Madonna, magnificent & controversial

With Madonna’s new album releasing on July 3, here’s looking back at some of her most controversial moments over the years

Kabir Singh Bhandari

67-year-old Queen of Pop, Madonna, is back with her next album, Confessions II on July 3. Just a few days ago, she premiered a 13-minute visual project entered around the album at a sold-out Beacon Theatre in New York.

Confessions II is a sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), and just like the original, it continues as an exploration of dance and electronic music. However, an online debate seems to have been reignited regarding her association with FIFA, and the responsibilities celebrities have when associating themselves with certain organizations.

The original comment was actually in praise of her Times Square performance, but everything spioralled towards another direction with this comment from a user: “The problem, she made a deal with homophobic anti-human-rights mafia-> FIFA, together with shakira chris martin and BTS, for louzy 1$ per ticket donations. This really hurts me” (sic).

Annoying the Church

While this is just a drop in the ocean as far as controversies go in the day and age of social media, Madonna, a true music legend, has been at the centre of some of the most contentious moments in pop culture history. Throughout her career of over 40 years, she has always pushed the boundaries across sexuality and religion.

The most consistent theme out of these have been her constantly irking the Catholic establishment, which all started with the infamous song Like a Prayer (1989) which featured stigmata, burning crosses, and a Black Jesus. The result? The Vatican and the Pope condemned the video, there were religious protests and Pepsi was pressured to drop their sponsorship of her. 

Let’s talk about sex

Sexuality is another area where no one seems to have pushed the limits like her. The video of Justify My Love (1990) was banned by MTV banned for its sexually explicit imagery. Then in 1992 she released the Sex book, at the same time as her fifth studio album. It was a graphic coffee table book which featured explicit photography, sparking debates about what qualifies as pornography and what doesn’t. And how can one forget her pink satin cone bra that made its debut during her Blond Ambition Tour in 1990, a fashion statement that signified female empowerment. 

Politically, too, she hasn’t stayed far behind. Her 2003 American Life music video had her throwing a hand grenade into a fashion show attended by lookalikes of George W. Bush. The video, which coincided with the beginning of the Iraq War, was pulled down. However, controversies aside, Madonna without a doubt has been one of the most influential artists of her time, with evergreen hits such as Like a Virgin, Material Girl, Papa Don't Preach, Isla Bonita and so many more.

The first Confessions album gave us memorable tunes and videos in the form of Hung Up and Jump, with her doing a split at the age of 49 in the former. Now we shall  wait and see till next month whether she still has the magic to mesmerize us.