Madonna

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In the 80s Madonna achieved notoriety for her flagrant sexuality, which saw some tag her as a soft-porn star who happened to sing. She deliberately courted controversy to stay in the limelight, but her songs were so memorable that she would've been a star anyway, and her ever-changing persona has kept her at the top ever since.

Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie, better known as Madonna, has been many things in her long, multifarious career, among them: singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, music and film producer, fashion designer, film director, nude model, author and actress. This unconventional, groundbreaking artist has redefined herself time and again, playing the roles of virgin, playful sprite, sex-kitten, fashionista, and more. It has been this ability to regenerate that has enabled the ever youthful 'Queen of Pop' to climb to the top of the pop-superstar heap and stay there, fighting off competition from younger rivals all the way. Her effect on modern pop culture is undeniable, influencing millions of young girls, their brothers, mothers and fathers.

In her near 25-year career she has only released eleven studio albums, two live albums, and three soundtracks. She has had 37 Top 10 hits (the most for anyone on Billboard Hot 100), 12 making it to No.1, and sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, making her the most successful female recording artist of all time. Her music has evolved along with her image, from bubble-gum pop to sexually empowered boy-toy, and through self-reflecting mother, to disco diva. Her distinctive style always goes part and parcel with her music -- in fact to many her fashion was more important than her music.

It was her second album, Like a Virgin (1985), that launched her into the bubble-gum pop arena. Madonna's signature style consisted of bleached, teased hair, layered lace tops over light T-shirts or just a bra, combined with skirts over Capri pants with layers of jewellery, crosses, beads and chunky chains, with bulky pendants, lace gloves and black rubber bracelets and silver bangles. Like a Virgin went on to produce several hit singles, most notably "Like a Virgin", "Dress You Up" and "Material Girl" - the latter would become a nickname for her used by the press for the rest of her career.

She continued her rise up the ladder to megastar status with both her next release True Blue, and by co-starring in the hugely successful movie Desperately Seeking Susan. The album was warmly received by critics, unlike Like a Virgin, and spawned several more hit singles including "Papa Don't Preach" and "La Isla Bonita". The movie was styled on the underground new wave movement in New York, from which Madonna's signature style was inspired. Desperately Seeking Susan exposed her fashionable style and independent, devil-may-care attitude and music to millions more people, and the single she recorded for the film, "Into the Groove", became her first UK hit song.

Her fourth studio album Like a Prayer (1989) would see her height of popularity before she redefined herself for the first time. Critically hailed by many, Rolling Stone magazine said Like a Prayer was 'as close to art as pop music gets'. However, the video for the title song was denounced for its use of Catholic iconography and scenes depicting 'blasphemous' images, such as Madonna developing stigmata, making love to a black Jesus, and witnessing a cross burning. On the other hand, the video was also hailed for its stark messages about faith, racial equality and rape. The album also spun the hits "Express Yourself" and "Cherish".

Her next project was the Oscar-winning film Dick Tracy, in which she played the part of Breathless Mahoney, and the accompanying soundtrack I'm Breathless. The only notable single was a track that seemed stuck on to the end, as it had nothing to do with the film: "Vogue" was and still is one of Madonna's best known songs and one of the most successful singles of all time.

In 1992 Madonna reinvented herself as a sex-siren by releasing the carnally themed album Erotica and accompanying book Sex. Erotica was a concept album, with each song exploring a different path of the labyrinth of human sexuality. The book contained images of Madonna and a host of other models, in sexually explicit scenes, running the gamut from simple nude photos to soft-core pornographic situations. Both Sex and Erotica proved to be highly controversial and commercially successful.

In 1996 Madonna starred as Eva Perón - the 'Spiritual Leader of the Nation' of Argentina - in the Oscar-winning film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway musical Evita, enjoying major success from the accompanying soundtrack. In 1998, she released her seventh studio album Ray of Light, her most critically successful album. It was yet another reinvention for the singer with personal, mature self-reflective lyrics about motherhood, fame and her burgeoning spirituality. The album featured many Eastern sounds, electronics, and more down-tempo songs deviating from Madonna's usual danceable fare. The album spawned two Top 10 hit singles, "Frozen" and "Ray of Light", and won the singer and her producer William Orbit several Grammy Awards, including Best Dance Recording, Best Short-Form Music Video and Best Pop Album. The artwork won its art director a Best Recording Package.

Her 2000 album, the 3x platinum Music, produced Madonna's 12th #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100. The album spawned several Grammy nominations including Record of the Year and Record of the Year for Music and Best Short-Form Music Video for Don't Tell Me. The album won the Best Recording Package for a Madonna album the second time.

In 2005 Madonna reinvented herself once more as a disco-diva for the release of her tenth album Confessions on a Dance Floor. The album not only spawned several hits (most notably "Sorry", "Jump" and "Hung Up"), but also sparked a renewal of interest in disco among mainstream music fans. It also won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album. The accompanying tour, The Confessions Tour, won the Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video. Madonna's eleventh studio album, Hard Candy (2008), sold almost 300,000 copies in its debut week, easily topping the charts.