Born Madonna Louise Ciccone, 16 August 1958, Bay City, Michigan, USA. An icon for female pop stars thanks to her proven ability to reinvent herself while retaining complete control of her career, Madonna is also one of the most commercially successful artists in the history of popular music.
She took classes in piano and ballet, and was an active participant in a variety of artistic activities at school. She attended the University of Michigan for two years but quit and moved to the Corona, Queens district of New York in 1978 to pursue dance and acting professionally.
Madonna scored her first recording deal in 1982 while sitting on the corner of the bed of an ailing Sire Records music executive. Her demo song, 'Ain't No Big Deal', was written by frequent Madonna collaborator Stephen Bray, and was shelved for several years since it had just been recorded and released by the Epic Records group Barracuda.
In 1983 her self-titled debut album was released, and the first hit "Holiday" topped the charts around the world.
Then, in 1989, Madonna once again changed her image. She traded in her closely shorn platinum coif for long, curly black hair and an almost wholesome look for her album Like a Prayer. Returning once more to provocative religious imagery, the title track compared the experience of lovemaking to praying.
In March 1998, Madonna released another album, ”Ray of Light”. Madonna had also changed her look. She went from a bleach blonde girl to wearing black clothes and black hair.
Madonna has not only made it in the music industry, she has changed it by writing her own music and books, and by making her own decisions without letting anyone change her mind. She is a great author, actress and musician.
