MADONNA -- ‘I felt like I needed to explode’

A lot of things have happened in Madonna’s life recently. Her new album Music was released, followed by her giving birth prematurely to a baby boy. The diva here speaks on her latest album and how internet can promote music in a big way...

“It’s always a little nerve-racking for me right before I share my work with the world,” Madonna says of Music, her first studio album since 1998’s lauded Ray Of Light, “But that emotion is usually followed by a sense of accomplishment in doing the best job I can. With this new album, I feel like I’ve completed what I’ve set out to do — and that’s a good, fulfilling feeling.”

And she says her goal for the project, due September 19, on her Warner Bros.-distributed Maverick label, was to “explode” — an interesting metaphor as the artist has just given birth to her second child. “Everything in life moves in cycles,” she says, “There’s a period when you’re quiet, and there’s a period when you explode. In the time leading up to Ray Of Light, I was in a quiet space — making lots of discoveries and going through lots of changes. It was an introspective, questioning time. Then, almost without warning, I felt like I needed to explode. I didn’t feel the need to be so introspective. I felt like dancing. And that’s reflected in these songs.”

Music is decidedly steeped in youth culture — the one that emanates from the street. Like Ray Of Light, this set is drenched with the flavor of the underground club scene, with a continued emphasis on electronica. And while Madonna admits that she would welcome the positive attention of pop’s current teen-centric audience, she refuses to be “something I’m not. I’m not a teenager anymore, and I won’t pretend to be one to sell records. How ridiculous and boring would that be?”

The twist is that Madonna digs deeper into cutting-edge territory this time around by enlisting (in addition to Ray Of Light muse William Orbit, who adds his distinctive touch to three Music cuts) the collaborative input of such credible club figures as Guy Sigsworth, Mark ‘Spike’ Stent, Talvin Singh, and Mirwais — whose mainstream star is on the rise as a result of his connection with the artist. He’s the latest in a lengthening list of relatively unknown producers and writers who have earned instant cachet thanks to being tapped by Madonna.

“I’m always searching for something new and edgy and undiscovered,” she says, noting that she found Mirwais via a demo submitted to Maverick honcho Guy Oseary, “I love to work with the weirdos that no one knows about — the people who have raw talent and who are making music unlike anyone else out there.”

Initially, she says, she was “perfectly happy to work with William again. But this opportunity came along, and I had to take it. Also, after Ray Of Light, everyone and his brother was working with him. I realised that I had to move on. I don’t want my records to sound like everyone else’s. That’s boring.”
She says that Mirwais inspired her to “be so open and vulnerable. I’ve grown to trust him implicitly. He’s so incredibly smart and visionary. I listen to his stuff, and I think, ‘This is the future of sound’.”

But is the world at large ready for the future of sound? At a time when there’s scant deviation from the teen-pop, jangle-rock, and hip-hop that dominate the charts, the stark, often minimalist electronic-dance flavor of Music may wash over some listeners like ice-cold water — whether it will be refreshing or startling remains to be seen.

“I can’t lie. I care about whether or not this record sells a little or a lot,” Madonna says, “Aside from selfish reasons — all artists want their work to be heard and appreciated — I want to bring this sound to a wide audience.”
The audience is certainly there, as the single Music has been getting airplay a week in advance of the label’s planned August 1 shipment.

According to Madonna’s agent, the Internet will be a key component in the marketing of Music. In addition to tentative plans to do a chat, Madonna will strive to heighten her visibility online, posting messages and answering fan mail.

Madonna’s enthusiasm for the Internet may surprise some, given that a rough mix of the single Music was leaked in May via Napster — a move that some have accused her of doing herself. “Oh, please!” she shrieks at the suggestion, “If I was going to leak my record, I would’ve put a better mix of it out there. I practically had a nervous breakdown when the track got out there. I wasn’t even finished with the record when it happened. I was wiggin’ out. I still kinda am. I don’t want my whole album to be leaked. I don’t care if you’re my 83-year-old grandmother, you’re not getting my record before I’m ready for you to have it.”

That said, the artist sees the potential for the positive evolution of music online. “I like the idea of trading information on the Net... that you can sample bits and pieces and get sounds and ideas for songs. But to have a whole album online, and then say that it’s your right to have it for free, is bullshit. I mean, pay for my record, thank you very much.”

Before the year is done, she plans to sharpen her stage chops with surprise club dates in New York, Los Angeles, and London, “which is my favorite thing to do. The electricity of jumping onstage in a club is so intoxicating.” She promises that the dates will be a prelude to a long-delayed full-scale concert tour — her first in seven years. “You need a minute to make things just right,” she says, explaining the delay, “I can’t just go out there half-assed. It has to be right. I’ll spend a lot of the first part of 2001 preparing for it.”

Top