Pop icon Madonna has described recording her first song with her eldest daughter, Lourdes Leon, as a “very healing experience”. The 67-year-old also revealed that a new track on her upcoming album is dedicated to her late brother, Christopher. Speaking to Graham Norton for the BBC programme Madonna & Graham, the veteran artist discussed the creative process behind her new record, Confessions II, and her musical inspirations.
Madonna Opens Up About Brother's Death
Madonna said: “I’ve been very open and – I wouldn’t say confessional – but talking about my feelings, my desires, my fears for decades.” She added that all her songs are “very specific” and directly inspired by her life.
“I was affected deeply by the death of my brother Christopher,” she said, referring to his death in 2024 aged 63 after battling with cancer. “I came to the studio and I spoke to my brother who was in a lot of pain on the phone. He was not in a good place, and I knew that it was close to the end. Then I went upstairs and wrote a song – so it was all connected to what was happening in my life.”
The popstar added: “It’s cathartic. It’s like a kind of therapy, to let go of somebody that you love. The best way to do it is to write about it… It’s like an exorcism.” She described the track as “beautiful”, and said she will play it to her father when she sees him next, but added that she does not want to “push him over the edge”.
Collaborating with Daughter Lourdes
Madonna also spoke about how she has collaborated with her daughter for her new record, marking their first duet. Leon performs under the stage name Lolahol and has intentionally distanced herself from her mother’s fame to forge her own music career. Madonna said: “She doesn’t want to be perceived as my daughter taking advantage of her privilege. She’s been very stand-offish and working at her own pace – and I respect that deeply. She’s a great songwriter, and she has a much better voice than I do.”
Madonna said her daughter has been “holding onto feelings” similar to resentment regarding her fame, but that she eventually approached her so they could collaborate on the track together. She added: “At the end of the day, she didn’t ask for this. (Leon) has been through her adolescence struggling with those feelings for a long time. She came to me and said, ‘Let’s write a song together. I think it will be very healing experience’. ‘You say exactly what you want to say, and I’ll say exactly what I want to say.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, you’re on, let’s do it’ – I was so happy.”
Upcoming Album and BBC Programme
The singer, born Madonna Ciccone, will release her upcoming record on 3 July. It will serve as a follow-up to her Grammy-winning 2005 album Confessions On A Dancefloor. In the one-off BBC programme, the popstar was joined by Australian singer Kylie Minogue and the pair addressed swirling speculation that they are set to collaborate on the new album. When asked by host Norton, the stars avoided the question before Madonna said: “Why do you have to know everything?”
The programme also recounted the veteran singer’s globally successful career, which was launched in the 1980s and has resulted in 13 UK number one singles and 12 number one albums – as well as seven Grammys and two Brit Awards. Madonna & Graham is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
