Madonna is urging her fans to put down their phones while watching live music.
The Queen of Pop is preparing to release her 15th studio record, ‘Confessions II’, on July 3, the spiritual follow-up to 2005’s ‘Confessions On A Dance Floor’. Pre-order/pre-save the album here.
In the lead-up to the album’s release, Madonna has given several high-profile live performances, including an impromptu show in New York’s Times Square earlier this week, and a surprise appearance during Sabrina Carpenter‘s Coachella headline set.
Now, off the back of those gigs, she has a message for modern audiences. Following the premiere of Confessions II – The Film earlier this week, Madonna spoke in a Q&A about how people now have a “persistent need” to document everything.
“I came to this earth to be a doer, not a watcher,” she told the audience, per Variety.
She then discussed the set with Carpenter, where they debuted their duet, ‘Bring Your Love’. Despite enjoying the experience, she suggested that the “deep tribal experience” of dancing together was ruined as she looked out on a sea of phones instead of faces.
When asked for parting words, she added: “Put your fucking phones down and connect.”
So far, she has shared three tracks from the album – ‘I Feel So Free’, ‘Bring Your Love’ and ‘Love Sensation’.
‘Confessions II’ will be Madonna’s first record since her 14th album ‘Madame X’, which arrived in 2019, and it sees her reuniting with ‘Confessions’ producer Stuart Price.
“When Stuart Price and I first started working on this record, this was our manifesto: We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna explained.
“To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” she added. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions, pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
In the run up to the album release date, Kylie Minogue has responded to rumours of a Madonna collaboration on ‘Confessions II’, and Linda Perry has expressed her desire to produce for Madonna, describing her latest music as “weak” and “trying to compete with Charli XCX“.
Madonna has also been confirmed as one of the co-headliners for the first ever FIFA World Cup halftime show, alongside Shakira and BTS.