MDNA

Madonna's twelfth studio album MDNA arrived on March 23, 2012, via Interscope Records and Live Nation Entertainment. She started working on it while directing her film W.E. in 2011, with recording sessions beginning that July. The production team included William Orbit, Martin Solveig, Benny Benassi, Alle Benassi, Klas Åhlund, Demacio Castellon, and Jimmy Harry, with Orbit and Solveig handling the bulk of the work. Rappers Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. contributed guest verses across four tracks. The album is a pop and electronic dance music record that swings between euphoric club anthems and bitter breakup songs. Its title is a triple entendre referencing DNA, the drug MDMA, and Madonna's own name, which drew criticism from an anti-drug group but fit the album's themes of partying, infatuation, heartbreak, and revenge.

MDNA was her first release under a 360 deal with Live Nation and a three-album contract with Interscope. She promoted it with a Super Bowl XLVI halftime show performance and the MDNA Tour, which grossed over $305 million and became the highest-grossing tour of 2012. Four singles came from the album: Give Me All Your Luvin', Girl Gone Wild, Masterpiece, and Turn Up the Radio. The first single hit number ten on the Billboard Hot 100, extending Madonna's record for the most top-ten singles. Critical reception was mixed, but the album topped charts in 27 countries, giving Madonna new records for most number-one albums by a solo artist in Australia and the UK. MDNA sold two million copies worldwide and ranked as the twelfth best-selling album of 2012 globally.[edit]