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Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, and entrepreneur. As a prominent figure within popular culture since her debut in 1983, Madonna's contribution to music, film, fashion and dance and with her attitude has influenced many other artists in the world. In this manner, she is cited as cultural icon as well a pop, gay and fashion icon.
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Her influence in the entertainment industry has generated extensive commentaries and analysis from the critics, the public and the media. An example of this is the term "Madonna wannabe" with origins in the middle of the decade of 1980 and with validity today. Juan Restrepo from Yahoo! described it this way: "With Madonna something happens that is unparalleled in the music and popular culture generally. She is her own current. Madonna ends inevitably present in the lives of almost all the singers in the world, either at the beginning or end of the race. She is the source of inspiration and goal to conquer".
Certified by the Guinness World Record as the best-selling female recording artist of all time many authors have called Madonna the most successful, powerful, admired and/or influential female performer of all time. In this way, Madonna has appeared as the first in several lists drawn up by media as VH1 (100 Greatest Women in Music) or the British tabloid The Sun ("The 50 female singers who will never be forgotten").
Influence and commentaries
Like any artist, Madonna has taken inspiration from a number of singers and bands including David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Boy George, Patti Smith, Karen Carpenter, Marilyn Monroe, and Led Zeppelin, as well as Kabbalah; as well on gender stereotypes, sexual cliches, corporate monoliths and religious ones. Within this theme, Billboard editor M. Tye Comer stated: "Although Madonna had her influences, she created her own unmistakable style... She wrote her own ticket; she didn't have to follow anybody's formula. She declared who she was ... and took possession of her music". Jocelyn Vena of MTV commented that "she's influenced others and, yes, even herself". Her influence on social history was declared by World Music Awards saying how Madonna changed the World: "She inspired every struggling young singer/actor/dancer with a dream..... She put Malawi on the map. Not many people talked about Malawi before Madonna's Raising Malawi Organisation and.... She popularised Argentinian politics. Before Madonna played Eva Perón, not many really knew much about Argentina's General Peron." Even, Telcel added "since her appearance on the music scene in 1983, no artist has called more the attention that Madonna... has pushed the boundaries of the world of music, film and fashion." Rolling Stone concluded that "her influence in the recent generations of artists who have picked up some of her moves and have been influenced by her style". The authors of the book Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World noted that "Madonna's cultural influence has been profound and pervasive, as her multiple transformations and controversies have attracted the attention of numerous scholars working in a variety of fields, namely feminist and queer theory, cultural studies, film and media studies". For its part, the British sociologist and media theorist, David Gauntlett ensures that "Madonna has clearly been a uniquely successful and enduring pop phenomenon; Madonna provides a whole world of ideas and experiences - in music, visual and expressions of cultural and sexual politics".
Authors noted Madonna's influence on pop stars, generating extensive scrutiny comments. For example, in Madonna's Drowned Worlds, biographers Santiago Fouz-Hernández and Freya Jarman-Ivens noted that since the beginning of her career, Madonna has clearly inspired many female pop artists, including the Spice Girls, Britney Spears and Kelly Osbourne. VH1 spokeswoman Sally Habbershaw said: "Madonna has truly reached iconic status and many of our viewers will know her entire career."
Tony Sclafani from MSNBC felt that "her influence on pop music has outshone that of the Beatles". Add that "quarter century after Madonna emerged, artists still use her ideas and seem modern and edgy doing so. Beyond the obvious Madonna wannabe 1980s singers, Madonna’s influence is felt in artists from Gwen Stefani to Britney Spears to boy bands, who found in the 1990s there was an audience beyond the old rock crowd." Furthermore, stated: "It’s worth noting that before Madonna, most music mega-stars were guy rockers; after her, almost all would be female singers" and that "the word "female" is significant in that assessment of Madonna because she presented herself in a fresh way for women artists". The Time magazine, stated: "Every pop star of the last two to three decades has Madonna to thank in some part for his or her success". Homa Khaleeli from The Guardian said that "no matter the decade or the fashion... Madonna is about power; despite nearly 30 years in a notoriously fickle business, and compared with her contemporaries – Michael Jackson and Prince – has remained in the spotlight largely on her own terms. Highlighted that "she inspires not because she gives other women a helping hand, but because she breaks the boundaries of what's considered acceptable for women", while Carlos Otero from Divinity Channel wrote that "Madonna has secured for life the title of "Queen of Pop". He further asserted that "after 30 years of career would take another three decades to meet her influence and legacy".
The author Ken Mcleod in his book We Are the Champions: The Politics of Sports and Popular Music, wrote that "Madonna has been one of the most influential female pop singers for the past three decades." Similarly, the author Kimberly Potts said: "No other female pop star in history has had the musical, music video, concert tour, and fashion influence that Madonna has had, and continues to have, in the past three —continuining into a fourth— deacade". Peter Robinson from The Guardian felt that "Madonna pretty much invented contemporary pop fame so there is a little bit of her in the DNA of every modern pop thing." Tú Magazine from Editorial Televisa, commented:
Madonna's influence on pop music stars is undeniable, from the music to the sets or outfits, all can see that the Queen of Pop has been the model for the current stars of world music firmament.
In this lines, Ian Youngs from BBC News say that "her influence on others has come as much from her image as her music, with her no-nonsense, boundary-pushing persona showing other artists what could be achieved". And according to Fouz-Hernández, female pop performers such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogue, the Spice Girls, Destiny's Child, Jennifer Lopez and Pink were like "Madonna's daughters in the very direct sense that they grew up listening to and admiring Madonna, and decided they wanted to be like her." Ottawa Sun editor Aedan Helmer commented: "It would be easy to quantify her influence by the generations of pop stars created and groomed in her self-made image — without Madonna, the Britneys and Katys of the world simply wouldn’t exist". As Youngs and Helmer, Merely Me from Health Central wrote: "I feel that there would be no Britney Spears or Lady Gaga without Madonna. Her influence is seen in the fashion, style and songs of many of the female pop stars of today." Rick Florino from Artist Direct commented:
"You can't think of modern pop music without thinking about her. There would be no Britney, no Christina, no Pussycat Dolls and no Lady GaGa without her. From the second that she burst onto the scene in the early '80s, her presence has permeated almost every facet of pop. Her influence is everywhere, and she's not going anywhere either.
Howard Kramer, curatorial director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, commented: "Today's more-flamboyant female pop stars enjoy the freedom to make music and perform the way they do, but they didn't create that freedom. Madonna did the moving and shaking when she burst onto the pop-music charts in the early '80s." He further asserted that "Madonna and the career she carved out for herself made possible virtually every other female pop singer to follow... She certainly raised the standards of all of them... She redefined what the parameters were for female performers."
Comments from artists and media attention
Within the field of entertainment, many personalities have recognized the importance of Madonna in showbiz. Many artists have been inspired by and has been compared to Madonna. Additionally, some artists also has called "Madonna" by the media international, including the "Mexican Madonna" (Selena, Yuri or Gloria Trevi), "Latin Madonna" (Gloria Estefan, Thalía or Shakira), "Black Madonna" (Rihanna or Beyoncé), etc. In fact, often many of the artists who have been inspired heavily by Madonna are known by international press as "The heirs of Madonna". For example, in 2013 MTV Latin America makes a call vote What is the heir to the queen of pop?. Rolling Stone Argentina cited of Britney to Gaga, passing by Rihanna and Christina. Ann Powers from NPR Music commented that "Madonna, is doing turning the world's attention to her heirs." Rodrigo Fresán said: "We think of the Madonnas that to come as we think on science fiction that is becoming less fiction and allow ourselves to imagine Madonna's clones."
Many media conglomerates Britney Spears have referred to as the "heir" of Madonna, and others as Us Weekly Staff said her heir apparent is Lady Gaga. Among them, Madonna's influence was most notable in Spears, who has been called "her protégé". In her case, Gwen Stefani responded "Some people say that I copy her. But show me one girl my age who was not influenced by her." She has been referred to as "The new Madonna" by publications such as The Hollywood Reporter and People. Within this topic, Paul Rees, editor of Q said "Madonna is aware of the influence she has on the heirs to her crown, but does not rate them highly". Diego A. Manrique from El País as well Fouz-Hernández in Madonna's Drowned Worlds (2004) and other authors, called to artists like Spears, Aguilera and others as Madonna's musical daughters.
The following are some comments made by artists who have been inspired by Madonna:
Justin Timberlake recognizes that "her mighty influence seems to have subconsciously seeped into the videos of some of today’s biggest stars too". In 2014, rapper Kanye West declared her as "The Greatest Visual Musical Artist' Of All Time" during his commentaries on popular culture and the Madonna's influence on the industry. Her ex-husband, Guy Ritchie admitted that: "Madonna completely changed his life" because "it catapulted him into the public eye".