Madame X (album)

In August 2017, Madonna relocated to Lisbon when seeking a top football academy for her son David Banda, who wanted to become a professional association football player.[1] She later stated that she had options of top academies in Turin and Barcelona, and Lisbon seemed the best choice for herself and her family.[2] While she thought the move was going to be "fun and adventurous", she soon realised that she was not suited to the lifestyle change, and began feeling depressed as she had no friends in the city. Although she felt happy for leaving the United States and seeing the world and looking at the world from another point of view, Madonna soon felt she needed to make friends and meet new people in order to improve her mental state.[3][4] She began meeting artists, such as painters and musicians, who would invite her to "living room sessions". In the sessions, they would bring food and sit around the table, and musicians would start playing instruments, singing Fado and samba music.[5]

One of the first musicians Madonna met in Lisbon was a man named Dino D'Santiago, who she called her "musical plug", and coached her on how to speak Portuguese and sing in Portuguese and Creole. He also introduced the singer to a number of musicians in the area, including some who ended up being featured on the album.[6] Believing "music is the soul of the universe", she felt connected to her new influences, so she then decided to record an album based on her musical experience in the country, which she referred to be "a melting pot of culture".[5]

Two of the featured artists on the album were Swae Lee (left) and Anitta (right)

In January 2018, Madonna announced on her Instagram account that she had begun work on her fourteenth studio album, posting a shot of herself singing into a microphone with the caption: "Feels so good to be working on music again!".[7] When Madonna moved to Lisbon, she was in the process of writing a script for a film and was trying to raise money with investors but the project fell through, and decided to use her free time to make music, after being inspired by the living room sessions she had attended.[8] Initially, the singer had no intention of recording an album, as she was "just playing around and experimenting" at first, but then she simply found out that she was "officially making a record".[9][10] She disclosed that she had recorded her two previous albums — MDNA (2012), and Rebel Heart (2015) — reluctantly, as she was concentrating on parallel projects at the time, but this time she started recording as she "got bored".[10] Madonna split her time between Portugal, London, New York and Los Angeles to record the album, in a process which lasted over 18 months.[11]

Inspired by the melancholy and the feeling of Portuguese music, Madonna turned to music producer Mirwais, who had previously co-produced three of her albums, Music (2000), American Life (2003) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), and sent him samples, as she wanted to make the music her own and make it sound more modern.[12] Mirwais sent Madonna his ideas back a few days later, with her recalling that he had added elements such a Roland TR-808 and "turned it into something amazing".[5] The singer also explained that she wanted to work with Mirwais again as they shared similar personalities and were interested in experimenting, and further disclosed that she likes the fact that "he breaks the rules and doesn’t think or hear in a conventional way", and does not have any rules about how music should sound.[10] She further stated that their similar minds make them start debates about everything that is going on in the world while in the studio, and it reflects on the music, resulting in political-oriented works.[13] "Killers Who Are Partying" was the first song out of the six they wrote for the album, built around the sample of a guitar Madonna had recorded herself during a Fado session.[12][14]

Madonna revealed in January 2019 that she was working with Cape Verdean collective of drummers Batukadeiras Orchestra.[15] The singer became interested on working with the collective after watching a performance by them, which she described as a "wild" experience, as their "mesmerizing and hypnotizing" music left her impressed as she had never heard anything like that.[6] Upon agreeing on collaborating on a song with her, Madonna would wrote down some words in the studio and encouraged the Batukadeiras to "just repeat" after her.[6] As they were not used to using microphones, the production team had to record things separately as the singer was singing in 4/4 time, while the collective were playing their txabeta triplet time. Later, Madonna invited Bissau-Guinean musician Kimi Djabaté after she became fascinated with his work upon being introduced by d'Santiago.[16] As both the Batukadeiras and Djabaté did not speak English, d'Santiago acted as a translator in the studio.[12][6] Madonna sent them the other songs she had recorded for the album as she wanted to know if they sounded authentic.[12]

"Crave" was one of the first songs Madonna wrote for Madame X with Starrah, but had to put on hold when she began working with other musicians in Lisbon. When the singer revisited all the songs she had written, she listened to the track again and thought a male voice was needed on it, and asked rapper and singer Swae Lee to sing with her due to liking his voice.[17] In December 2018, singer Anitta shared a selfie with Madonna on her social media accounts, revealing that they were working together.[18] Anitta was introduced to Madonna by photographer Mert Alas when she was looking to record a song in Brazilian Portuguese and pay tribute to her fans who are native from the country.[19] Madonna said it felt very different than Portugal's Portuguese, so she had to relearn the language with the help of Anitta.[3] Months later, in February 2019, singer Maluma posted a photo in the studio with Madonna; they had met backstage at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, and she decided to collaborate with Maluma after she realized that he loves horses, which they bonded over a mutual love for.[20] While discussing her choice of artists to collaborate for the record, Madonna revealed that it happens instinctively and in an organic way.[12]

A graffiti in Lisbon depicting Madonna's alter-ego for the album

On April 15, 2019, an one-minute teaser was uploaded to Madonna's official social media accounts, in which she declares herself as Madame X, an alter-ego the album is named after, which is also the title of a 1908 play written by Alexandre Bisson, as well as an infamous 1884 portrait by artist John Singer Sargent.[21] In the video, Madonna donned several costumes and identities while explaining the concept behind the album.[22] The singer claimed she was given the nomenclature Madame X by her dance teacher Martha Graham at the age of 19, when the singer attended dance classes at her school. However, Madonna's refusal to comply with the school's strict dress code got her sent to Graham's office regularly, which led her to tell Madonna, "I'm going to give you a new name: Madame X. Every day, you come to school and I don't recognize you. Every day, you change your identity. You're a mystery to me."[23] She shared the story with designer Jeremy Scott during a visit in Lisbon, and suggested that it could be the record's title, which she agreed.[9] In the teaser, Madonna gave further details concerning the album and her alter-ego, which features different personas and characters:

"I decided to call my record Madame X. Madame X is a secret agent. Traveling around the world. Changing identities. Fighting for freedom. Bringing light to dark places. She is a dancer. A professor. A head of state. A housekeeper. An equestrian. A prisoner. A student. A mother. A child. A teacher. A nun. A singer. A saint. A whore. A spy in the house of love. I am Madame X".[24]

Madame X's album artwork was shot by Steven Klein.[25] The cover for the standard edition features Madonna wearing diamond art deco earrings by Pennisi Jewelry, with azeviche black hair, pale skin, arched eyebrows, thin smile and red lipstick.[26][27][28] The album's title was etched across her lips to give the illusion of her mouth being sewn shut.[24] Some journalists compared the imagery to that of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo,[27][29][28] while a writer on The Art Newspaper noted that the artwork also referenced Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky, who had previously sewed his mouth shut in a protest.[30] In an interview with iHeartRadio's The Box, Madonna disclosed that she is representing her mother on the cover, Madonna Fortin, as the picture depicts what she looked like, and it meant a lot to her.[31] Mike Wass from Idolator called it an "already-iconic artwork".[29] The cover for the deluxe edition features a platinum blonde Madonna depicting a Soviet revolutionary,[32] and was used on the digital deluxe and box set versions.[29] For this alternative artwork, the singer seemed to "recreate the cover illustration of a 1910 novel adaptation by J.W. McConaughy", as noted by Paper's Michael Love Michael.[33] A third album artwork features a brunette Madonna holding a guitar in front of a wall of blue tiles,[32] and was used for the deluxe two-CD and box set releases.[25] Another promotional picture for Madame X was shared by the singer in her social media networks, depicting a nipple pierced by a single red rose, which she described as a "portrait of a lady"; it was criticized by fans alike, who thought Madonna "took it a step too far" with the artwork.[34] Attitude's Matthew Barton described the album's artwork and packaging a "labour of love", and praised the deluxe box set as a "stroke of genius".[35]

In April 2019, a series of posts were shared on Madonna's social media networks teasing the album. Her team also used her Twitter to share cryptic messages depicting pictures of herself with apples using the hashtag "magic", which she had been using since 2018, with one captioned "a taste of things to come". On Madonna's Instagram account, a series of images were posted, and together showed a large red 'X' on a black background; her profile picture was changed to an image of red lips featuring a cane between Madonna's teeth.[98] Will Stroude of Attitude speculated whether a retrospective or fashion project was on the works.[98] A playlist using the "magic" hashtag was also created on Madonna's Spotify page including selected tracks from her catalog; the first letter of each of the songs in the playlist spelled out "Madame X".[99] On April 15, she posted a series of teaser clips on her Instagram account, revealing Madame X as the album title.[21] Matthew Barton, also from Attitude, complimented Madonna's marketing team for the announcement as they followed the traditional pre-release model, posting hints of the project to create a buzz between fans alike.[35]

Madame X was released on June 14, 2019, by Interscope Records, on streaming platforms and digital download, as well as on CD, vinyl and cassette. Three editions were released from the album: a 13-track standard version, a 15-track deluxe version, and a deluxe box set including a CD containing three bonus tracks and a 32-page booklet, a double-sided poster, a 7" vinyl, a 13-track cassette and a tattoo sheet.[100][101] A 23-minute documentary titled World of Madame X was released on June 29 on paid streaming service Amazon Prime. Directed by Nuno Xico, the short film breaks down the album production and the inspiration behind the music, as well as featuring sneak peaks of album photoshoot and behind the scenes of music videos.[3] An exclusive Madame X radio channel was launched on Sirius XM Satellite Radio on July 1, 2019; it showcased music spanning her career, focusing on songs from Madame X and the background stories behind them.[102] On January 13, 2023, the deluxe box set version including three bonus tracks was made available through streaming platforms.[103] Madame X became Madonna's final album under her three-album contract with Interscope.[104] Following Madonna's return to her original record label Warner Music Group in 2021, it was revealed that Madame X and her other two Interscope albums will be transferred to Warner's catalog in 2025.[105]

Singles and other songs

Madonna (left) and Maluma (right) during the world premiere of the "Medellín" video at MTV's London studios.

The album's lead single, "Medellín", was released on April 17, 2019, coinciding with the album becoming available to pre-order.[106] Its accompanying music video premiered on April 24, during a live MTV special broadcast simultaneously around the world.[107] Spanish director Diana Kunst and multi-disciplinary artist Mau Morgó directed the video.[108] "Medellín" reached the top 10 of the charts in several countries, including Colombia, Croatia, Hungary, Israel, and Venezuela.[109] In the United States, the song charted at number 18 on the Hot Latin Songs and number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs.[110] "Crave" was released as the second single on May 10, 2019.[111] The music video, directed by Nuno Xico, featured Madonna and Swae Lee singing the track on New York City rooftops, surrounded by carrier pigeons.[112] The song was her highest debut on the US Adult Contemporary chart, debuting at number 19 and eventually reaching number 11, becoming her best position on the chart since "Frozen" (1998), which reached number eight.[113]

"I Rise" was sent to Italian radio stations on October 4, 2019, as the album's third single in the country,[114] following a promotional release on May 3, 2019,[115] Madonna partnered with Time Studios to create the music video for "I Rise", which was directed by Peter Matkiwsky and showed footage of Parkland shooting survivors, LGBTQ supporters, women's rights protesters, as well as other social justice movements.[116] Remixes produced by Tracy Young were commercially released in July 2019.[117] The fourth single, "I Don't Search I Find", was released as two EPs, featuring remixes by various collaborators.[118] It also was released for airplay in Italy on May 22, 2020.[119] The song became Madonna's record-breaking 50th number-one single on the Dance Club Songs chart. With this feat, she became the first artist to achieve this on any Billboard chart, bringing her longevity into five decades.[120]

In the lead up to the release of Madame X, "I Rise", "Future" and "Dark Ballet" were released as promotional singles.[66][121] "Dark Ballet" received a video directed by Emmanuel Adjei and stars a Joan of Arc-inspired story-line featuring Mykki Blanco, where several heads of the church arrest and execute him, being burned at the stake.[121][122] During the video, Blanco is shown wearing a gold corset reminiscent of the Madonna's iconic conical bra.[123] A Jonas Åkerlund-directed music video for "God Control" was also released on June 26, 2019.[124] The video depicts a shooting scene in a nightclub that resembles the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, and contains a call to action in favor of gun control.[125] "Batuka" received a music video which premiered on July 19, 2019, also directed by Adjei.[126][127] It revolves around Madonna and the Batukadeiras Orchestra dancing and playing batuque, showing a series of portraits of their faces while they sing, and standing on a clifftop.[128] In addition, "Faz Gostoso" peaked at number 53 in Portugal,[129] and number 47 on the monthly streaming chart published by Pro-Música Brasil.[130]

Live appearances

Madonna first performed "Dark Ballet", known then as "Beautiful Game", at the 2018 Met Gala.[131][132] After singing "Like a Prayer" (1989) and a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (1984), she began singing the song wearing a corset and a metallic arm accessory, her hair was braided and parted down the center;[133][134] several dancers, wearing similar costumes, performed a choreography that seemed to control and restrain her movements.[132] On April 19, 2019, "Medellín" was performed by Madonna and Maluma at the Billboard Music Awards;[135] the number featured four virtual versions of her Madame X alter ego — a secret agent, a musician, a cha-cha instructor and a bride.[136] Elements also present included a garden, rain and bursting blasts of color, provided by augmented reality, marking the first time it was used on American television.[137][138] During the performance, the singers recreated scenes from the song's music video, including Maluma removing a garter from Madonna's thigh;[139] afterwards, the song rose by 261% in streams to 2,200,000, increasing from 596,000.[140] Andrew Unterberger of Billboard ranked it as the second best performance of the night, calling it "memorable" and saying it was "good to see that the pop legend certainly hasn't lost her ability to surprise and delight".[141]

Madonna performing album track "God Control" (left) and single "I Rise" (right) during her set at Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019.

On May 16, it was confirmed that Madonna would perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 finale.[142] The artist was joined by Quavo, and sang "Future" and "Like a Prayer";[143] she wore a black cape and eyepatch, while several dancers in gas masks fell to the ground.[144] Also featured were two dancers with Palestinian and Israeli flags on their backs holding each other.[145] The performance caused controversy, as it was seen as a political statement for the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[146] Eurovision organizers said that that particular part of the number was not an approved part of the act; the European Broadcasting Union released a statement saying Eurovision was a non-political event and that Madonna had been made aware.[144] The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), along with other artists such as Roger Waters and Brian Eno, had previously called for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest in support of Palestine, and even urged Madonna not to perform.[147][148] Madonna said that she was never going to "stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda", to which the PACBI responded; "artwashing Israel’s brutal oppression of Palestinians for a million dollars must be among the most immoral political agendas".[149] Later, the Kan Israel Broadcasting Corporation sued Live Nation over the performance, claiming the singer's representatives had violated the terms of their agreement and "reneged on financial promises".[150][151]

On July 1, 2019, Madonna gave a performance on Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019 at Pier 97, Hudson River Park, New York City, and sang album track "God Control", "I Rise", "Vogue", and "American Life" (2003); she yielded an eye-patch with an X, which was designed in the colors of the rainbow flag, while her background dancers were decked as police officers wielding combat shields.[152] After the performance, fireworks exploded over the venue.[153] She also expressed her gratitude to the LGBT community at the show for supporting her during her career.[152]

Tour

Main article: Madame X Tour

Madonna performing promotional single "Future" on one of the concerts of the Madame X Tour.

Previous to the album's release, the singer had expressed the possibility of going on tour during a backstage interview at the Billboard Music Awards.[154] Madonna had previously shown interest in doing a smaller-scale show during an interview with BBC News.[155] Titled Madame X Tour, it was officially announced by the singer on May 6 through her official Twitter account.[156] It kicked off on September 17, 2019, at New York City's BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, and ended on March 8, 2020, at Paris' Grand Rex.[157][158] It marked the first time Madonna played theaters and small venues since 1985's The Virgin Tour.[159]

The received generally positive reviews from critics, although the lack of the singer's old songs and the inclusion of Madame X album cuts received some criticism.[160][161][162] Controversy arose due to Madonna's late show starts, with a fan going as far as to file a class action lawsuit against her.[163] At the 2020 Billboard year-end boxscore charts, it was reported that the tour had grossed over $36,385,935 from an audience of 124,655.[164] After several cancellations due to a recurring knee injury, the tour ended abruptly three days before its planned final date, after the French government announced a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the midst of the pandemic.[165][158] A Paramount+-original concert film was released on October 8, 2021.[166]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.9/10[167]
Metacritic	70/100[168]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[38]
And It Don't Stop	A−[169]
The Daily Telegraph	[37]
The Guardian	[58]
NME	[61]
Pitchfork	4.8/10[39]
Q	[170]
Rolling Stone	[171]
Slant Magazine	[59]
The Times	[172]

Madame X was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 70, based on 21 reviews.[168] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album 6.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[167] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic commented that Madame X "amply rewards such close listening", complimenting its "daring embrace of the world outside the U.S."[38] Kitty Empire of The Observer hailed it as being a "splendidly bizarre return to form" for Madonna, describing the production as "fluid... but one tempered by Madonna's solid confidence in her own aesthetic decisions".[69] Similarly, Nick Smith of MusicOMH praised the album, calling it "bold, bizarre, brazen and beguiling",[173] while Hot Press's Paul Nolan summarized the album as a "wonderfully accomplished and eclectic effort."[48] Q's writer Victoria Segal stated that "this is Madonna on top of the world, looking down on creation, God complex at cruising altitude."[170]

In his "Consumer Guide" column at And It Don't Stop, Robert Christgau viewed Madame X as an indication that Madonna remains a "colorful" professional who releases solid records, even the songs "about forswearing dope and feeling the oppressed … well-intended ideas executed with the appropriate brio and calm, respectively".[169] Will Hodgkinson of The Times called Madame X "probably her boldest, certainly her strangest, album yet", and "much of the music is downbeat, albeit with orchestras and choirs adding lush expansiveness", resulting in Madonna's most intriguing album in a decade.[172] El Hunt from NME noted that the album brought a glint in Madonna's eye for the first time since Confessions on a Dance Floor, complimenting its "restless" sound as it "doesn't imitate current pop trends as much as it mangles them into new shapes".[61] Similarly, City Pages' Alfred Soto shared a similar sentiment, as he thought it was Madonna's most satisfying work since Confessions on a Dance Floor, as it was "ambitious in its muddle, versatile by design, a product of an incubation both fruitful and debilitating for a pop polymath".[68]

Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani stated that the album's "pervasive" vocal effects have a distancing effect, but affirmed that "even when Madonna falters, at least you know you’re getting the real deal and not some version of a pop icon cooked up in a songwriting lab."[59] The Independent journalist Alexandra Pollard classified Madame X as "a cultural melange that it sometimes verges on collapsing in on itself", noting that at other times "what is thrown at the wall sticks beautifully".[174] Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian called it "her most natural-feeling, progressive and original record" since Confessions on a Dance Floor. However, he also stated that the album was one of her "most bizarre and sprawling, and features some of her worst ever music".[58] Similarly, Jeremy Helligar from Variety noted that Madonna is "passionate and satisfyingly unconcerned with mass consumption" on her best album since Confessions on a Dance Floor, calling it "her most uncompromising musical statement yet", despite some "lyrical missteps".[57] Metro Weekly's Sean Maunier deemed the album's tone as "bleak", as it moves "erratically between styles and genres, sometimes all in the very same song", although it delivers "some of the most strange, outlandish and purely self-indulgent work she has ever produced".[81]

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone described the record as being "admirably bizarre", but remarked that its "strongest songs" were buried beneath "disasters".[171] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph summarized Madame X as being "a mad mishmash of an album" and criticized its lack of cohesiveness, stating that Madonna was "fighting on too many fronts at the same time".[37] Mark Kennedy from the Associated Press called it a "needy, trying-too-hard mess of an album that sounds like Madonna threw up on Madonna".[175] CJ Thorpe-Tracey, writing for The Quietus, noted its "shallow and contrived" sound, and "as Madame X unfolds I'm not charmed; I'm more and more irritated and, later on, just tired".[176] Rich Juzwiak from Pitchfork denounced the album as being "muddled and convoluted", calling it "lyrically inarticulate",[39] while Jonny Coleman from The Hollywood Reporter classified it a "mess" while representing Madonna "trying to meld the sounds of Lisbon, Portugal", containing some of the "stupidest lyrics you're likely to hear this year".[41] The Evening Standard during its retrospective ranking of Madonna's albums describes it as her 'weirdest album...on paper, it sounds like a complete nightmare – and in certain places, to be frank, it is one.'[177]

Bruce Springsteen's (pictured) Western Stars prevented Madame X to debut atop of several charts worldwide.

Madame X debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with 95,000 album-equivalent units. 90,000 of which were pure album sales, while 4,000 were provided by streaming and 1,000 through individual album sales. It became Madonna's ninth number-one album in the United States — her first since MDNA — and her 22nd top 10 album, becoming the second female artist with most entries at number one, behind Barbra Streisand. The album's sales were aided by her tour audience, who had an option to receive the release as part of their ticket purchase, as well as merchandise sold via her official website.[189] The release also saw Madonna topping the Billboard Artist 100 chart for the first time since its launch in 2014, and was the fourth female artist to reach number one in 2019.[190] Madame X dropped out of that chart on its third week, becoming the shortest run for a Madonna studio album on the chart.[191] As of December 2019, the album has sold 169,000 copies in the US according to Alpha Data.[104]

Bruce Springsteen's Western Stars prevented Madame X to debut atop of several charts worldwide. In the United Kingdom, it entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, selling 20,000 copies in its first week, against 45,000 copies sold by Springsteen's album, which topped the chart.[192] It spent a total of five weeks in the chart before dropping off the top 100,[193] and received a silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), selling 62,000 copies in the region.[194][195] The album was more successful with the cassette format in the UK, ranked seventh for the period 2010 to mid 2019.[196] Western Stars also prevented Madame X to reach the summit in other European countries, including Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.[197][198][199][200] In France, it debuted at number four on the official album chart with 15,900 traditional units, while entering the Sales Albums Chart at number three.[201][202] It has sold 29,000 copies in the country as of December 2019.[203] In Germany, Madame X debuted at number five, becoming Madonna's lowest charting studio album since Erotica, which reached the same position.[204]

In Canada, Madame X debuted at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart, behind Billie Eilish's When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. However, Madonna's album had the highest pure album sales for the week.[205] In Australia, Madame X became Madonna's 20th top 10 album in the country, entering at number two behind Springsteen's Western Stars.[206] However, it topped the digital albums and vinyl charts in the country.[207][208] In New Zealand, commercial results were lower, with the album entering at number five.[209] In Japan, Madame X entered the Oricon official charts at number 11, and reached number two on the international charts.[210][211] On the Billboard Japan album charts, the album peaked at number 18.[212] The record topped the albums chart in Argentina,[213] while in Mexico, Madame X debuted at number two, behind María José's Conexión.[214] In Uruguay, the record became the eighth best-selling album in June 2019 according to Cámara Uruguaya de Productores de Fonogramas (CUD).[215] Madame X has sold 500,000 copies worldwide.[216]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} The 15-track deluxe edition was released on digital platforms and as an exclusive CD on Target, Fnac and HMV.[225][226]
• ^{^[c]} The deluxe box set edition includes the deluxe two-CD edition, the 7" vinyl single, and the 13-track cassette.[227]
• ^{^[d]} On the 2-CD edition, Quavo and Swae Lee are credited as featured artists instead of co-lead ones on "Future" and "Crave", respectively.[228]
• ^{^[e]} Kimi Djabaté listed as a featured artist only at digital version of the album, on deluxe 2-CD version he remains uncredited.[222][223]
• "Dark Ballet" contains a sample of "The Nutcracker Suite: Dance of the Reed-Flutes", composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
• "Faz Gostoso" is a cover of a song originally performed by Blaya.

Personnel adapted from the liner notes of Madame X.[229]

• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2019
• List of number-one albums of 2019 (Portugal)
• List of number-one digital albums of 2019 (Australia)

• Madame X on Madonna.com
• Madame X at Discogs (list of releases)
• Madame X playlist on YouTube