Madonna describes new album leak as 'artistic rape and terrorism'
The singer has been criticised for the insensitive timing of her response
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Madonna has sparked outrage after describing her new album leak as “artistic rape and terrorism” in the wake of high-profile global attacks in Sydney and Pakistan.
The US singer had been working on Iconic when it appeared unfinished online earlier this week.
Eleven songs were leaked, including “Rebel Heart”, “B***h I’m Madonna” and “Unapologetic B***h”.
The 56-year-old quickly took to Instagram to thank loyal fans for “not listening” to the tracks and clarify that they were “unfinished demos stolen long ago”.
However, while her initial reaction was relatively calm and controlled, a later response proved far more inflammatory.
Madonna has since deleted her post but reports claim it read: “This is artistic rape!! These are early leaked demos, half of which won’t make it on my album. The other half have changed and evolved.
“This is a form of terrorism. Wtf!!!! Why do people want to destroy artistic process??? Why steal? Why not give me the opportunity to finish and give you my very best?”
Unsurprisingly, her comments ignited social media:
Nicki Minaj, Diplo, Avicii and Ryan Tedder have all worked on Madonna’s new album, the title of which has yet to be officially confirmed.
Her last album, MDNA, came out in 2012 and led to one of the highest-grossing tours of all-time.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments