Madonna is undeniably one of the most successful pop artists of the modern era.
And undoubtedly one of the most interesting.
And influential.
And, I think, she - the Queen of Pop no less - represents wonderful value for collectors.
She's been so shape-shifting that it's hard to call a Madonna item typical, but this signed basque certainly sums up her style.
How stars become collectible
Why do I think Madonna is undervalued?
I think Madonna is undervalued because she’s a long-lived artist who we take for granted and she’s in a part of the industry where youth is valued over experience.
But her life and career have every ingredient for her to become a fixture in collections for generations to come.
Anyone looking back at the pop culture of the 1980s to the 2000s (and trying to build a collection around it) will need to feature Madonna.
Everything about her screams collectible:
She’s had a very respectable Hollywood acting career.
Her personal life has attracted press attention throughout her career, and includes marriages to a Hollywood star and a major movie director.
She’s often been controversial and challenging.
Her core fan base, which includes a massive LGBTQ following, is super dedicated.
Her work has been ground breaking, bringing new sounds like hyper pop and ambient dance into mainstream songs.
In fashion, dance, video making, and image creating she’s been ahead of the game.
She’s fascinating. Just a quick skim of her bio brings up contradiction after contradiction - the rebellious straight A student from a strongly Catholic background who made a habit of sexually frank shock tactics.
“I used to spend all my time trying to be noticed. Now I spend all my time hiding” she told an early band mate.
Perfect!
Here are five facts about Madonna that I think underline this huge influence:
1. Madonna really had to work for success
Madonna’s “career” really starts when she dropped out of college in 1978 and went to New York City. She did it to “make it”.
We know she did. But, her first album wasn’t released until a long, hard five years later.
It was very tough. She was raped. Robbed.
And she had to work hard, mostly as backup to other artists.
Madonna really fought to get where she wanted to be and worked hard at her craft, dancing with legendary choreographer Martha Graham, playing in a number of bands.
If anyone things “overnight” success is overnight or that pop singers don’t pay their dues they’re very mistaken in this case.
Madonna's hand-written lyrics for an unreleased song. Her artistry is underrated, crafting great pop songs doesn't come easily.
Madonna’s drive and battle make her a personal icon for many of her fans. Personal struggle makes us identify with our heroes. And fame mattered to her, so she never threw it away or took her fans for granted.
2. Madonna had five number ones from a single album
We don’t live in the world of charts and singles and Top of the Pops anymore, but Madonna ruled the roost when we did.
Her five singles from her third album, True Blue, all went to number one in the UK or US.
Live to Tell, Papa Don’t Preach, True Blue, Open Your Heart, La Isla Bonita all topped the charts.
She’s a genuinely substantial popular artist. A master of her art - the pop single - to match any name from the Beatles to Taylor Swift.
3. And she was a global superstar
The album itself confirmed Madonna as the world’s biggest artist.
It was number 1 in 28 countries.
No-one had ever done that before.
For a long time, True Blue was the biggest selling album every recorded by a women.
All of those teen fans made special memories around that music. As we grow up we want to recreate those moments, and those with the cash to do so can with rare collectibles.
The collectibles market is expanding globally, so global stars from the West are being collected in new territories like China, India and Africa.
4. The Pope told people not to go to her shows
My mother still tells me off, though I’m far too old for it.
When Madonna was “bad” publicly, the Pope weighed in!
Madonna is herself from a Catholic family and it obviously had an effect. She’s used Catholic-influenced imagery throughout her career. And when she does it in tandem with highly sexual content it causes a fuss.
You can call this clever marketing if you like, but the Pope really did tell the world’s Catholics not to go to her shows. “”One of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity" he said.
I guarantee you that many Madonna fans could instantly date and place this vest to the 2003 ad and record cover it was worn on.
There were some protests in Italy, but a threat to arrest her came to nothing in the end.
Madonna herself said: “I know that I'm not the best singer and I know that I'm not the best dancer. But, I can f*****g push people's buttons and be as provocative as I want. This tour's goal is to break useless taboos."
She’s always been a news story and always will be. Few artists explode outside of the pop bubble to become real cultural touchstones.
5. She’s still in the news now
A lot of modern comment about Madonna is frankly sexist and misogynist.
But people are still talking about her.
Her brother died recently, and that sent the paparazzi after her.
Her children are now starting to become public figures - she was pictured at her daughter Lourdes' art show last week.
Even an instagram post - topless of course - is enough to get a newspaper headline or two.
Who's her boyfriend? People want to know, and acres of print are devoted to discussing him, his age, how Madonna looks and behaves and on and on and on.
Madonna still knows how to f*****g push people’s buttons and interest in her life and work will never go away.
What a thrill for a true fan to own costumes their idol wore in triumphs like the Blonde Ambition Tour.
Buy incredible Madonna collectibles now
Madonna is an inspiring star in my view.
And I think buying Madonna is a long-term banker.
She’s not a cutting edge artist any more.
But she’s got an army of fans who will never forget her and who will pass on their love of her music to their kids.
She won’t just be in the pop history books she’ll be in the history books.
You can see our Madonna collection here. All guaranteed authentic, and ready to be shipped to you securely and for free.
