Audio By Carbonatix
Today our music industry is filled with auto-tuned vocals and remixed beats, and it goes without saying that few of the pop artists will ever go on to achieve icon status. But when you have a singer like Madonna who at age 53 is still creating music, does it really matter?
Born in Bay City, Michigan Madonna Louise Ciccone always knew she wanted to be a performer and at the age of 19 with $35 in her pocket she made the move to New York City.
In 1983, Madonna was introduced to the world with her self-titled
debut album, and it was packed with irresistible dance hit singles like
“Borderline”, “Lucky Star”, and “Holiday”. But it wasn’t until the 1984
release of sophomore album, Like a Virgin, that she began to
receive global recognition. With this album Madonna proved to the
critics that she wasn’t just another one hit wonder and was going to
take the music industry by storm. Not only was she growing as a musical
star, but her trademark style of dressing was beginning to sweep the
planet. Women all over the world wanted to be seen in lace corsets,
crucifix jewels, fishnets, and bleached out hair. The release of title
track, “Like a Virgin”, and her performance at the first ever MTV Video
Music Awards marked the first of many instances to attract controversial
attention from the conservative population.
From music to movies and an array of scandalous performances, there isn’t an
outlet that Madonna hasn’t explored. In celebration of her 53rd
birthday, we look back on some of our favorite moments from the pop
icon’s groundbreaking and highly controversial career.
10. Her “Like a Virgin” performance at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards. Clearly an obvious choice to start with, but it was the first time Madonna looked at the world and basically said, “This is who I am, deal with it.”
