Madonna was reportedly forced to withdraw from a surprise appearance at London Pride over apparent safety concerns.
- READ MORE: Madonna – ‘Confessions II’ review: Queen of Pop digs deep on thrilling return to the dancefloor
After much speculation that the pop legend would make a surprise appearance on the main stage in Trafalgar Square, London Pride organisers were forced to issue a statement clarifying that she would not be performing.
A source had previously claimed that organisers were “playing it by ear” in case plans changed, and told The Sun: “As it stands, Madonna is primed to come out on the main stage.” They went on to say she wouldn’t be performing, but would instead speak to the crowd.
With rumours continuing to swirl in the lead-up to last night’s (July 4) parade, Pride in London took to their social media channels to confirm that Madonna would not be appearing or performing at the event
“We have two fantastic headliners at Trafalgar Square to conclude a brilliant day of protest and celebration,” they wrote. However, subsequent reports from The Sun went on to claim that Madonna was set to appear, but was forced to withdraw over safety concerns.
NME has reached out to representatives of Madonna for comment.
The source had said she had been “really excited to attend the event, as she is such a huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights”, but a last-minute decision was ultimately made by her team not to take part due to the huge crowds, “amid concerns she could send the well-organised event into frenzied chaos”.
It comes only after Madonna took to the decks with Stuart Price and her daughter Lourdes at her ‘Club Confessions’ album launch party in London earlier this week (July 2). Falling ahead of the release of her 15th studio album ‘Confessions II’ on July 3, ‘Club Confessions: London’ was billed as an official album release party and listening event, with DJ sets from Price, Honey Dijon, Jodie Harsh and Horse Meat Disco.
The new record is a sequel to 2005’s ‘Confessions On A Dance Floor’ and sees Madonna reunite with producer Price, who co-wrote and produced the original album. It is her first studio album since 2019’s ‘Madame X’.
‘Danceteria’ is one of the central tracks on ‘Confessions II’ and references the legendary New York club where Madonna spent time in the early ’80s before breaking through as one of pop’s defining stars.
Lourdes also appears on the new album, featuring on the track ‘The Test’. Speaking about the song recently, Madonna said her daughter had approached her about writing together “as a way to heal our relationship”.
The London event follows previous ‘Club Confessions’ parties in Los Angeles and Paris. At the LA edition in April, Madonna debuted new music with Addison Rae in attendance, while the Paris event saw her party with Charli XCX after comments from the ‘Brat’ star about whether “the dancefloor is dead”.
‘Confessions II’ also includes the Sabrina Carpenter collaboration ‘Bring Your Love’, which was released as the album’s lead single earlier this year, as well as ‘I Feel So Free’, which NME described as a “hedonistic deep house-flavoured floor-filler”, and the “pounding” club-ready single ‘Love Sensation’.
In a four-star review of ‘Confessions II’, NME wrote: “By drawing from her past, both personally and musically, Madonna has made her most vital album in over two decades. This grande dame still knows how to make us move.”
Last month, she released ‘Confessions II – The Film’, a star-studded short film accompaniment to the album. The project features appearances from Carpenter, Kate Moss, Julia Garner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Shygirl, Richard E. Grant, Debi Mazar and Arca, among others.
She has also teased that “something bigger is coming” after the promotional run for the album, while hinting at a possible Glastonbury 2027 slot.