all about Madonna

More than a quarter-century after debut single Everybody got everybody dancing, Madonna has yet to be demoted to Immaterial Girl, even in this age of flash-in-the-pantheon stars.

"Don't stop me now, don't need to catch my breath," she defiantly sings on her new track Give It 2 Me. "I can go on and on and on."

So it seems. It's one of a dozen cuts on her Hard Candy disc, out Tuesday with assists from Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Pharrell Williams. She also has directed the comedy Filth and Wisdom and produced and written a documentary, I Am Because We Are, about AIDS orphans in Malawi. That's where she found David Banda, the 2-year-old she and filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie are adopting.

Madonna chats from her London home:

Q: Why these collaborators?

A: I love their records, and they bring out the best in other people. I thought we could play to each other's strengths. I decided to work with singers, songwriters and producers who are artists in their own right and see what that would manifest.

Q: Did you instantly click?

A: No, I don't think you do with anyone. I'd met them before in social circumstances. It's quite different when you sit down and say, "Let's write a song." You're putting yourself in a vulnerable position. Will they think my ideas are stupid? Can I speak freely without hurting anyone's feelings? That's awkward. They're personable, and nobody was unprofessional.

Q: What inspired Hard Candy's urgent, mobilizing fervor?

A: We don't have the luxury of thinking someone else is going to take care of our problems. Obviously, I've been focused on the world around me and taking responsibility for the past few years. (Candy) also is about life's surprises and trust and disappointment, about finding out that people I thought were my friends weren't. It's staying flexible, not being married to any fixed idea and not taking anything too literally.

Q: She's Not Me could be a response to Madonna wannabes.

A: I wasn't thinking about that. I'm very happy if what I do and what I've accomplished has inspired other women or given them a sense of ownership of their destiny. I don't think anyone is trying to be me. To me, (She's Not Me) is the ultimate jilted lover song. The follow-up to I Will Survive, maybe a little angrier.

Q: Work often separates you and Guy, which you address with some sadness in Miles Away.

A: That's the drawback of two artists living together. We have to make sacrifices, and there's always a trade-off. It's about long-distance relationships in general. After I wrote it, the guys in the studio were like, "I can totally relate."

Q: Is the media spotlight less welcome now that the cameras are on your family?

A: Attention on the adoption bothered me because it will filter down to my other children (Lourdes, 11, and Rocco, 7), and it's hard for them to understand why anyone would get mad at me for saving someone's life. We have a basic understanding in this house that most things written in newspapers and magazines aren't true.

Q: What's your reaction to the microscope Britney Spears has been under the past year?

A: I have a lot of compassion for her. People are being entertained by her suffering. I don't condone it, and it makes me sad.

Q: You turn 50 on Aug. 16. Any dread about that milestone?

A: I love birthdays. You get to have a party and people give you presents. I don't think this year is any more significant than last year.

Q: Reports keep surfacing that you've had cosmetic surgery. Sharon Osbourne rather indelicately said, "I went into shock at Madonna's new head." Do you want to respond?

A: There's something undignified about commenting on someone else's commentary. I don't mind what she says or doesn't say.

Q: As someone on the cutting edge of trends, do you think the best music gets heard?

A: Not necessarily. If a fire engine's blaring in my ear, I'm not going to hear the fantastic mandolin next to me. Everything is about instant gratification and shorter shelf life. Someone who's offering subtleties won't make an impact. We live in a world full of distractions.

Q: Did your induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month feel a bit premature?

A: Kind of. I was thinking: "But I'm not done yet. I don't want to be in a museum." I had to stop and look at it as an acknowledgement of the work I've done. The footage they showed was predominantly from the first 10 years of my career, and it seems like centuries ago. I've gone through a million revolutions and evolutions since then.

source : usatoday.com