In a multi-decades long period, many individuals, mostly female singers received a nickname associated with the name of the American singer-songwriter Madonna (born 1958). Simultaneously, several artists have been identified with the same nickname, and many others have received more than one.
Moniker's visibility is found in devoted articles from publications like Billboard discussing what it means to be a Madonna while others discussed why there exists many artists with the label. Music critic Steven Hyden explains she was often regarded as an archetype in female popular music. Reviewers often addressed comparisons from different measurements and generally all sorts of things attributed to the original Madonna.
The label became visible in the profile of various performers, to which some of them have responded with mixed comments towards the moniker and comparisons with Madonna. Others declared themselves as such or wanted to be a Madonna and media followed suit. More than one performer in the late 20th century, were planned or slightly promoted as a Madonna in their debut by their record labels, according to some of them or media outlets. In the early 21st century, music journalism and authors set a race to find "Madonna's successor", calling in the journey to various as the "next" or "new Madonna". Madonna herself labeled Kanye West either as the "new" or "Black Madonna". References of the label are found in some musical pieces, including songs' titles, or a mention in Eminem's "Fubba U cubba cubba".
Context Critical and media attention
The nicknames appeared as soon Madonna gained international recognition, commonly dated in 1985. Perhaps one of the first artists who received a Madonna-related moniker was Marie Osmond whom Los Angeles Times named her the "Mormon Madonna" in 1985. Many of the Madonna-associated nicknames in the career of several individuals derived from comparison. Taking Britney Spears as example, Canadian philosopher Paul Thagard explained that "when people say that [Spears] is the new Madonna, they do not literally mean that [she] is Madonna. Rather, they are pointing out some systematic similarities between the two". In 2006, Dorian Lynskey from The Guardian felt and commented that "most female pop stars try to emulate Madonna at some point". French academic Georges-Claude Guilbert wrote in Madonna as Postmodern Myth (2002), "the press never stops comparing female singers to Madonna". The Sydney Morning Heralds Christine Sams similarly commented in 2013: "In the music industry, there have long been comparisons to Madonna thrown around - a pop single here, a fashion look there". In 2011, while commenting the comparison Lady Gaga has faced with Madonna, Rolling Stone staffers said Madonna "it's a hard shadow to escape".
In early 2010s, Dutch academics from University of Amsterdam commented female artists "are very often measured against the yardstick that Madonna has become". In 2021, biographers Isa Muguruza and Los Prieto Flores commented that every so often "there is a Mexican, a Latina Madonna and even a Black Madonna" because "she transcended her own figure" and she became in "almost a powerful adjective that translates into a way of doing things". American music critic Steven Hyden opined that "Madonna is regarded as an archetype for pop singers, an example to follow to immortality. If you can change it up like Madonna, maybe you can be Madonna". In 2014, Orlando Sentinel music critic Jim Abbott describe New Madonna as "a necessary pop-culture occupation if ever there was one... [whose] job descriptions are constantly changing." Meanwhile, Reyhan Harmanci from San Francisco Chronicle described this trend:
Aspects
Beyond comparisons, some media outlets described the reason of calling a performer a Madonna. In 2017, while reviewing Rihanna as the "Black Madonna", Billboard devoted its article explaining what it means be a Madonna. They explained a Madonna has "to assume the role of a commander standing at the frontlines for womanhood", as well "the controversial complexities of human sexuality, despite the inevitable backlash to ensue" to further add a Madonna has "to be a trend-setter" and a muse for producers, songwriters, fashion designers or directors alike and match both her record sales or achievements. Sams, while compared also Rihanna's multi-metric achievements with that of Madonna in her article "Rihanna the new Madonna? In her own way" for The Sydney Morning Herald in 2013, referred, "encompass the scope and success, and global fame of Madonna? That's another league entirely".
In his explanation while mentioned Gaga, Reyhan Harmanci from San Francisco Chronicle saw her as the closer example "than any past wannabes, to further adds aspects such as "iconic style" and "staying power". About her, according to author Tim Delaney (2015), "most popular culture analysts view Lady Gaga as the new Madonna" Others similar claims included "popularity". Is the case of Aidin Vaziri of the same publication regarding the Iranian singer Googoosh, or authors of Encyclopedia of African Peoples and Billboard with Oumou Sangaré ("Madonna of Mali"). Madonna-like impact was also a source for other outlets to call a Madonna other non-pop musicians. This was the case of Cecilia Bartoli and her impact in the classical music stage. Bartoli herself, called Malibran as the "Madonna of her age". While there exists many other reasons, other group called Madonna to artists like Anita Mui with descriptions such as reinvention of image, behavior and boldness. Thus Richard Corliss from Time attributed to Mui, the nickname because "her boldness was not just a sensation but an affront" in the world of Hong Kong popular music.
Sourcing and scope
The label was used by mass media, outside of music-related publications. A performer like Mylène Farmer have even their Madonna-associated nickname in their biography profile by their record label (Universal Music France). Media often described it as a "nickname", "moniker" or "title" using descriptions such as "dubbed", "named", "widely", "sometimes", "frequently", "known", "hailed" or "branded" by "many" or "by some". Such illustrative examples of previous claims include film director Deeyah Khan to singers Anitta, Brenda Fassie, Mylène Farmer, Pandora and Anita Mui from an array sources such as The Independent, The Guardian, BBC News, News24, Billboard and O Globo among many others. Korean Broadcasting System commented with Uhm Jung-hwa, that she is "often praised" as "the Korean Madonna".
Some nicknames, however, were applied in a determined region, or from an international perspective instead of their own country or vice versa. In Russia Beyond, Vasily Shumov wrote the examples of Russian female pop singers, explaining they don't have an "equivalent" Russian female musician with famous West music figures such as Madonna. Conversely, many Russian female singers were called a Madonna by overseas press, from Alla Pugacheva to Anna Netrebko and Irene Nelson among many others. In 2004, two articles from Czech newspaper Mladá fronta DNES similarly discussed they still missing to have a national-equivalent Madonna (Česká Madonna). Names proposed ranged from Anna K, Dara Rolins to Helena Vondráčková, Petra Janů and Bára Basiková among others. With Vondráčková it was said that "would not be out of the question in the future"; in Basiková's case, Czech website Musicserver discussed her possibility. In Latvia, journalist and founder of Mikrofona ieraksti, Elita Mīlgrāve told Baltic News Network, that they don't have a "Latvian Madonna" but they might have one day.
Cases like Natalia Oreiro were associated with a Madonna-moniker but applied to the region where she was popular despite her cultural roots. She was called such as "Eastern European Madonna", "Argentine Madonna" or a "Russian Madonna" due her success in the latter country.References for Natalia Oreiro (examples):
Similarly, American-born singers like Selena and Lisa Lisa, were called "Mexican Madonna" or "Hispanic Madonna". In Selena's case, according to authors of Afterlife as Afterimage: Understanding Posthumous Fame (2005) it was "presumably to provide a vivid referent to non-Latinos".
Many individuals declared themselves as to be a Madonna or wanted to be one, while media outlets followed suit in many of them. Courtney E. Smith includes Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Avril Lavigne as examples. Others such as Pixie Lott, Christina Aguilera and Wendy Sulca have also declared wanted to be a Madonna at some stage of their career. Sulca reminded that many artists want to be a Madonna. Another example is Jamaican singer Tifa, who declared wanted to be the "Jamaican Madonna". In 2007, Soraya Arnelas declared not be ready to be a Madonna but almost a decade later, in 2016, she described herself as the "Spanish Madonna". American rapper Lil' Kim also called herself the "Black Madonna". In 2018, Azealia Banks explained in Twitter why she feels like "the Black Madonna": "I'm really the Black Madonna [...] Y'all thought Gaga was the new supreme after Madonna but it's really me. You will learn very soon".
Others were called by an individual as a Madonna but perhaps were not followed by other media reports. In 2019 for instance, designer Marko Monroe deemed Lizzo as the "Madonna of her generation", while Farina also considered Tokischa as the Madonna-equivalent to the urban music of her generation. Robert Christgau called Sinéad O'Connor a "folkie Madonna", while Whitney Houston was called the "Black Madonna" in 1988 by El Paíss Santiago Alcanda. Mónica Naranjo was a similar example, as her hairdresser wanted to present her as the "Spanish Madonna". Before fame, others called themselves as such. Toni Braxton, recalls: "In high school, I was trying to be the Black Madonna".
Impact Terri Rupar from Washington Post asked: Does every country have a Madonna?.
On artists' careers
According to media reports or some artists themselves, a bunch of artists were planned by their managers or record labels to be marketed as a Madonna or an associated style. This has been the case with Martika by CBS Records, Byanka from Mexico, and La India by Reprise; La India commented that this inspired her to choose her stage name because she avoided that label.References for Martika (examples):
References for La India (examples):
Ana Curra also said that her label Hispavox planned to promote her as the "Spanish Madonna".References for Ana Curra (examples):
Other artists slightly "promoted" as Madonnas, were Natasha Alexandrovna called the "Russian Madonna", and according to Ioannis Polychronakis from Linköping University, Anna Vissi was "loudly promoted as the 'Greek Madonna'". In other reports, some artists like Lisa Lisa were "billed" as a Madonna. British opera singer Lesley Garrett was promoted by her record company with a "Madonna of the opera stage image"; various media outlets like Time magazine compared her with Madonna, and others dubbed her the "Madonna of the opera world". On the report of Opera magazine in 2001, she once confessed that she planned to "emulate Madonna Ciccone".
In Music and Capitalism: A History of the Present (2016), author referred that various non-Western musicians decades ago attempted to fashion themselves into the next Madonna or Michael Jackson. In a 1993 interview with Los Angeles Times, Gloria Trevi said: "Many artists in Mexico fight to be the Latina Madonna". Back in 1986, Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times discussed how a number of artists in Asia were compared to Madonna, receiving a Madonna-moniker, but also explored how it helped boost their popularity. They described: