Madonna: Artist of the Month

Confession: I've never been a Madonna fan.

Yeah, I know it sounds weird how can I be so obsessed with Britney Spears and not be a huge Madonna fan. Really, I've just slept on her for the most part. Her general catalog doesn't keep my attention. It wasn't until Confessions on a Dancefloor when she really grabbed my attention. "Hung Up" and "Sorry" are among my all-time favorite dance tracks.

Here's the thing: Even though I've personally never been a huge fan of hers, I've always had more respect for her than just about any other artist in the industry. I mean, come on. Madonna is pop culture. Every pop career post-Madonna is loosely based on the fact that she broke her back paving the road for all of the pop tarts who currently occupy the charts. What's funny is that all these years later and Madonna is still able to chart better than some artist in the prime. 

To me, the most interesting thing about Madonna is her unquestionable ability to reinvent herself. For a long time she not only pioneered, but created the mainstream sound. Even today, Madonna is on top of what's hot and putting her classic and untouchable spin on trends like Dubstep Americana, remixes with features and dance music that's really nothing more than a chorus and a bridge (as we will see on her upcoming LP, MDNA).

Madonna being the artist of the month was a no-brainer and was confirmed when she swept the poll on the Facebook page... but there's so much more to her legacy than a current online hype. As I said earlier, Madonna is pop culture. She's captured audience in music and movies, massing Grammy Awards and Golden Globes. She's sold more records than you can count without passing out from exhaustion. She's done more things to piss off the church and cause controversies that shock the world than every pop star out right now combined. She's a cultural icon. She's a living legend. She's done so much amazing shit, that she pays homage to herself. 

My favorite Madonna songs: "Hung Up," "Burning Up," "Sorry," & "Celebration." I also love what she's doing with her new album. Even though it was only on the charts for a short amount of time, I love "Give Me All Your Lovin'." The fact that she pulled aside Nicki Minaj, who is looking to have a huge year, just proves that she knows how to work the industry like no other.

I think Madonna is the perfect way to start off this new "Artist of the Month" thing. Check out the amazing little banner Kitti threw together. It will sit up there until our next AOTM.