Medellín, Madonna’s first single in four years
Table of Contents
At last! Madonna’s single is out and about and last night we all enjoyed Madame X’s new video too.
I was writing a comment in the video on Madonna’s YouTube Channel but in the end it got too long and I decided to write a post. A very short post about
Madonna and Maluma’s new single
Madonna’s first single in 4 years has had mixed reviews.
For starters, it looks like for some of the Spanish speaking community, aligning precisely with Maluma hasn’t been a good move.
Maluma has been labelled a misogynist and machista due to the lyrics of his songs. He has even been boycotted in Spain and there are dozens of articles in digital media about the subject.
I come from Spain and I’m a woman. I have listened to some outrageous lyrics of Maluma’s reguetón lyrics and yes, they can be branded as machismo. However, perhaps he’s only playing a role and reflecting the society as it is. Or, on the other hand, perhaps he should not go down this road which, rather than merely reflect society, what it does is encourage misogyny and inequality.
Perhaps Maluma has changed since last year? I don’t know. What I do know is that he seems to have learned from the criticism. His latest single, called HP, and previous to Medellín with Madonna, has been labeled “a feminist hit”.
There’s an article in La Vanguardia which asks “Is ‘HP’ Maluma’s feminist song?“. If you Google “maluma HP machismo” in Spain, there are tons of articles about Maluma having tried to wash his image with his latest single. Perhaps it was kind of a requirement before collaborating with Madonna. Who knows.
I don’t like passing judgement without having a whole lot of information, which is the case. So I’ll leave the arbitrage to the experts. And certainly I won’t criticise Madonna’s call. Not because I am biased, but because she’s smart enough to make good decisions. Therefore, since I believe that artists have an enourmous responsibility as role models and change agents, but I also believe in freedom of expression, I don’t think I am in a position to neither condemn nor praise Madonna’s judgement regarding this collaboration.
I admire Madonna precisely for the power and influence she has – and always had -, as an agent of change. She took this role seriously when she realised the power an artist possesses to improve society and politics. Therefore I’m inclined to think that Madonna hasn’t done this without careful consideration. Madonna no da puntada sin hilo.
Medellín, the single itself
Regarding the song itself, certainly I was a little disappointed when I first listened to it but it does grow on you. It must be taken into account that I loathe reguetón as a genre and Medellín has a strong influence from it. So it’s no wonder that I didn’t at first quite get into it.
Madonna’s video: awesome
The photography and making of Madonna’s first video in 4 years is exquisite. I love the colours and the movement. But the intro…
The intro is remarkable! Which, coming from Madonna, isn’t a surprise.
Going back (again) to the roots of Catholicism, the video starts with Madonna on her knees, rosary in hand, proclaiming her reasons to become Madame X in a monologue / dialogue with God. “I still believe in the good nature of humans”, she prays, to end the monologue saying that Madame X is a dancer “because you cannot hit a moving target”. Brilliant start.
Now, I think that what you should do is:
- One, two, cha cha chá,
- Watch again
- Bless yourself and genuflect