Madonna 01

Madonna

Name	:	Madonna Louise Ciccone
Also known as	:	Madonna Ciccone, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone (Catholic confirmation name) Esther (Kabbalah name)
Born	:	August 16, 1958 - Bay City, Michigan, United States
Occupation	:	Singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, film producer, film director, fashion designer, author, entrepreneur, philanthropist
Genres	:	Pop, rock, dance
Instruments	:	Vocals, guitar, percussion, drums
Years active	:	1979 – ....
Website	:	madonna.com

Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone (chee-co-nay)) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. She released her debut album in 1983. She followed it with a series of albums by which she found immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Throughout her career, many of her songs have hit number one on the record charts. Critics have praised Madonna for her diverse musical productions while at the same time serving as a lightning rod for religious controversy. Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979, despite mixed commentary. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita (1996), but has received harsh feedback for other film roles. Madonna's other ventures include being a fashion designer, children's book author, film director and producer. Madonna has been acclaimed as a businesswoman.

Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Considered to be one of the "25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century" by Time for being an influential figure in contemporary music.