Madonna’s forthcoming studio album Rebel Heart is all about believing in true love. She explains that most of her rebellious acts have an underlying message
Tell us something about your new hit living For loveIJ
It’s a song about having your heart broken. It’s about saying, you know, that my life goes on; I will carry on. I won’t stop believing in love. I will pick up my crown, put it back on my head and walk through life proudly believing that true love does exist.
For this new album, you worked with Nicki Minaj again. How was itIJ
She is great, I love her music. When we work together we sit down, listen to the song and she says, ‘Tell me what you are trying to say through this songIJ’ and we just talk, share ideas about what the song is all about and she hears it, goes home and thinks about it.
I know that she can relate to it, being a strong woman who has to fight for what she does, what she believes in. She, too, is often provocative and which is required to be a female rapper because the rap industry is male dominated. So I think I really respect her and have a synergy when we work together.
Was it your idea to work with AviciiIJ
It was my manager’s idea that I should work with his team. I was a big fan of few of his songs on the radio, so I wanted to work with the same team of people he has, the team of writers he works with and so I did and it turned out really good.
Will you also collaborate with Stromae, whom you met some months agoIJ
I actually met him about four years ago and we talked about working together and then we saw each other. He came to my house a couple of months ago before Christmas. So we talked about working together and maybe one day we will work together. I like him.
Is this new album autobiographicalIJ
It’s hard to qualify and quantify how much is autobiographical and how much is fiction because for me when I write, sometimes I am coming from a very personal space and sometimes it’s partly made up and partly my own experience. But then things get into accepting one big power where I don’t know the difference through the line between art and life and what’s fiction and non-fiction. I am just channeling the information so it’s my personal experiences, other people’s personal experiences and I am just putting it altogether to tell a story.
Your new album is called Rebel Heart. As an artiste, do you feel it is important to be rebelliousIJ
We live in a time where art is art and is encouraged to be rebellious. We don’t encourage the artistes of today to speak their minds, express their opinions and think outside the box and take risks. So I think it’s important to call attention to the idea that being rebellious is part of art and an important part of it. I want to underline it but it’s also important to add the word heart because it is not just being rebellious for the sake of being rebellious. It is also important to let people know that love may require you to be a rebel.
You are an expert in provocation. Is it also part of being rebelliousIJ
It doesn’t necessarily mean the same. You may be rebelling against some kind of oppression, discrimination or prejudice but you wouldn’t necessarily be provocative. You could even be provocative without being rebellious. They can cross paths, of course, and be the same but they may not necessarily be the same.
Are you already thinking about your next tourIJ
I have some ideas but I am very focussed on finishing some of my records, doing the first video, preparing for the Grammy’s and its only at the back of my mind what I am going do on my tour. Not yet.