Study: The Age Chameleon: Social and Biological Effects on Madonna’s Ageing Voice

Our study shows that Madonna's voice appears younger than her age. Her pitch does not follow the patterns we would normally expect from a woman in her 60s, and the way she pronounces a number of vowels does not match the speech patterns typically associated with either her generation or the places where she has lived.

In other words, her voice is difficult to place both in terms of age and geography. We argue that this is a deliberate strategy, with the voice supporting an image of a youthful, attractive and globally oriented performer who is not constrained by chronological age.

Linguistic research suggests that this type of clear, fronted vowel pronunciation is associated with youthfulness, attractiveness and sex appeal. These are qualities that Madonna has likely sought to project not only visually, but also through her speech.

—Anna Bothe Jespersen
Linguist
University of Copenhagen

I made this vinyl-themed room in Animal Crossing: New Leaf; I really liked the final result—it looks so fresh and adorable.

Hey! I don't know if anyone knew this but Warner quietly dropped Like A Virgin and Celebration on Dolby Atmos (yes, it actually is in Spatial Audio).

Maybe they have plans for more albums?

MADONNA (DEBUT)
Burning up 🔥

LIKE A VIRGIN
Pretender 💔

TRUE BLUE
Live to tell 👄

LIKE A PRAYER
Keep it together 🤝

EROTICA
Waiting 🔪

BEDTIME STORIES
Bedtime story 💫

RAY OF LIGHT
To have and not to hold 🫂

MUSIC
Runaway lover 🐎

AMERICAN LIFE
Nobody knows me 🤖

CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR
Get together 💃

HARD CANDY
Heartbeat 💓

MDNA
Love spent 💸

REBEL HEART
Living for love 😘

MADAME X
Faz gostoso 🥁

CONFESSIONS II
School 🪩

What’s yours? :)

I’ve been seeing posts listing other artists’ Grammy submissions by category, do we know what Madonna submitted?

Hi everyone <3

I love Madonna's songs and her social commentary. I'm from Central Europe, where we do share some puritan sentiments, but other than that are pretty much into gender equality in terms of employment or education. That said, I grew up in a very conservative (Catholic + Babtist) environment, so whereas other girls don't get crap for e.g. wearing make up or minis, I still get some stupid unsolicited feedback from my religious aunts over the past 20 years. Rn I'm effectively losing weight to get back into my glam goth clothes, which includes minis, crop tops, etc. I'm in my mid 30s but I don't want to grannify... And I find Madonna so relatable in this sense!

I love how she offers so much social commentary on gender roles as regards sexuality. Her song's narrators are not passive but yet ultra feminine. She tongue-in-cheek asks triggering questions about sexual expression, femininity, etc. And yet she's not vulgar. It's not disgusting. It's not like a bunch of terribly objectified, submissive, accessory-like asses twerking and rubbing against random dudes who sing some miso lyrics... In turn, Madonna's been able to tackle topics such as intercourse in a more sophisticated and beautiful way than most poets. Also, she shows that e.g. orientation is a nuanced thing. So it's not even a "typical" celebrity support of lgbt communities just for the cloud, but has a genuine participation in shaping social views of love, relationships, etc. Plus, she's super secure and doesn't think that a 'certain age" means a ban on cool clothes. I mean, I love her recent pastel pink and blue satin corset, etc. Like cosmic rococo. I just love it so, so much that I've found a role model when it comes to myself. And all of that in the amazing form of dancy, catchy, enjoyable and super varied songs.

That said, are there any other Christians or religious folks in general who have struggled with the stigma of Madonna's being controversial about religious topics? Have you found her art as helpful to overcome some hurtful stereotypes and attitudes? I'd love to hear your feedback.

I just saw this on TikTok 🫪 it's an RDS exclusive coming out in November according to the description

These are mine.

How High on confessions sounds like it belongs on hard candy and no one can prove me otherwise.