteenth studio album will take I am not too sure. There are a couple of big album anniversaries coming later in the year. On 18th September, Music turns twenty-five. On 9th November, Music on a Dance Floor turns twenty. I do hope that something special happens for those anniversaries. More than anything, I hope that 2025 sees movement regarding a long-awaited biopic. There have been attempts. Before Madonna toured, we did think that a film would appear. Julia Garner was cast as Madonna. I think Diablo Cody was co-writing with Madonna but that didn’t actually come to pass. I know Madonna wants to direct a biopic, though I think her acting as a producer and someone else directing might be better. I am not certain if Julia Garner would return or another actor is playing her. So many possibilities. In terms of the time period and plot. I think the aborted recent attempt was focusing on years like 1985 and 1986. Julia Garner looking like Madonna during her True Blue (1986) period. I would love to see the story of Madonna turning up in New York and her getting noticed. Her path to her debut album in 1983. It would be fascinating to see that period brought to the big screen. Maybe Madonna co-writing the script. Perhaps a biopic that goes from the early-1980s through to the end of that decade. Now that she is not touring and is working on new material, there must be part of her that wants to reignite a biopic.
The music biopic is that risky thing. So many pitfalls compared to any other type of film. More attentions paid to the actor playing the artist, whether the story told is truthful and real or it whitewashes a lot of the more controversial aspects. In recent years, the likes of Amy Winehouse and Bob Marley have been brought to life in new films. In those cases, reviews were mixed. I can’t remember the last time we saw a music biopic that did not divide people. Objectively that could happen with any biopic though, for someone like Madonna, if you get the balance right then it could be a success. Making sure it is real and raw. That it is honest and does have a blend of the uplifting and not so. That the version of events is correct and the actor playing Madonna at least sounds like her. Maybe not singing her vocals, getting the look right is important. Maybe Madonna is too subjective to direct a biopic that is objective and balanced. I do think it is possible to produce a Madonna biopic that ticks all the boxes. If not a biopic then a film where her music is the soundtrack. A story around her music and life. Scenes unfolding to the iconic music of Madonna. It would be wonderful to finally see her brought to the big screen. She has appeared in other films through depiction but nothing where she is the subject. Aside from that, we hope that Madonna continues to record and engage with fans. So inspiring and always unvarnished, she is an artist who is as important, inspiring and relevant as ever. A generation of new Pop artist following Madonna. Last year, the Becoming Madonna documentary was released. Whilst not perfect, it did give us a glimpse into Madonna in those earliest years. I hope we get a documentary around the Celebration Tour. New music might arrive before the end of the year. A new chapter for the Queen of Pop. Madonna turns sixty-seven in August. I am excited to see what comes next. This Pop genius still burning bright over four decades…
SINCE her debut album was released.