Madonna : The Bold , Daring And Enduring Pop Icon

Growing up in the  80’s and 90’s  my interest  in English music  were largely  due to  singers like  Michael  Jackson ( Beat It)  ,  The Boss Bruce Springsteen ( Born In the USA) , Phil Collins ( Another day In Paradise), Michael Bolton ( How am I supposed to Live without you). And then  there was of  course  Madonna.

The first time I heard  Madonna  song was  the 1986 chartbuster – La Isla Bonita from The Album True Blue  .  It was a  mind- blowing number and the  voice was mesmerising .   And since then there was no looking back .

And soon  her other songs  made it to my favourite list – Papa Don’t Preach ( True Blue 1986) , Who’s That Girl ( 1987)  Don’t cry for Me Argentina ( 1996 Evita) , Justify My love ( 1990), Vogue ( I’m Breathless 1990).  The songs were fast paced, hip, pop and had the zeal and the energy. And one would love to hear them time and again.

What made Madonna the singer  such  an icon  and globally popular . The  answer would be apt with these words – Bold, Daring, Gutsy  And Very Sexy.  And the lyrics of her song Justify My Love  below prove it –

The song is hot and steamy and laced with sex and desire for intimacy. That’s typical Madonna for You  – Hot and sexy .  She was the quintessential  Sex Symbol without any doubt whatsoever.

A  massive head turner on stage and with each appearance she shocked the audience   with her  sex appeal,  dare bare dress dresses that flaunted her  envious figure .

As  a matter of fact Madonna’s style became one of the female fashion trends of the 1980s created by stylist and jewelry designer Maripol, the look consisted of lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the crucifix, bracelets and bleached hair

What has been fascinating is that even after  40 years  her first album Like a  Virgin which came in 1984 the  craze and the  charisma of the icon has not ebbed a bit .   Madonna ended her ‘The Celebration Tour’ in style at Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro . The global pop icon put on an unforgettable and never seen before show for the ‘Celebration’ finale.

Madonna, 65, performed songs such as “Like a Prayer”, “Vogue” and “Express Yourself” for over two hours from 10:45 p.m. as she wound up the greatest hits tour that started late last year.

Taking to her Instagram account, the singer shared a glimpse of the spectacular show which reportedly saw the presence of over 1.6 million fans cheering and singing along her chart busters.

Madonna also addressed the crowd during her performance and said, “Rio, here we are, in the most beautiful place in the world, with the ocean, the mountains, Jesus. Magic!”

In the social media era of X and Instagram too, Madonna too has not left  her ardent fans disappointed as she often shares  her age defying  hotness and yes her bold  attitude  flaunted with  ease – teasing fans by wearing  bikini, tank tops and  many cleavage shots. Age is no bar for Sex and looking sexy is no harm either is her mantra.

And very fittingly how much the impact Madonna has made over the years  were put so aptly by an ardent fan who admired the pop superstar’s longevity and expressed admiration of her  global appeal for such a long long time .

Ana Beatriz Soares, a fan who was at Copacabana quoted by AP , said Madonna has made her mark across the decades.“Madonna had to run so that today’s pop artists could walk. That’s why she’s important, because she serves as an inspiration for today’s pop divas,” Soares said. “And that’s 40 years ago. Not 40 days, 40 months. It’s 40 years,” she said.