Madame X

Madonna moved to Lisbon in 2017 for her son David Banda's football training. She found a community of musicians there, and that city's fado clubs and Cape Verdean rhythms became the bedrock of her fourteenth studio album. Madame X arrived on June 14, 2019 through Interscope Records, her last release with the label before returning to Warner. The album's title refers to a shape-shifting secret agent persona, a conceit that let Madonna try on different musical identities across 15 tracks.

Producers Mirwais, Mike Dean, and Diplo helped shape the sound, which pulls from reggaeton, trap, fado, and electronic pop. Maluma appears on two songs, Quavo on Future, and Brazilian star Anitta on Faz Gostoso. Madonna sings in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The lyrics tackle gun control, racism, and free speech, with God Control using a disco beat to frame a mass-shooting narrative. I Rise became an anthem for the March for Our Lives movement.

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, Madonna's ninth chart-topper, and hit number one in over 60 countries. A deluxe edition added Extreme Occident and Looking for Mercy. Five promotional singles preceded the release, including Medellín, which she performed with Maluma at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. The Madame X Tour followed in 2019 and 2020, playing small theaters instead of arenas, reinforcing the album's intimate, theatrical concept. [edit]