Madonna’s influence on the pop landscape is indisputable, especially when it comes to other female artists.
As she celebrates her 60th birthday, ten of the biggest female names in modern day pop reveal why there’s only one queen - and that’s Madonna.
“I've been to literally every single one of her tours that I've been alive for. I'm a diehard Madonna supporter. I love watching her on stage because it's like she's having the time of her life. It's so great to see her having such a wonderful time after so many people have tried to tear her down. She once spanked me on stage and gave me a banana. It was one of the better moments of my life.”
- Ariana Grande
The voice of Madonna features in the video for Ariana’s ‘God Is A Woman’ video...
“I've been so scared to meet her because it means so much to me. When she first said something nice about me in the press I was like 'there's no way it's real, it's too good to be real'. She was asked who her favourite pop artist was and she said me... it's in print, I can't prove that it happened, there's no video of it.”
- Taylor Swift
Taylor eventually got to duet with Madonna on her single ‘Ghosttown’ at the 2015 I Heart Radio Awards...
“I felt like I wanted to follow the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire and show other women when you get to this point in your career you don’t have to go sign with someone else and share your money and your success”
- Beyonce
Watch Beyonce heap even more praise on Madonna below...
““I’m a massive Madonna fan, absolutely. I’ve only met her briefly. We have some friends in common and a message will go back and forth. She says ‘hi’ or I say ‘hi’. But, obviously how can you not love Madonna?””
- Kylie Minogue
Watch Kylie pay homage to Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ in the video below...
“You know what I found so amazing about [Ray Of Light]? That's the record Madonna wrote after having her first child, and for me, it's her best. I was so all over the place after having a child, just because my chemicals were just hitting the fucking roof. I was just drifting away, and I couldn't find that many examples where I was like, 'They truly came back to themselves,' until someone was like, 'Well, obviously, Ray of Light'. I took that song [Frozen] as 'I've gotten my confidence to come and do me again.' "”
- Adele
Watch Adele sing her favourite Madonna tune below...
“We met at Met Ball several times. She’s a legend. An inspiration for so many artists, especially girls, first and foremost me. She created real visual shocks, on stage, in pictures or in her videos. She fears nothing.”
- Rihanna
Watch RiRi get her Vogue on in the clip below...
““We knew about Madonna and Marilyn Manson in my family because we picketed their concerts.””
- Katy Perry
Katy’s had a change of heart since, as the Instagram clip below shows...
““The thing with me and Madonna is that I admired her always and I still admire her no matter what she might think of me.””
- Lady Gaga
Gaga and Madge sent up (we think) their public feud in a skit for US show ‘Saturday Night Live’...
“I remember when I had the little Madonna skirts and the little gloves you put on... yeah, everybody wants to be Madonna. She doesn't care what other people think. That's very empowering. To not try and please anybody else except yourself, that's exactly what she does and I really respect that.”
- Britney Spears
And who could forget *that* kiss (and Justin Timberlake’s reaction)?
“It was all about Madonna for me. She inspired me to want to sing, to dance, to work hard. I saw those pictures of her running in the park, training, and I thought, that’s what I need to be doing. I’m a girl living in the Bronx at this point. I’ve never seen the inside of a gym, but I thought, I’m going to find myself a track. It wasn’t a moment on stage that did it, it was a picture of Madonna in the park.”
- Jennifer Lopez
Watch J-Lo chat all things Madonna below...