Behind every successful musician is a team of people whose sole job in life is to promote them. From online, to magazines, radio, tours and television appearances, there is no end to the places one can seek a little more stardom.
Madonna has been releasing music since 1983 and has sold over 300 million records worldwide, marking her the biggest selling female artist of all time and earning her the title of The Queen Of Pop. Of course all artists are promoted, not only by those behind them but through their own comments and activities which are often done to create more headlines and get more mouths talking. However sometimes this self promotion can just become a little too much.
This weekend will see Madonna perform at the world's biggest sporting event; The Super Bowl. A performance that the star will not get paid for, it will surely do more than wonders for her comeback single 'Gimme All Your Lovin' which is released shortly beforehand. Her half time performance will also see her bring on-stage fellow track collaborators M.I.A and Nicki Minaj, whom she was recently reported to have snogged.
One of the last people you'd think would be named a one trick pony, this recent news revelation on her girl on girl kiss with Minaj is just a little too reminiscent of her three way kiss with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the VMA's back in 2003. A kiss which caused weeks worth of headlines and news controversy, this time around Madonna's lip locking ways have gone largely un-noticed.
It seems coming up with outlandish statements is another of Madonna's favourite ways to conjure up a little more attention. This week claiming that “I mean she's not Britney Spears, Lady Gaga Is Not Built Like A Brick Sh*thouse” after also saying that Gaga's 'Born This Way' copies her hit 'Express Yourself' commenting “I recognised the chord changes. I thought it was… interesting.”
Even Madonna's fans have not been able to escape her recent tirade of poorly placed comments and actions. Speaking to Newsweek she said of her rumoured up coming tour “Start saving your pennies now. People spend $300 (£190) on crazy things all the time, things like handbags. So work all year, scrape the money together and come to my show. I'm worth it.'' All this is fine and dandy for the Material Girl who was reported by Forbes Earnings Estimates to have earned between $40-50million each year since 2002.
While all this would be game on at any other time, when it comes at the same time as a performance such as one at the Super Bowl and an important comeback single and album, the outrageous behaviour and statements seem a little transparent; especially when they are aimed at the people she makes a living from, her fans. One can have a little sympathy for Madonna who it is said had suffered a breakdown while in gruelling rehearsals for her performance on Sunday, but it all seems a little childish coming from a woman who is fifty years old and counting.
