Madonna

She’s the rule breaker and scandal-maker who transcended from pop star to cultural icon. And after turning 60 last month, Madonna shows no sign of suppressing her rebellious side.

New York was gripped by one of those balmy spring afternoons that teased summer’s imminent arrival. But inside the stuffy offices of 75 Rockefeller Plaza, nobody noticed the weather. Instead, the small room in Sire Records twitched as journalists grew impatient waiting for the bleached blonde to open her pouty scarlet lips.

“People don’t know how good I am yet,” announced the self-assured 25-year-old, who was introduced as Madonna. “But they will soon. In a couple of years, everyone will know. Actually, I plan on being one of this century’s biggest stars.”

It was 1983 and Madonna was about to prove that there was substance behind such tremendous claims. In less than a year, with the release of her third single, “Holiday”, she would be well on the way to superstardom. It was a golden path that saw her shift 300 million albums, win 295 awards and amass an incredible $560 million fortune – and become the biggest-selling female recording artist of all time.

And it would soon entitle the recently signed female artist hailing from Bay City, Michigan, to a level of fame and celebrity that could justify the diva behaviour she owned in that small, stuffy press conference.

Born Madonna Louise Ciccone on August 16, 1958, she was the third of six children to Chrysler engineer Tony Ciccone and his wife, Madonna Fortin. It was a busy household fuelled by the fire that blows naturally from those with Italian descent. She often described her home life, with three brothers and two sisters all fighting for their parents’ attention, as “chaotic”.