base talk did Madonna outlast all her peers?

[Blackout2006]

In the explosive pop scene of the 1980s, MTV, the Sony Walkman, and the growing fan fellowship of music celebrities made pop acts into pop stars whose personas were so enamouring and attractive. Many such artists, such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Cyndi Lauper, and George Michael, came out at this time and changed the pop landscape but the 1990s proved to be a more unstable decade for them.

MJ remained a cherished icon but he was embroiled in multiple scandals and controversies that marred the flawless name he held at the peak of his career (Thriller). Prince retreated from the mainstream and had lots of label struggles. After 1991, none of his releases made a strong foothold in pop culture like Purple Rain or Batman.

After her second album, Cyndi Lauper also had no interest in keeping her name under the limelight, going on to pave her path of following her artistry over the charts. George Michael enjoyed lots of success in the late 1990s but also became very controversial at this time, and his record label disputes put a harsh halt to his commercial power in the late 1980s. 

After the 1990s, these artists dipped into preserving their legacies and did make music but they did not dominate the youth's interest.

Like her peers, the 1990s was also a walk of hot coal Madonna had to walk through but she came out of the decade with her biggest album since 1989, which was Ray of Light. The album revitalized her image in front of the media, and 'Frozen' ingrained her artistry into the legacy of her career as the Queen of Pop. She shattered all jokes of her being a washed-up pop star, with the album selling over 17 million copies WW and earning her three Grammy awards, putting her only behind HIStory by Michael Jackson as the best-selling album amongst her peers in the latter portion of the decade (1995-2000). However, the reign of her comeback would not end. At the turn of the millennium, she released her album Music which housed the massive title track hit, which went #1 in 25 countries and was one of the biggest hits that year. Don't Tell Me was released as a follow-up success and did not fail to smash, making Madonna tie with the Beatles for the most number of top ten hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself was a massive commercial success, selling over 4 million copies WW in its first 10 days. She was doing this 20 years into her career btw. American Life may have been a dip in success but she immediately returned with Confessions on a Dancefloor which does not need any explanation, it parents 'Hung Up', which is one of her biggest hits of all time, let alone the 2000s. 28 years later, she'd embark on the highest-grossing female tour of all time, and bag another hit with 4 Minutes.

 

While the 2010s were a bit harsh on her sales, her 2011 album opened with sales that paralleled the contemporary artists of that period, and her Superbowl kept her name in discussions. Fast forward 14 years later, she collaborated with Playboi Carti and The Weeknd, two of some of Gen Z's biggest artists on the song 'Popular' which became yet another massive hit for her.  

My point is while her peers may have enjoyed commercial success after the 1980s, it wasn't to the extent of being neck to neck with the young artists who were joining the music scene every year (except MJ). Meanwhile, Madonna was still considered "competition" for all the new artists coming out in the late 90s and early 00s such as Britney Spears, who was the top popstar of the period even if she debuted one or two generations apart. 43 years later, she earned herself yet another hit, and her concert in Brazil amassed over 1.6 million attendees

Can it be concluded that she truly outlasted all of her peers? DISCUSS

 

Edited September 15 by Blackout2006

[CherryBay]

Still too long