50 facts you didn’t know about Madonna

Madonna is known for reinventing both her music and image, and for maintaining her autonomy within the recording industry. Learn 50 facts about the queen of pop.

1. Madonna Louise Ciccone is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman.

2. She achieved popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV.

3. Madonna is known for reinventing both her music and image, and for maintaining her autonomy within the recording industry.

4. Often referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she is cited as an influence by numerous other artists around the world.

5. Born in Bay City, Michigan, Madonna attended the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance before moving to New York City to pursue a career in modern dance.

6. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she signed with Sire Records (an auxiliary label of Warner Bros. Records) in 1982 and released her self-titled debut album the following year.

7. She followed it with a series of commercially successful albums, including the Grammy Award winners Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005).

8. Throughout her career, Madonna has written and produced most of her songs, with many of them reaching number one on the record charts, including "Like a Virgin", "Into the Groove", "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes".

9. Madonna won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Evita (1996), but most of her other films have been panned by critics.

10. Her other ventures include fashion design, writing children's books, and filmmaking.

11. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, particularly after she founded entertainment company Maverick (including the label Maverick Records) in 1992 as a joint venture with Time Warner.

12. In 2007 she signed an unprecedented US $120 million 360 deal with Live Nation.

13. Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the best-selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records.

14. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed her as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second best-selling female artist in the United States, with 64.5 million certified albums.

15. According to Billboard, Madonna is the top touring female artist of all time, grossing over a billion dollars from her concerts.

16. She was ranked at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of American singles chart.

17. Madonna became one of the five founding members of the UK Music Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.

18. Madonna was born to Catholic parents Silvio Anthony "Tony" Ciccone and Madonna Louise Fortin in Bay City, Michigan, on August 16, 1958.

19. Her father's parents were immigrants from Pacentro, Italy, while her mother was of French-Canadian ancestry.

20. Since Madonna had the same name as her mother, family members called her "Little Nonni".

21. She has two elder brothers, Anthony and Martin, and three younger siblings, Paula, Christopher, and Melanie.

22. Months before her mother died from breast cancer, Madonna noticed changes in her behavior and personality, although she did not understand the reason. Her mother was at a loss to explain her medical condition, and often began to cry when Madonna questioned her about it. Madonna later acknowledged that she had not grasped the concept of her mother dying.

23. Madonna later told Vanity Fair that she saw herself in her youth as a "lonely girl who was searching for something. I wasn't rebellious in a certain way. I cared about being good at something. I didn't shave my underarms and I didn't wear make-up like normal girls do. But I studied and I got good grades.... I wanted to be somebody."

24. Terrified that her father Tony could be taken from her as well, Madonna was often unable to sleep unless she was near him.

25. In 1966, Tony married the family's housekeeper Joan Gustafson; they had two children, Jennifer and Mario. At this point, Madonna started to resent him for decades, and developed a rebellious attitude.

26. Madonna was known for her high grade point average, and achieved notoriety for her unconventional behavior.

27. Madonna later attended Rochester Adams High School where she became a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad.

28. After graduating, she received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

29. She convinced her father to allow her to take ballet lessons and was persuaded by Christopher Flynn, her ballet teacher, to pursue a career in dance.

30. In 1978 she dropped out of college and relocated to New York City.

31. She had little money and worked as a waitress at Dunkin' Donuts and with modern dance troupes. Madonna said of her move to New York, "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done."

32. She started to work as a backup dancer for other established artists.

33. During a late night, Madonna was returning from a rehearsal, when a pair of men held her at knifepoint and forced her to perform fellatio. Madonna later commented that "the episode was a taste of my weakness, it showed me that I still could not save myself in spite of all the strong-girl show. I could never forget it."

34. While performing as a backup singer and dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour, Madonna became romantically involved with musician Dan Gilroy.

35. Together, they formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club, for which Madonna sang and played drums and guitar.

36. She left Breakfast Club and, with her former boyfriend Stephen Bray as drummer, formed the band Emmy. The two began writing songs together, and Madonna later decided to market herself as a solo act.

37. After Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire, her debut single, "Everybody", was released in October 1982, and the second, "Burning Up", in March 1983. Both became big club hits in the United States, reaching number three on Hot Dance Club Songs chart compiled by Billboard magazine.

38. Madonna's look and style of dressing, her performances, and her music videos influenced young girls and women. Her style became one of the female fashion trends of the 1980s.

39. Madonna entered mainstream films in February 1985, beginning with a brief appearance as a club singer in Vision Quest, a romantic drama film.

40. Beginning in April 1985, Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in North America, The Virgin Tour, with the Beastie Boys as her opening act.

41. Madonna's Italian-Catholic background and her relationship with her parents are reflected in the album Like a Prayer.

42. On the Who's That Girl World Tour, she dedicated the song "Papa Don't Preach" to the Pope.

43. During her childhood, Madonna was inspired by actors, later saying, "I loved Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday and Marilyn Monroe. They were all incredibly funny ... and I saw myself in them ... my girlishness, my knowingness and my innocence."

44. The Guinness World Records acknowledged her as the best-selling female recording artist and the fourth best-selling act of all time, behind The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson.

45. On October 14, 1996, Madonna gave birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, her daughter with Leon.

46. She met director Guy Ritchie, who would become her second husband, in November 1998.

47. She gave birth to their son Rocco John Ritchie on August 11, 2000 in Los Angeles.

48. Rocco was christened at Dornoch Cathedral in Dornoch, Scotland, on December 21, 2000. Madonna married Ritchie the following day at nearby Skibo Castle.

49. Madonna released the Material Girl clothing line, which she designed with her daughter, Lourdes.

50. In November 2011, Madonna and MG Icon announced the release of a second fashion brand called Truth or Dare by Madonna to include footwear, underclothing, and accessories.

Source: Wikipedia.org