Hanoi [Vietnam], May 21: Producer Stuart Price has revealed for the first time the harsh working conditions and hidden vulnerabilities of 'Queen of Pop' Madonna during the making of her new album.
Nineteen years after the success of the album Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), Madonna and music wizard Stuart Price officially reunited to create a sequel titled Confessions II . During a secret listening session in London, Stuart Price admitted that the production process, which lasted over a year, was literally an "exhausting" experience.
Stuart Price revealed to The Sun : "The 'Queen of Pop' always maintains a habit of working through the night and never leaves the studio before 3 a.m. Even in her sixties, Madonna maintains an extremely serious and principled work ethic. She always brings an A4-sized notebook to the studio. Every lyric is written down and carefully arranged. Madonna is absolutely adamant that every step of this album must be done in person together in the studio; she doesn't accept remote control or editing ," the producer shared.
In particular, Stuart surprised fans by revealing that the microphone used to record the new album was the same one from the original Confessions album. This old, patched-up microphone, repaired with tape, is an irreplaceable "treasure" for Madonna. Her astonishing meticulousness is evident in her ability to notice even the smallest sound details and her unwavering commitment to the technical quality of this microphone.
The album Confessions II is set to explode with powerful rhythms, heavily influenced by techno and trendy dance-pop. One of the album's most notable highlights is the song Bring Your Love , marking a collaboration between two generations of stars: an all-time music icon and a new generation pop phenomenon - Sabrina Carpenter.
This collaboration began with interactions on social media, but instead of recording remotely, Madonna immediately suggested, "Let's go to a studio in New York and see what happens ." Stuart Price recalled, "The physical and mental chemistry between them was evident from the very first minute. They were hilarious together, and that 'carefree' energy was what made the song a success . " In addition, the album also features the song Danceteria - an upbeat track reminiscent of the legendary hit Vogue (1990). Notably, this song was written and recorded in just one night. After struggling with Stuart to find a melody without success, Madonna declared, "Leave it to me ." The next day, she returned to the studio with three pages of lyrics, walked to the microphone, and completed the recording immediately.
Madonna wrote a song in memory of her late brother.
After a stressful workday, Madonna habitually heads straight to the gym, working out while repeatedly listening to the entire album to check for errors each day. Behind the strong, assertive persona, Stuart Price says this album reflects Madonna's "most vulnerable side ever." The overarching theme of the project is about real-life experiences, including Madonna's painful moments of silence.
Particularly noteworthy in the album is the penultimate song, " Fragile ." This song was written by Madonna specifically in memory of her late brother, Christopher Ciccone.
" Madonna lost her brother during the making of this album. It was a period of extreme grief. She poured all her vulnerability, pain, and true self into the songs. In my opinion, her greatest success as an artist is that she dared to authentically record what she was going through, even when it wasn't pleasant or obvious," Stuart revealed.
The album Confessions II is scheduled for release on July 3rd. Additionally, the "queen of pop" confirmed she will have an explosive halftime performance at the World Cup final on July 19th at MetLife Stadium (New York, USA) alongside BTS and Shakira .
Source: Thanh Nein Newspaper
