When Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone burst onto the music scene in the 1980s with her edgy look and catchy tunes, she redefined what it meant to be famous.
Anything Madonna touched was picked up by her legions of fans who catapulted her singles and albums to the top year after year.
But now, approaching the last years of her third decade in power, is the Like A Virgin singer still relevant in today’s technology-driven world?
It might seem an odd moment to call time on Madonna, with her new album, MDNA, recently at number one in the US and her world tour selling out in most venues, but in a world where the big players are tweeting before touring, Madonna is a Queen of Pop who could be about to be knocked from her throne.
As her musical career takes a back seat to fashion collaborations with her 15-year-old daughter, Lourdes, critics are having a field day positioning question marks over her modern-day future. For instance, take her Twitter reach — or lack thereof.
Justin Bieber — who briefly chatted with Madge on Twitter during her first stab at the social network — gains a fan every five seconds thanks to his dedication to his personally updated account. Lady Gaga, with more than 25 million followers, is the most popular Twitter account holder, followed closely by Bieber with 22 million plus. Madonna does not have a Twitter account, although she joined in March for a day to chat to her fans from @MadonnaMDNAday. She does have an official Facebook page, operated by her publicity machine and a Twitter account for her fashion line @MaterialGirl. So how relevant is the Queen of Pop to that vocal Bieber generation?
Social media is “how people become famous”, said Hannah Mollter, 13. “I think she needs to be on Twitter and Facebook so she can speak to her fans. It is how we communicate. Even my gran is on Twitter. I think it is important. But also we should respect that she [became] famous without the help of Twitter, which is impressive.”
Aisha Naseem, 19, lives in Sharjah, and learned about Madonna’s music through the TV show Glee. “I like Madonna’s music. It’s much better and way ahead of Justin Bieber. But I got familiarised with her after Glee did covers of her songs. Yes, I am a Glee fan. It was a refreshing take on her music the way it was interpreted,” she said. “She’s a good role model, but I will not be going for her concert because I do not have the pocket money for the tickets.”
Nadia Shaban, 14, said Madonna and Bieber could learn a lot from each other. “Everyone can learn something from someone, no matter their age. I think Justin should learn one thing from Madonna, which is to stay down to earth. Madonna’s music is stuff we have grown up listening to because our parents would listen to it. But it’s inevitable it gets in because she is such a legend. My friends and I have watched her videos and we all say she is really fierce.”
Madonna is not on Greeshma Sajeevan’s radar, however. “She’s not someone I know a lot about,” said the 14-year-old. “I mean, I know who she is but don’t know any of her songs apart from her latest single because it’s played on television. I wouldn’t say I’m not interested in her, but I just don’t get exposed to her music.”
Layla Al Fawadi, 16, believes Madonna’s music tells a story which she hopes younger people would try and understand. “It has been written over such a long time that it actually tells her story over the years. I think that is something very nice and I wish my friends would try and see it. [It is very easy for people] to criticise a song which sounds old, because it is not what we are used to hearing.”
