“Can we get together? I really wanna be with you…”
The rising New York City-based indie singer-songwriter, who somehow landed a feature on The Weeknd‘s hit Fortnite song “Popular,” as well as placement on the soundtrack of box office smash Deadpool vs. Wolverine, has secured her status as a major “One to Watch” in 2025.
Okay, sorry. Sorry. No time for jokes. This is no laughing matter. In fact, nothing really matters. Except for this: M15.
Five years after 2019’s Madame X – the longest stretch between Madonna albums in history, mind you – and seven months after making history with her show in Rio, the “Hey You” singer provided fans with the best early Christmas present ever by confirming that those photos in the studio with Stuart Price from back in September were not from some editing/VO sessions for the Celebration Tour special, nor anything to do with that biopic, but rather what we were all secretly hoping for deep(er and deeper) down: recording sessions for brand new music.
“Working on new music with Stuart Price,” Her Madgesty declared on Monday (December 16).
“These past few months has been medicine for my SOUL. Songwriting and making music is the one area where I don’t need to ask anyone for their permission.. i’m so excited to share it with you. Who wants to hear new music in 2025! 🎄🎹🤶🏻”
And just like that, a new Madonna era begins.
Of course, Stuart has been a pivotal part of paving 21st century Madonna’s musical path, from being recruited by Mirwais as a Music remixer, to coming aboard as a keyboardist-guitarist-musical director for 2001’s Drowned World Tour and 2004’s Re-Invention World Tour, to hopping behind the booth as a producer of the sacred, disco ball-encrusted body of work, 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, as well as once again joining as musical director of The Confessions Tour in 2006.
Years later, he’d reunite with Madonna on a 2022 episode of Song Exploder dedicated to the making of “Hung Up,” during which you can actually hear the two reigniting their creative spark together while reminiscing about those days. And by 2023, he was working with her again as musical director of her triumphant Celebration Tour, and spinning tracks as her opening act DJ on various stops.
In Stuart, We Trust: from his work with Kylie, Scissor Sisters, Pet Shop Boys, Dua Lipa, Jessie Ware and beyond, he’s never once faltered, truly. I have zero concerns, especially when his best work has always been with his muse, Madonna.
Of course, Madonna couldn’t just leave it at that. Later in the day, the “B-Day Song” chanteuse found the login for her Twitter account and casually attempted to cause sheer chaos, asking: “Confessions on a Dancefloor part 2?”
It was startling to see – partially because she hasn’t logged in since June, but mostly because Madonna is never one to repeat herself. That being said, I don’t think she’s being that literal, nor do I think either of them would be foolish enough to try and recapture the brilliance of their 2005 epic. I imagine their work together is bringing up a lot of nostalgia for that period of time…and of course, it’s still going to be dance music.
Perhaps the best thing we can do now is look to Stuart’s Celebration Tour DJ mix – a heavy blend of Erotica, Bedtime Stories and Confessions – for clues about the duo’s next sonic adventure. And yes, this new music – an album, presumably – will land 20 years after their first album together.
Fans are, as anticipated, acting very chill and normal about this.
Just kidding. They’re tearing apart every pixel of their studio session photos together, zooming into Post-It notes (“All of us strangers…”) and already discovering she’s wearing an argyle print sweater that is identical to the one she wore while making the music video for “Hung Up,” in case that means anything.
One thing’s for sure: new music from Madonna couldn’t have come at a better time, and is just the kind of hope we need to get by for the next few months.
Let’s fucking go.
