Monday, December 29, 2014

Madonna Hits The Slopes As She 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.
The small getaway could be a welcome break for Madonna, who has faced a turbulent few days after songs from her upcoming album Rebel Heart were leaked online.

 The Material Girl singer took to Instagram on Sunday to share her frustration with fans, defending her unfinished work.
"I will fight for my rights as an artist, a human and a woman till the end of my days," she wrote. "Because I am a #rebelheart and I will walk in the footsteps of giants and I will not apologise or defend my unpublished, unfinished, STOLEN work."

 However by Monday the singer seemed to have put her frustration aside, choosing instead to make the most of quality time with her family.
This also marks the first Christmas since daughter Lourdes left the family home and headed to the University of Michigan to study musical theatre and dance, so it could be that Madonna did not want to let the news of the leaked songs affect their holiday together.

 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.
Renowned for its luxurious ski resorts and stunning snow-covered slopes, Gstaad has also attracted stars including fashionista Olivia Palermo and husband Johannes Huebl, who were spotted enjoying a mini break, joined by Giancarlo Giammetti.
A celebrity hotspot over the winter months, Gstaad also welcomed Tatiana Santo Domingo and Andrea Casiraghi last year, who chose the Swiss resort as the location for the second round of their nuptials.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Madonna Convocada Como Jurado por la Corte de Manhattan (07.07.2014)

Madonna (55 años) tuvo que asistir este lunes a un llamado del tribunal de Manhattan, donde había sido convocada para conformar el jurado, es lo que se conoció mediante la agencia AP.

La cantante fue eximida de integrar el jurado antes puesto que, según indicó el portavoz judicial David Bookstaver, había suficientes miembros del jurado en aquella oportunidad y quería que todos estuvieran concentrados y la presencia de la artista sería una gran distracción en el proceso de selección.
La artista pop ya había sido convocada en el mes de mayo de este año sin embargo, en aquella oportunidad no se hizo presente. Esta vez, Madonna se libró en apenas dos horas de la obligaciones que tenía como jurado, según reportó TMZ. De acuerdo con dicho medio, la cantante nunca llegó a sentarse en la sala donde estaban reunidos los otros candidatos a miembros del jurado, sino que se le permitió esperar en un despacho del juez.

Recordamos que Madonna ya había tenido que ser miembro del jurado en 2008, en un tribunal de Beverly Hills (California). Entonces, consiguió librarse de su deber en cuatro horas. En Estados Unidos es usual que los ciudadanos mayores de edad sean convocados a integrar un jurado en su distrito. A continuación se realiza una selección.

Inside the 2015 Official Calendar

Have a look at the images featured in the Madonna Official Calendar for year 2015.
As you will notice the 12″x12″ calendar is heavily based on the Queen of Pop’s more recent photoshoots by Tom Munro for L’Uomo Vogue and Steven Klein for V Magazine – but the interesting part is that it also uses what seem to be pictures sourced from Madonna‘s very own Instagram on the right side of the month page.
 


Madonna ‘may come out and sing’ at MSG New Year’s Eve bash (December 25, 2014)

Diplo and Skrillex will lead  the big apple into the year 2015 with their much-anticipated gig at Madison Square Garden, and TimeOut New York asked them about their favorite New Year’s Eve bash and reveal that the Queen of Pop may come out and sing at the event.
Diplo: We’re gonna make it big. It’s New Year’s Eve. It’s the first time either of us has played this venue. We wanna make it gigantic. We’re also working on an app for the event.

TimeOut:
Will Madonna sing with you at MSG?
Diplo: She may come out and sing. If me and Skrillex are in town, people will come out. I’m inviting the entire New York Knicks to come shoot warm-ups during my set.

TimeOut: Can you talk about your work with Madonna?
Diplo: The single comes out in February. There are two songs [the label] loves as singles; I don’t know which one will come out first. I go back next week on my birthday to mix more. She’s actually kind of hard-core. You can’t get away. I’ll be glad when we’re all wrapped up. It’s been a lot of work. I’ve worked harder on these songs than I’ve worked on our songs, and that’s a lot of fucking work.
Skrillex: I’ve never seen him more like, Fuck, I have to go back.
Diplo: If I can go back and wrap this up and make great songs for her…She’s the queen of making music. I remember having songs like “Cherish” and “Vogue” on cassette tapes. I’ve loved her production, and I’ve always loved how she’s a forward-thinking motherfucking beast. She was the first person to really bring in different sounds and co-opt things for her own sound, and I’ve always loved her for that.

Deborah Feingold presenta su libro "Music" y habla sobre Madonna y sus fotos de los 80's

Para promocionar su último libro "Music, la fotografa Deborah Feingold dio una tanda de entrevistar a diferentes medios en donde habló sobre las imágenes icónicas de Madonna durante el comienzo de su carreta, a principios de los 80's.
Al hablar con Billboard dijo:
"Yo vivía en un apartamento de una habitación en el West Village y tenía un recipiente con goma de mascar y unos chupetines. No hablamos prácticamente salvo una "ponte así, ahora de esta forma". No había ni estilista de cabello, ni maquilladores, ni vesturio. Solo eramos dos mujeres de trabajo. No tuve que convencerla de nada. Ella y yo trabajamos todo el tiempo. Le di a ella lo que necesitaba, ella me dio lo que yo necesitaba y luego se levantó y se fue. Nunca volví a verla otra vez."
Yo quería fotografiarla y "Musician" (la revista) no lo estaba cubriendo , así que llamé a David Keats en aquel entonces quien era el editor de "Star Hits" y le dije: "¡David de verdad quiero fotografiarla!! Y la reacción de el fue "OK", así era como se arreglaba todo en aquellos días. ¿Te imaginas? "¡Oh, David quiero fotografiarla!" Yo había hecho otros trabajos para Warner Bros, entonces sabía que no iba a ser algo imposible de alcanzar.
 
En la entrevista con Boston Globe se le preguntó por qué las tomas que hizo con Madonna marcaron un punto y aparte, a lo cual Feingold comentó:
"No tengo explicación para eso. Solo fue una sesión que duró veinte minutos en mi departamento que era tan pequeño que todo los muebles estaban amontonados, incluyendo la cama, la mesa y las sillas. Yo ya estaba preparada. Tenía un asistente. Ella vino con Liz Rosenberg, quien era su agente de publicidad. Su maquillaje ya estaba listo. Yo tenía un recipiente con chupetines y goma de mascar. Todo era muy simple. Utilicé cuatro rollos fotográficos y en cada toma ella se cambiaba. Era como una danza y yo una buena seguidora. Yo tenía la habilidad pero ella lo manejaba.  Veinte minutos después, sabíamos que había finalizado y ella se fue. Ella era una mujer de trabajo y yo estaba allá para trabajar y eso es lo que se vio."
Silvie le preguntó nuevamente algo "¿por qué cree que la foto de Madonna se volvió una de las más icónicas?" y Feingold contestó:
"No lo se por qué terminó teniendo ese impacto. ¿Fue porque era de principiante? ¿Era la Madonna que todos querían ver antes de volverse famosa? Es tan interesante para mi como lo es para cualquier otra persona."
"Music" es el nombre del libro de Doborah Feingold que se lanzó este mes de septiembre y actualmente el mismo cuenta con una exposición que arrancó este jueves 18 de septiembre y durará hasta el 31 de octubre de 2014. Feingold también participará de diversos paneles, de conferencias y de firma de ejemplares en diferentes lugares de New York.


Madonna por Peter Cunningham (1982)


Madonna celebrando Purim recreando a Daenerys (16.03.2014)

Madonna, quien estudia Kabbalah, se vistió como el personaje de La Madre de los Dragones de la serie de HBO, 'Game of Thrones', este domingo.

 Madonna celebró la tradición Judía y el capitulo de estreno del domingo de "Game of Throne' todo a la vez este domingo.

 La icónica estrella del pop y cantante usó un atuendo disfrazada como la Madre de los Dragones, Daenerys Targaryen (interpretada por Emilia Clarke).

 Esto fue lo que Madonna escribió desde su cuenta de Instagram : “Happy Purim!!!!! All Hail All Queens! ##certainty,” junto con una foto en donde se la veía caracterizada como el personaje de Daenerys.
Desde el libro bíblico de Esther, Purim conmmemora Purim conmemora la liberación del pueblo judío en el antiguo Imperio Persa, donde se había formado un plan para destruirlos. En la historia, Mardoqueo y su primo y su hija adoptada Ester, la reina de Persia, frustraron el plan. Purim se celebra anualmente para celebrar la victoria.

 Aunque Madonna fue criada como Católica, ella ingresó dentro del sistema de la mística Judía, Kabbalah, en 1997. Además de ello, Madonna no sólo participa de la festividad Judía, sino que también su nombre en Hebreo es Esther al igual que la historía que se desprende del libro bíblico.





Monday, December 22, 2014

Madonna: I did not say, "Hey, here’s my music, and it’s finished". It was theft (The Guardian)

In an exclusive interview, the singer defends her description of the leak of demos from her new album as "artistic rape"

Madonna has defended her description of the leak of 13 unfinished demos from her forthcoming album as “a form of terrorism” and “artistic rape”.

Speaking to the Guardian on Sunday, the singer said she was “living in a state of terror” following the leak, adding that there was “a big possibility” they were the result of her personal computer being hacked.

“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.”

(Fan Pic)

On Saturday, Madonna unexpectedly released six tracks from Rebel Heart on iTunes, following the leak of the unfinished songs earlier in the week: the album itself is not due for release until March. She immediately reached No 1 in the iTunes chart in 36 countries, a situation she described as a miracle.

The appearance of the unfinished recordings from Rebel Heart is the latest in a series of high-profile music leaks in the teeth of ever-more stringent security measures by record companies.

Last year, Kanye West’s keenly anticipated album Yeezus appeared in full online in advance of its release, ironically four hours after the website buzzfeed.com published a feature detailing the painstaking security around the album – which apparently included storing the music on a hard drive in an airtight, watertight case that could withstand the impact of a plane crash or tsunami – under the headline 8 Reasons You Won’t Hear Yeezus Early.

But Madonna suggested the leak of her demos differed from previous security breaches – frequently traced back to employees of record companies or recording studios – because other non-musical material appeared online at the same time.

“It wasn’t just music,” she said. “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.”

The singer said that the leak had forced her to reconsider her working practices, and, in the wake of the Sony Pictures hacking scandal, posed wider questions for the entertainment industry as a whole.

“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.”

The six songs from Rebel Heart released thus far do not shy away from controversy: one, Illuminati, mocks the various conspiracy theories on the internet that implicate a variety of entertainers – including Jay-Z and Lady Gaga – in membership of a shadowy ruling elite.

“There’s a lot of talk in pop music right now about people saying, ‘Oh, this person’s a member of the Illuminati,’ or they’re Illuminati, or you’re Illuminati, and people’s idea that there’s a group of entertainers or very wealthy people, they’re referred to as the Illuminati, and they work behind the scenes and they control things and they’re very powerful, and there’s possibly a reference to something dark, or black magic, or something like that. And I have to say I laugh at all of those things.

“I think there are some people who don’t mind being referred to as that, but I know who the real Illuminati are, and where that word came from. The root of the word is “illuminate”, and that means “The enlightened ones”, and it came from the Age of Enlightenment, when a lot of arts and creativity flourished, from Shakespeare to Isaac Newton, to Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo: the philosophers, artists, scientists were all engaged in a kind of high level of consciousness through their work, and they were enlightening and inspiring people around the world. And those are the true Illuminati. So the purpose for writing that song was really in a way, ‘So, if you think I’m the Illuminati, then thank you very much, a compliment, because I would like very much to be part of that group, the real Illuminati, and this is what it’s not’”.

Madonna also claimed that her children acted as her artistic advisors, helping her to make decisions about which producers she worked with: Rebel Heart features contributions from, among others, Kanye West and EDM stars Avicii and Diplo. “I’m certainly not out in nightclubs all the time, but my kids are. My daughter and my son are my A&R people now. They’re constantly playing stuff in the house, in the car, and I’m like, “Who’s that? Who’s that? Who did that?” They bring me stuff all the time. And I listen to music as well, it’s a combination. I manage to surround myself with people who introduce stuff to me, keep me in touch, in tune. I feel like just as connected to street culture, pop culture, underground culture, as I’ve ever been.”

"Rebel Heart": Madonna Reveals the Story Behind Six Surprise Songs (Rolling Stone)

In her first Q&A about the surprise launch of her 13th album, the Queen of Pop opens up about working with Nicki and Kanye and who's really in the Illuminati

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."

"The way we're going to change the world or ultimately feel joy is through unity."

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]

But it's not a mopey breakup song.
The thing is, lots of people write about being in love and being happy or they write about having a broken heart and being inconsolable. But nobody writes about having a broken heart and being hopeful and triumphant afterwards. So I thought, how can I do this? I didn't want to share the sentiment of being a victim. This scenario devastated me, but it just made me stronger.

The track marries a classic house-y vibe with some of Diplo's very synthetic sounds. Did you encourage him to push it a little bit?
Oh, I don't ever have to encourage Diplo to push anything. In fact, I have to encourage him to tone things down sometimes. He's a turn-up man. In fact, I think "Living for Love" is probably one of his more mellow productions.

"Devil Pray" is at risk of being misunderstood as a song encouraging or condemning drugs, but it's more about a search for spirituality, correct?

I don't think when people are experimenting with drugs they're actually consciously saying to themselves, I want to get closer to God. I think it's a primal thing, a more inexplicable thing that happens where I think the feeling people have when they're high is plugging into the universe and appreciating things or seeing details that they otherwise may have missed, or feeling a certain kind of euphoric joy. Ultimately those feelings never last, because the drugs wear off and then there's the aftereffect. Whenever you synthetically make yourself feel euphoria there's going to be the crash. I'm certainly not judging people who take drugs or saying "don't do drugs," however, I'm saying you can do all of these things to connect to a higher level, but ultimately you're going to be lost. People who are getting high are instinctively also trying to connect to a higher level of consciousness, but are doing it in a way that will not sustain them.

There's also a message of seeking spirituality via togetherness and not being isolated.
Yeah, and that's another subtle message of the song, and you really do have to pay attention to the lyrics, and I hope people do over time. The way we're going to change the world, or the way we're going to ultimately feel joy, is through unity. I'm certainly not encouraging religious behavior; when I say people are thinking in a religious way, I think they're thinking about rules and dogma and laws that separate. When I say spirituality, I mean a consciousness that has an understanding that we are all in this together, that we are all one. We have to find a way to feel joy and to bring joy to the world together. That ultimately is with consciousness, not drugs.

We're at a critical moment — a weird and scary time — that doesn't seem far from the fallen world of "Ghosttown."
Yes, we are, and that song is kind of looking at the world in a way, seeing civilization collapse around us, for lack of a better word. And at the end of the day, if we run out of oil and we don't have electricity and we don't have all the modern conveniences, and we have no phones and computers, all we're going to have is each other, is humans. And that song's about recognizing that.

"I know who the real Illuminati are, and I know where that word comes from."

Still, it's a comforting song, it's not a frightful or fearful song.
No. Again, hopeful. Looking at the destruction and seeing hope. And that's what a lot of my songs are about on this record.

If "Living for Love" is the inspiring breakup song, "Unapologetic Bitch" is the "fuck you."
Yeah. [Laughs] But it's like, fuck you, I'm going to have fun. You think you're going to ruin my life and you think that it's over for me, but guess what? It's not. Life goes on.

Diplo, who produced that track, plays an interesting role in music right now, traveling the world collecting sounds and helping other cultures make sense of them. How did you two relate?
You know when you meet somebody and you work with them and you recognize that you both look at life the same way? I'm one of those people, I travel the world also and I engage in other cultures, and I absorb and see the beauty in other culture from many different perspectives — through art, through literature, through music — and reference a lot of those things that inspire me through my work. And I think Diplo does the same thing. So we recognized kindred spirits. When we got together, he didn't know that side of me and I didn't know that side of him, so again, not a discussion that we had per se, just more about hey, check this out? Did you hear this? Listen to this track. Do you like this group? Playing each other music that we loved and just recognizing we both enjoyed a lot of the same things, and then just getting to work.

How does an idea for "Illuminati" come together when you're working with Kanye West?
"Illuminati " was a song I'd written back in March or April. People are always using the word Illuminati but they're always referencing it in an incorrect way. People often accuse me of being a member of the Illuminati and I think in today's pop culture the Illuminati is perceived as a group of powerful, successful people who are working behind the scenes to control the universe. Not people with consciousness, not people who are enlightened. So people were accusing me of being a member of the Illuminati, and I kept going, wait – so first I had to figure out what that meant.

Do you Google these things, because it's quite amusing.
Yeah. But the thing is, I know who the real Illuminati are, and I know where that word comes from. The real Illuminati were a group of scientists, artists, philosophers, writers, who came about in what is referred to as the Age of Enlightenment, after the Dark Ages, when there was no writing and no art and no creativity and no spirituality, and life was really at a standstill. And right after that, everything flourished. So we had people like Shakespeare and Leonardo Da Vinci and Michaelangelo and Isaac Newton, and all these great minds and great thinkers, and they were called Illuminati.

Because they were illuminating consciousness.
Yes, to go to the root of the word, they were illuminating people. It had nothing to do with money and power. Of course they were powerful, because they influenced people. But their goal was to inspire and enlighten. So when people refer to me as a member of the Illuminati, I always want to say thank you. Thank you for putting me in that category. But before I can say thank you, I feel like I had to write a song about what I believe the Illuminati to be, and what it isn't.

When I played a lot of my songs that were unproduced for Kanye, that song resonated with him. He loved the melody, and he was actually jumping up and down on the soundboard. He literally stood on top of the mixing board — we were worried he was going to hit his head on the ceiling, but he didn't. He ended up being very excited about that track, and then he added his spin to it, musically, and I love it. To me, he elevated the lyrics with the music. It's like a siren, alerting people.

When you work with Nicki Minaj on a track like "Bitch I'm Madonna," do you give her guidance or let her go wherever she desires?
Whenever we work together she always sits with me and listens to the song, and says "tell me what this song is about to you." She's very methodical in her thinking. We talk about it, she writes down words that I say describing what the song's about and the sentiment that I'd like her to get out there, and then she goes away and she works on it. She writes it, she comes back. She does a version of it, we talk about it. It's a back and forth until she gets it right. It's a total collaboration.

You said you wanted every song on this album to stand on its own without production, to be able to strip down each track to its acoustic root and still have it work. Was that something you'd thought about on past albums?
No, I didn't. A lot of times I just thought about sounds. Or I want to make a dance record, or I want to write a ballad. This time I really thought — this is all part of my Armageddon thinking right now — the world is changing and for me, it's like, OK, what does it all come down to at the end of the day? It comes down to the songs.

If you're alone at the end of the world, can you just perform the songs?
Yes. If it's just me and the guitar, can I still do it? All the songs, I needed to be able to break them down on the most simple level and be able to impart what I have to say with my voice and a guitar.

Have you started thinking about reinventing these songs for tour?
I'm thinking about it. Right now, the deadline of getting this music out for iTunes was a 50-yard dash.

The songs went Number One in 41 countries – that's got to feel good. And demonstrate true fans are still willing to pay for the music.
Yeah. They're extremely [loyal] and I'm really super grateful for that.

Madonna’s Next Album Is Shaping Up to Be Her Best in a Decade (Time Magazine)

The singer's surprise release of several new songs reveals that the Queen of Pop hasn't lost her edge

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.

Madonna On New "Rebellious and Romantic" Music, Demo Leaks, 'Possibly' Crashing the Grammys and the "Crazy" Sony Hack

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Madonna Releases Six Songs From New "Rebel Heart" Album, Available For Pre-Order Now - Full Album Scheduled for Release in March

For immediate release….New York, NY…..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.
 ‘Rebel Heart’ was released for pre-order on December 20.


Thursday, December 18, 2014

Madonna’s Unreleased (but leaked) New Album

Living For Love and its anthemic chorus that will remind you of the best 90s dance songs is one of them. It really is the best song of all and it’s basically a modern-day Like a Prayer crossed with a Disclosure track (which can only be a good thing, right ?). It is the album’s supposed lead single and that would be the most clever choice.

Bitch, I’m Madonna and Unapologetic Bitch are really crazy-sounding (as their producer -Diplo- said a few days ago) but they actually sound so fresh and entertaining. Illuminati is also incredible and it’s nice to hear Madonna referring to her best enemy, Lady GaGa. The song’s beat is crazy and it could be a great tour opener.

There is also something that we would call a musical UFO in this album. Indeed, Make The Devil Pray's instrumental was inspired by folk music and well… We can't say we don't like it but it was very surprising. However, we loved the religious references in the lyrics. Revolution also starts with acoustic guitars and claps and would have fit perfectly in Madonna’s latino or gypsy parts during her tours.

And then there are the Avicii tracks. We already knew Wash All Over Me and even though it is fun and its lyrics are good, it really is not a good song. Addicted (The One That Got Away) is better but it still sounds really weird and quite dated. Hopefully it will be better with clearer vocals. The same can be said about Borrowed Time. We liked its acoustic intro but the rest screams Avicii. Rebel Heart is still amazing and should be track #1 on the finished product. Its lyrics sum up the album’s atmosphere pretty well.

Finally, the collection also include some ballads and that is where you realize the most that you are listening to demos. For example, Messiah could be grandiose but Madonna’s voice is not deep enough. We loved the orchestra part though. Joan Of Arc sounds unfinished too (but that is fair considering it was not supposed to leak). The lyrics are really beautiful though and it unveils Madge’s unsuspected vulnerability. The last song was Heartbreak City and it is one of the best tracks of the pack. Once again, Madonna decides to be honest and to drop the mask. The lyrics are indeed heartbreaking.

Thursday, December 04, 2014

What People Say At Work v/s What They Mean

1. Breakout session – We will sit in a room and repeat very dull ideas.
2. As a team we need to break out of our individual silos – We all hate each other.
3. Let’s action this – I don’t understand the difference between nouns and verbs.
4. I’ll inbox you – I’m a bit of a twat.
5. Let’s take this offline – I’m a massive twat.
6. We wish X the best of luck in her new job – Burn in hell, traitor.
7. It’s been great working with you guys, and I’ll really miss this team – So long, suckers.
8. Our model is scalable – The company will either grow, or it’ll shrink. One of the two.
9. Skyrocketing revenues – Negligible profits.
10. Sharp uptick – Tiny, almost imperceptible increase.
11. CC – I am passive aggressively alerting as many senior people as possible to your fuck-up.
12. [On the phone] Could you put this in an email? – …Which I will ignore.
13. I’m going freelance – I miss daytime TV.
14. We are tax-efficient – We avoid paying tax.
15. I’m an SEO expert – I know how to put keywords in a headline.
16. I’m an analytics expert – I’ve got a Google Analytics login.
17. I’m a social media expert – I’m a bullshitter.
18. Ninja – Douchebag.
19. Community manager – Person who writes the tweets.
20. I’ve decided to step down – I’ve been given a massive pay-off.
21. We just had different visions for where the company was going – They found out I’d been embezzling funds.
22. In this brainstorm, there are no bad ideas – This brainstorm will be nothing but bad ideas.
23. Moving on to pastures new – Fired.
24. We’re restructuring the company – Everyone is fired.
25. We’ve brought in a team of consultants – Everyone is about to be fired.
26. You’re fired – I think I’m Alan Sugar.
27. By mutual agreement… – The boss thinks…
28. It’s time for a fresh challenge – I literally couldn’t stand being in the same room as you a day longer.
29. I can’t wait to get started! – I actually can, but everyone has to say this, right?
30. I’m taking a career break – I will be sitting in my pants watching Jeremy Kyle and crying for the next three months.
31. I’ve been offered a fantastic opportunity elsewhere – I’ve been offered more money.
32. Got time for a chat? – Prepare for the worst.
33. Can I have a word? – We will have many, many, many, many, many words.
34. Can I have a quick word? – I don’t have anything to discuss, I just like putting the fear of God into you.
35. Have you got a minute? – You’ve got a minute.
36. We need to develop a more agile workflow – We should probably stop titting about on Facebook all day.
37. Quick pint after work – Several pints after work, and quite possibly some shots too.
38. Merger – Excuse to fire everybody.
39. Following the restructuring, X will be taking on some additional responsibilities – We have chosen our fall guy and are setting them up to take all the blame for our fuck-ups.
40. Morning Team! – Everyone hates me.
41. Exciting new position – It isn’t an exciting position.
42. I’ve been recently reading the biography of Steve Jobs – I am not Steve Jobs and never will be.
43. Core values – Making money.
44. This is a really great opportunity for our business – We’re sooooooooo screwed.
45. I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to be working in this field – We’re soooooooooo, sooooooooooooooo screwed.
46. The Chinese symbol for ‘crisis’ is a combination of the symbols for ‘danger’ and ‘opportunity’ – We are so profoundly screwed you wouldn’t believe.
47. Company awayday – Must we?
48. I know how to code – I know how to italicise things in HTML.
49. Let’s park this for now – Let’s never mention this ever again.
50. Welcome to the company, lovely to meet you! – Get promoted above me and I will cut you.
51. I’m an experienced manager – I bought a book from WHSmith on being a manager.
52. I’m working from home today – I’m not doing any work today.
53. I’ve got the lurgy – I’m hungover.
54. I’ve got man flu – I’m hungover.
55. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment – I’m hungover.
56. We should run this past legal – We should have someone else to blame in case this goes tits up.
57. It’s been a challenging year – We’re totally fucked.
58. We’re seeking new revenue streams – We’re broke.
59. We’re restructuring our financing – We’re broke but not ready to admit it.
60. The economic outlook is uncertain – The economic outlook is apocalyptic.
61. The company is perfectly positioned to meet the tough economic challenges ahead – The end is nigh.
62. It’s been a great year – For our shareholders.
63. The success we’ve had is down to every single one of you – We’re all getting bonuses. You’re not.
64. The door to my office is always open – I wish facilities would bloody fix it.
65. Happy birthday! – We’ve never spoken. Why am I signing this?
66. Pub after work? Can’t, I’ve got plans I’m afraid – I’ve spent quite enough time with you people for one day.
67. Anyone fancy a cup of tea? – Offer strictly limited to the three people in my immediate vicinity.
68. Nipping to the shops, anyone want anything? – Within reason. I’m not your fucking dogsbody.
69. What are you eating there? Looks nice – I’m on the 5:2 diet and I’m so hungry and miserable I could scream.
70. Cycled to work, eh? Good for you – You smug bastard.
71. I want more responsibility – I want a pay rise.
72. I’m giving a presentation – I’ve put some boring graphs together in PowerPoint.
73. In my last company… – What I’m about to say is totally irrelevant.
74. Team player – Has basic social skills, is not an outright sociopath.
75. This is beyond my remit – I can’t be arsed to deal with this.
76. I’ll take your ideas on board – I’ll steal your ideas and take credit for them.
77. He’s certainly ambitious – He’s appalling.
78. It’s been a pleasure working with you – I’ve forgotten you already.
79. How’s the wife? – I’ve forgotten your wife’s name.
80. How are the kids? – I’ve forgotten your kids’ names.
81. How are things at home? – I’ve forgotten everything about you.
82. How was your weekend? – It’s Monday or Tuesday.
83. What are you up to this weekend? – It’s Thursday or Friday.
84. …. – It’s Wednesday.
85. Come intern for us – Come work for us for no money indefinitely. It’s illegal, but hey.
86. He’s intensely results-driven – He’s a psycho.
87. Doesn’t suffer fools gladly – Merciless bastard.
88. He’s the office entertainer – Total wanker.
89. She’ll go far – She’s terrifying.
90. He’s straight-talking – Every other word is “fuck”.
91. Best wishes – I’m dying inside.
92. Regards – This job is slowly killing me.
93. Xxxxxx – I’m overly affectionate.
94. XOX – I’m zany.
95. :-) – I’m childish.
96. x – I typed this by mistake. Awkward.
97. Cheers! – I hate you!
98. Yours – Up yours.
99. Kind regards – Go fuck yourself.