Madonna Levitates on Cover of ‘Italian Vogue,’ Talks Higher Consciousness Unleashed By Dancing: ‘Not Just Some Stupid Mindless Thing’

Just days before her eagerly anticipated Confessions II album drops, Madonna graces the cover of Italian Vogue, where the pop supernova, who has made the dance floor her weapon of choice for nearly half a century, talked to the magazine about the spiritual nature of body moving.

“In this record I speak a lot about consciousness, about freedom,” she said of the spiritual sequel to her 2005 Confessions on a Dance Floor LP, a club-rooted collection that was a lauded return to her dance music roots. “Dancing is not just some stupid mindless thing, but it allows people to be part of a community and connect to others. Dance floors are a ritualistic space where you are free in your body and mind, you let go of anxiety and hopefully it elevates you to a higher level of consciousness.”

The tireless pop wonder — whose chronological age is 67 — began her life of dance in the 1970s studying modern dance and ballet and the University of Michigan before training with such dance legends as Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey. And given the big beat vibes fans have flocked to in the songs released from the album so far, it’s clear dance remains one of her foundational pillars. “I dance a lot, whether it’s for my work or in my kitchen after dinner or with my children,” she told the magazine. “Dancing created a trajectory for me to escape what I considered to be a very prosaic life in the Midwest and gave me a reason to go to New York and pursue my dreams.”

Confessions II, due out on Friday (July 3), is also a return to work with producer Stuart Price, who helped turn both collections into thematically shaped, uninterrupted mixes. She said after the original album she sought out other collaborators, but returned to working with Price on her latest after he served as the musical director of her acclaimed 2023-2024 Celebration tour.

“We remembered how much we loved working with each other, how aligned we are not only sonically but also intellectually and emotionally,” she said of their special relationship. “At first we didn’t really know if we wanted to make another Confessions, but in the studio we instantly reconnected almost telepathically and we just went on. When I decided to move to London where he lives, that was the sign I wanted to go all the way.”

Vogue stressed that the album is “less nostalgic” than fans might expect, reaching back to Madonna’s dance roots via house and electronic arrangements, but also “firmly rooted in the present, taking the form of an urgent meditation.”

Though it takes its cues from the modern world, one thing Madonna is not a fan of is measuring success via social media numbers or using artificial intelligence to make art. “Once you were around painters and musicians and dancers and artists in one place and working from a very pure place for each other. I value that experience a lot. Nowadays you don’t do that anymore,” she said of how the pooling of artistic talents have changed over the course of her career.

“Now to have a record deal you think about how many followers you have. That’s why in ‘Bring Your Love’ I say ‘Don’t try to distract me with numbers,'” she explained of the lead single from the album, a duet with Sabrina Carpenter. “For me it started not thinking about the charts, the streaming numbers. Algorithms and artificial intelligence are the opposite of taking risks and to me that is the opposite of making art.”

Check out pictures from Madonna’s Vogue Italia cover here.