One, two, cha-cha-cha… Madonna‘s back!
It’s been a long time coming, to say the least: Four years after her last original studio album (2015‘s Rebel Heart), the pop icon has at long last unveiled the first taste of new music from her forthcoming record Madame X (due out June 14): “Medellín” featuring Colombian reggaeton dreamboat Maluma!
First things first: What a Medellín? It’s the capital of Colombia’s mountainous Antioquia province (I took that from Google), and, most notably in this case, the birthplace of the self-proclaimed Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy himself.
Produced alongside her frequent collaborator Mirwais Ahmadzaï – the man behind Music, American Life and ‘Future Lovers” from Confessions on a Dance Floor – “Medellín“ instantly feels like a “now” type song in the sense that it’s very 2019: much like the sound that’s dominated much of pop radio for a while, there’s a warm island breeze permeating throughout the chilled-out production. And with Maluma on board, Madame X (smartly) taps into the unstoppable rise of Latin-pop, from 2017’s inescapable Luis Fonsi smash “Despacito” to the successful crossovers of J Balvin and Bad Bunny.
“Ven conmigo, let’s take a trip/ Si te llevo pa’ un lugar lejano/ Ven conmigo, I’ll be so good for you/ Te enamoro, te enamoro, mami (Ay-ay-ay)…,” the duo chant across the sun-kissed pulsations on the chorus.
Let’s not get it twisted, though: this isn’t a desperate attempt at trend-hopping moment. It’s very much a Madge song, she’s dived into Latin-pop territory before folks (see “La Isla Bonita“).
It’s not life-changing by any means, but without a doubt an intriguing and solid introduction to the new Madame X era. Some of you might be a little let down by the lack of energy in her first offering in years, but one thing’s for certain: Madonna is still firmly in control, and she’s decided to keep things cool, calm and feel-good with this comeback.
35 years into her career, she has nothing to prove. I’m into it Mom!
