Many articles were released claiming that Madonna’s latest offering Rebel Heart failed to sell as expected, in spite of the hype its leak caused online. Some even went as far as saying that Madonna’s musical relevance already faded away. In all fairness and honesty, these claims were rather unfounded. First, Madonna has not yet done any promotion other than posting on her social media accounts. Second, the album is set for a March release so it’s too premature to conclude whether or not the album will sell.
It is acceptable to note that the hype of Rebel Heart is not enough to put Madonna on top of the charts just yet. However, it is immature and disrespectful to compare the Queen of Pop to newer pop stars like Ariana Grande. Some online commenters speculate that Madonna is not performing according to her age. Truth be told, let Madonna be. She has a long story of success in the industry, and new artists popular today still have to prove so many things before they can even be comparable to the Queen of Pop.
Whatever pop stars are doing now were already done by Madonna in the past. Her music may have changed its course, but it does not mean that her legacy will be completely taken for granted. Madonna has done so much to change the landscape of music today. The great women of music that came after her would not be able to do what they do in the most emancipated way if it were not for Madonna, who has contributed a lot in terms of women empowerment.
It’s allowable to be critical of Madonna’s latest offering because with her status comes great expectations. Nevertheless, a song released today that displeases an audience does not translate to an excellent song of yesterday to lose its quality entirely.
Let Madonna do her thing. Wait till she performs at the Grammy Awards, and releases her video for “Living For Love.” Before making unsubstantiated conclusions, await empirical evidences first like the sales of her album when it comes out in March. Justly, it’s not Madonna’s responsibility to prove what she is capable of anymore. She only has to reaffirm that, after all these years, she still owns the Queen of Pop throne.