Madonna and Lola Leon have been through some ups and downs in their relationship. While the two are often photographed together, spending plenty of family time together, their path hasn't been a linear one. Madonna's new album, "Confessions II," addresses the rift the two had to battle through, with their song "The Test" marking their first collaboration together.
© GC ImagesA friend of Madonna's spoke about the complicated relationship with Page Six. “There have been moments when Madonna and Lola didn’t speak,” they said. “Lola always felt that Madonna had been quite tough on her while growing up, unnecessarily so.”
This is something that Leon has discussed in the past. In a chat with Debi Mazar on Interview Magazine, Leon opened up about the way she and her siblings were raised.
“I think my mom saw all these other kids of famous people, and she was like, ‘My kids are not going to be like this…‘” She said. “My mom is such a control freak, and she has controlled me my whole life. I needed to be completely independent from her as soon as I graduated high school.”
© Stephane Cardinale - CorbisLeon moved out of her mother's house following her high school graduation, with the distance working to restore their dynamic.
In the case of Madonna, the source that spoke to Page Six revealed she “also felt guilty about bringing Lola up in a world of unimaginable fame and about how that had an impact on her life."
“She understands how a child of someone so famous would struggle with their own identity, and she has felt guilty about that,” they continued. “The distance came partly because Lola didn’t want to be seen as a nepo baby.”
Leon approached her mother for the collaboration, something that was moving for Madonna.
“Madonna always felt that Lola didn’t want to be associated with her mother when it came to music, so she was really touched when Lola suggested it,” said the friend. “Madonna and Lola have sometimes struggled to just be, as there is quite a lot of pain there, but they are doing really well thanks to creating this song together.”
© WWD via Getty ImagesLourdes' sweet tribute to her mother
In her most recent Instagram post, Leon celebrated her mother and their bond with a post on Instagram, showing the two in the park when Lourdes was a little girl wearing pants and a pink shirt. She captioned the post with some of the lyrics of their song.
"'The Test' — on Confessions II out July 3. A hand tenderly reaching to me
You are my reason to be
What I want , or look like
What I wear
all the clothes on my back
And what I attract
I trace the line of what you have sewn
Keep my own design
Make it a landscape
Make it alive
I know they tried to put us to the test
I’m not so different time is knocking on my doorstep
You show me your razor sharp laser vision
Real brave will make you feel kind of different."
© Patrick McMullan
