Happy birthday, Madonna! Queen of Pop turns 60
Holiday! ... Celebrate!
Madonna turns 60 today.
According to her Instagram feed, the Queen of Pop appears to be celebrating her milestone in Marrakesh, Morocco. But in the past year, she's made a major life change by moving herself and her four youngest children to Lisbon. As she told Vogue Italia earlier this year, "I like to put myself in uncomfortable situations and take risks."
Of course, that's pretty much what she's been doing her entire career.
"One of the things that always impressed me, personally, about Madonna, is how courageous she is," said Dr. Jason Hanley, vice president of education for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "She could have just laid back on a comfortable thing with the dance music she had started in, but she found new ways of thinking about her music."
Born in Michigan, Madonna shot to superstardom three decades ago, and, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the best-selling female artist of all time. Always an original, Madonna has reinvented herself time and time again, pushing the envelope and challenging Hollywood norms.
"She innovated music videos ... she innovated world tours and live stage shows in ways that people had not done before -- these massive arena shows in the '80s," Hanley added. "I think so many people try to be like Madonna now. If you think of how many artists that are out there -- whether it's a Demi Lovato or even a Taylor Swift -- a lot of artists are trying to achieve that. And I think Madonna has served as an icon for so many artists for years."
As Hanley noted, Madonna, a mother of five, has gone from dance/pop provocateur to songwriter, producer, actress, director, businesswoman and humanitarian, having launched several schools in Africa through her non-profit, Raising Malawi.
Explaining her presence in the Hall, Hanley added, "Madonna is somebody who continued to be so productive and innovative over the years ... she really is somebody who pushed music forward."
