Madonna, an inspiration
by Ruwini Jayasinghe
  “Everyone identified her as a
singer, actress and entrepreneur. She is one of the most successful
women in the music industry, achieving great success more than any other
diva. Looking at her life, she seems to have done it all, from singing,
writing, acting, producing and recording in addition to being a fashion
icon and stirring up more controversy than any other public figure.
Madonna is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the female
singer with the highest earnings ever. But no matter how big her bank
account is, her name is even bigger as she reached the top of the charts
but also the way she changed the world as a performer.
Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan. She started
her career in modern dance.
Her first rock band was the Breakfast Club, where she sang and played
drums and guitar. Madonna’s first album was not a tremendous success but
it spawned interest in the new singer, especially with her image which
was going to be the main trend in the’80s. ‘Like a virgin’, ‘Vogue’,
‘Frozen’, ‘Hung Up’, ‘Vogue’ and ‘Like a Virgin’ hit the number one spot
on the charts and made a breakthrough in her celebrity status.
Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in
1979 despite mixed reviews. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe
for the Best Actress in Evita under the Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
category in 1996. Madonna is also a fashion designer, children’s book
author, film directress and producer and owns a recording company called
Maverick that has a joint venture with Time Warner. She is also a very
successful business personality.
In January 2008, she was named the world’s wealthiest female musician
by Forbes magazine with estimated earnings of over US$72 million. She
was the writer and executive producer of ‘I Am Because We Are’ a
documentary about the lives of Malawi AIDS orphans and the art house
film, Filth and Wisdom.
Considered one of the most influential figures in contemporary music,
Madonna is known for reinventing her music and image and for retaining
the standard of autonomy in the recording industry. She is recognised as
an inspiration to many musicians around the world.
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