Singer, actress, entrepreneur, icon.
Madonna Louise Ciccone - known as Madonna - has been entertaining the world for over 30 years.
On Thursday the superstar turned 60, and people have been paying tribute to her and (arguably) picking their favourite songs.
Born in Michigan on August 16th 1958, she moved to New York in 1977 where she studied dance and worked as a model.
She recorded demos which found their way to Sire Records boss Seymour Stein.
She released her first, self-titled album in 1983. The rest, as they say, is history.
In case someone forgot! ??????????????????????#birthday #magic #Marakesh pic.twitter.com/B0x2qaztAG
— Madonna (@Madonna) August 16, 2018
Madonna has scored an incredible 71 Top 40 singles in the UK. Of those, 63 hits went Top 10.
From Like A Virgin in December 1984 to Secret in August 1994, Madonna logged a run of 36 consecutive Top 10 hits - no artist has bettered that since.
Take a Bow broke the run in December 1994.
She had another run of 17 consecutive Top 10s from You Must Love Me in February 1996 until Me Against The Music in November 2003.
Madonna attends the Costume Institute Benefit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in May 2018 Hahn Lionel/ABACA/ABACA/PA Images
Her singles have spent 516 weeks in the UK Top 40 since her first hit in 1984 - that is nearly 10 years.
She has 13 number 1s, 12 number 2s, nine number 3s, five number 4s, seven number 5s, four number 6s, seven number 7s, one number 8, two number 9s, and three number 10s.
YouTube has shared the videos that are most in vogue on her channel - as the superstar has earned more than 570 million views on the site in the past 12 months alone.
Top of the list is Vogue, with over 84 million views.
This is followed by Give Me All Your Luvin', Papa Don't Preach, Like a Virgin, Live to Tell, Celebration, La Isla Bonita, Girl Gone Wild, 4 Minutes and Open Your Heart.
Tributes are being paid to the Queen of Pop on her milestone birthday:
Happy birthday to Lady @Madonna!!! I’m 14 years old, dancing and singing in my bedroom and she was just WOW!!! What a force and an inspiration. Enjoy your day Madonna!!! ??????
— Kylie Minogue (@kylieminogue) August 16, 2018
#JoyeuxAnniversaire to my long time friend, my everlasting muse and our Queen of Pop @madonna <3 pic.twitter.com/dqKMv4AEO3
— Jean Paul Gaultier (@JPGaultier) August 16, 2018
I wouldn't be who I am without @Madonna - Happy Birthday, Queen.
— Darren Hayes (@darrenhayes) August 16, 2018
Today is Madonna's 60th Birthday, Lets celebrate!
What's your favourite Madonna song?https://t.co/7OwqQf9at7 pic.twitter.com/qcEMHFWEWL— Warner Music Ireland (@Warnermusicirl) August 16, 2018
Happy birthday to @Madonna, who turns 60 today. https://t.co/zsfh3mEORf
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) August 16, 2018
Her 2016 'Rebel Heart' tour solidified her status as one of the biggest touring acts of all time.
Madonna sold more than one million tickets and walked away with US$170m (€154.6m).
Billboard say that makes her the highest grossing solo touring artist in Billboard Boxscore history, with US$1.31bn (€1.19bn) in total concert grosses.
Madonna performing in 1990 at Wembley Stadium, London | Image: PA/PA Wire/PA Images
In addition to being the first female pop star with true control of her career and image, Madonna is the best-selling female recording artist of all time.
People on Twitter have been singling out their top five favourite Madonna songs:
I’m currently locked in the basement/bin store of my flats so here’s mine currently:
1 Papa Don’t Preach
2 Borderline
3 The Power of Goodbye
4 Express Yourself
5 Crazy For You— Joe (@JoePassmore) August 15, 2018
Okay @jqbilbao this may be the most difficult thing I've done all year and I'm still not sure I'm happy...
1. Like a Prayer
2. Vogue
3. Ray of light
4. Don't tell me
5. Papa don't preach#Madonna60— Nicole Gernon (@nicole_gernon) August 16, 2018
1. Like A Virgin
2. Ray of Light
3. Get Into the Groove
4. Borderline
5. Like A Prayer— YOUNG MT (@MXTracy66) August 15, 2018
1. Vogue
2. Hung Up
3. Open Your Heart
4. Like a Prayer
5. Express Yourself— P. C. Anderson (@thepanderson) August 15, 2018
1. Secret
2. Frozen
3. Don't Tell Me
4. Power Of Goodbye
5. Like A Prayer#Madonna60https://t.co/bsQ073OqH0— Aideen Finnegan (@AideenFinnegan) August 16, 2018
1. Power of Goodbye
2. Like a Prayer
3. Sorry
4. You'll See
5. Oh Father(This list was very hard to decide on, just so you know!)#Madonna60 https://t.co/VFoazYz3CM
— Jack Quann (@jqbilbao) August 16, 2018
Not forgetting her ever-evolving image, portrayed perfectly in this BBC gif:
Happy birthday @Madonna – 60 years of style 🎉🕶 pic.twitter.com/WBcFvjNdWQ
— BBC Four (@BBCFOUR) August 16, 2018
Speaking during a speech to receive the Woman of The Year award from Billboard in 2016, Madonna recalled her early career - including harrowing events in New York.
"When I first moved to New York I was a teenager, it was 1979 and New York was a very scary place.
"In the first year I was held at gunpoint, raped on a rooftop with a knife digging into my throat and I had my apartment broken into and robbed so many times I just stopped locking the door.
"In the years to follow, I lost almost every friend I had to AIDS, or drugs or gunshot.
"As you can imagine, all these unexpected events not only helped me become the daring woman that stands before you - but it also reminded me that I am vulnerable and in life, there is no real safety except self-belief".
She added: "I was of course inspired by Debbie Harry and Chrissie Hynde and Aretha Franklin - but my real muse was David Bowie.
"He embodied male and female spirit and that suited me just fine.
"He made me think there were no rules, but I was wrong. There are no rules - if you're a boy.
"If you're a girl, you have to play the game. What is that game?
"You are allowed to be pretty and cute and sexy. But don't act too smart - don't have an opinion, don't have an opinion that is out of line with the status quo, at least.
"You are allowed to be objectified by men and dress like a slut, but don't own your sluttiness.
"And do not, I repeat do not, share your own sexual fantasies with the world.
"Be what men want you to be, but more importantly be what women feel comfortable with you being around other men.
"And finally, do not age, because to age is a sin. You will be criticised, you will be vilified and you will definitely not be played on the radio."
But she lamented: "People say that I'm so controversial - but I think the most controversial thing I have ever done, is to stick around".
