Madonna

Madonna born Madonna Louise Ciccone is a recording artist actress and entrepreneur Born in Bay City Michigan she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy she released her debut album in 1983 She followed it with a series of albums in which she found immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos which became a fixture on MTV Throughout her career many of her songs have hit number one on the record charts including Like a Virgin Papa Dont Preach Like a Prayer Vogue Frozen Music Hung Up and 4 Minutes Critics have praised Madonna for her diverse musical productions while at the same time serving as a lightning rod for religious controversy Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979 despite mixed commentary She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita 1996 but has received harsh feedback for other film roles Madonnas other ventures include being a fashion designer childrens book author film director and producer She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman and in 2007 she signed an unprecedented US 120 million contract with Live Nation Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the worlds topselling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records According to the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA she is the bestselling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second topselling female artist in the United States behind Barbra Streisand with 64 million certified albums In 2008 Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two behind only The Beatles on the Billboard Hot 100 AllTime Top Artists making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year Considered to be one of the 25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century by Time for being an influential figure in contemporary music Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry On May 4 2024 with a free concert which was live streamed at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in front of 16 million people Madonna broke the record for the most attended standalone concert by any artist and the alltime highest attended concert by a female artist