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13 Things We Learned From Madonna's iHeartRadio Icons Interview 6/21/2019 - Full Interview Video HERE



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One of the most famous people on the planet yet an enigma of sorts for 36 years, the restlessly creative Madonna sat down at the iHeartRadio Theater in New York City on Thursday evening (June 20) for a wide-ranging interview with iHeartRadioā€™s 103.5 KTU hosts Cubby and Christine. The 45-minute chat, which streams on LiveXLive.com and on iHeartMediaā€™s AC and Hot AC stations on Friday (June 21), covers a range of topics, from the dance teacher who created the moniker ā€˜Madame Xā€™ (the title of Madonnaā€™s 14th studio album) to why she ended up with Malumaā€™s toe in her mouth in the ā€œMedellinā€ video (shout-out to an audience heckler for asking that question).

Here are 13 things we learned about Madonna and her latest album during the broadcast of iHeartRadio Icons with Madonna: In Celebration of Madame X.
What Sheā€™s Drinking These Days
Prior to Madonnaā€™s entrance, Cubby and Christine told the crowd they shared a backstage champagne toast with her -- and flute in hand, Madonna kept the bubbly flowing during her interview. As per the title of her Quavo/Cardi B collab, rosĆ© champagne is what sheā€™s imbibing these days -- ā€œitā€™s Dutch courage,ā€ she told the crowd.
The Music of Lisbon Reminded Her of Another Famous Moment In Her Life
Madame X is heavily inspired by the local music she heard while living in Lisbon, where sheā€™s been for nearly two years as a soccer mom to her son, David Banda. Madonna said aside from Lisbon, New York is the only other city that ever inspired her to write. ā€œLiving in New York always makes me feel... turnt,ā€ she deadpanned. In fact, encountering fado and morna in Lisbon reminded her of another watershed moment in her life: ā€œā€˜Vogueā€™ was inspired by seeing the Xtravaganza crew vogueing -- I was like WHOA. What the hell is that?ā€ For her, Lisbon was the same.

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Katherine Tyler
Madonna

She Dresses the Soccer Mom Partā€¦ Sort Of
ā€œI went to soccer matches on Sunday. I didnā€™t meet any other soccer moms,ā€ Madonna says of watching her son play. ā€œNo one gave a shit about me there.ā€ She says the Sunday matches are bereft of bleachers, so she watches perched on a cement ledge. ā€œI wear a hoodie and sneakers. Normal clothes. Maybe designed by Gucci, I donā€™t know.ā€
Her Dance Teacher Inspired Madame X
When she arrived in New York City in the late ā€˜70s, Madonna studied movement at the school of Martha Graham, who reshaped modern choreography and was an idol to the aspiring dancer. Unfortunately, Madgeā€™s refusal to comply with the schoolā€™s strict dress code got her sent to Grahamā€™s office regularly. Eventually, Graham whimsically decided Madonna was ā€œa spy, a secret agentā€ in her school named ā€œMadame X.ā€ Madonna recalls Graham telling her, ā€œEvery time you come here, you look like a different person.ā€ Even pre-fame, Madonna was the queen of reinvention.
Her Favorite Songs on Madame X Are...
ā€œGod Controlā€ and ā€œExtreme Occident,ā€ the latter of which was the second song she wrote on the album. Influenced by morna, she calls it ā€œindicative and reflectiveā€ of her time in Lisbon.
The Lost/Not Lost Lyric Is Extremely Personal
In ā€œExtreme Occident,ā€ Madonna sings, ā€œI guess I'm lost / I paid the handsome cost / The thing that hurt the most / Was that I wasn't lost.ā€ While she admitted the lyric sounds like a nonsense ā€œriddle,ā€ she explained it was in reference to having the right intuition but letting naysayers throw you off your course. Looking back on the times she beat herself up over others' critiques, she says it ā€œhurtsā€ her to think ā€œI wasted all that time caring what people think.ā€
Swae Lee Is a ā€˜Pigeon Whispererā€™
The video for her collab with Rae Sremmurdā€™s Swae Lee, ā€œCrave,ā€ shows the two of them releasing pigeons into the sky from a rooftop in NYC. She says Swae held sway over the flock: ā€œHe tamed them, got them to be calm, chill. Heā€™s a pigeon whisperer.ā€ She wasnā€™t so lucky. ā€œItā€™s amazing how strong they are,ā€ she noted. ā€œThat bird almost ripped my skin off.ā€
Hereā€™s Who She Wants to Work With Next
ā€œIā€™m intrigued by Spanish flamenco singer RosalĆ­a,ā€ Madonna said, noting she asked RosalĆ­a to sing at her birthday a year and a half ago but it didnā€™t pan out. ā€œI like that she takes the folk music of Spain and brings it to the pop arena.ā€
She Doesnā€™tā€™ Mind Hearing Her Own Music In Public, Except Whenā€¦
ā€œSome people think I WANT to get into the groove while Iā€™m eating spaghetti, but I donā€™t. I just donā€™t,ā€ she says of restaurants playing her music.
What Do 1986 Madonna and 2019 Madonna Have In Common?
Speaking on the controversy her ā€œPapa Donā€™t Preachā€ song and video created, Madonna quipped, ā€œNothing has changed -- Iā€™m still in trouble,ā€ obliquely referencing her recent Eurovision performance and New York Times interview.
Her Sleep Schedule Is Crazy
A self-professed insomniac, Madonna says 4-11am ā€œis my window of sleep,ā€ the time frame when she gets shut-eye if sheā€™s lucky. From 2-4am is the window she describes as ā€œmagicā€ for writing.
Her Daughters Are Featured On Madame X
She says her kids Stella and Estere are the ones making the wind noises at the end of ā€œDark Ballet,ā€ which signifies blowing into the fire that consumed Joan of Arc.
Toeing the Company Line
Thanks to a heckler shouting out a question, we finally learned why Madonna licks Malumaā€™s toe in the ā€œMedellinā€ videoā€¦ kind of. ā€œI never planned to lick his toe. Shit just happens,ā€ she said. ā€œHeā€™s a beautiful man, head to toe. If he had ugly feet, I wouldnā€™t have.ā€

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