Madonna and Lourdes Leon found that letting music do the talking. The mother-daughter duo teamed up on “The Test,” a deeply personal track from Madonna’s latest album, Confessions II, and they recently opened up about what the collaboration meant to them.
© Stephane Cardinale - CorbisDuring a conversation with Bob the Drag Queen for iHeartRadio LIVE, Madonna and Lourdes explained how they turned their complicated relationship into an artistic conversation about love, tension, and everything that can go unspoken between a mother and daughter.
The 29-year-old explained that it was actually her idea to create something with her mom that could express emotions they don't always put into words.
“I think that between a mother and a daughter in a relationship ... there are a lot of things that are unspoken," she said.
© Getty“There’s a lot of love that is unspoken, but also a lot of tension and emotions that are difficult to put into words,” the artist continued.
For Loudes, art has always been one of the places where she and Madonna can meet in the middle. “A way that I thought would be easier for us to speak about these things would be maybe through art, which is always something that my mom and I have connected over,” she said.
That creative connection made the recording process emotional for both of them.
© WWDMadonna admitted that there were moments in the studio when she became overwhelmed by what they were creating together. "There were moments in the writing process when we were in the studio I felt like crying, where I felt like hugging her,” the pop icon said. Lourdes quickly chimed in: “I cried!”
Madonna went on to explain why the experience meant so much to her.
“Because, as she says ... we don’t always agree on things, but we love creativity, and art has always connected us,” she said. “It was a very magical moment, and we both had to be vulnerable.”
© GettyLourdes has spent much of her life navigating the attention that comes with being Madonna's daughter, while also establishing an identity of her own as a model and musician.
And while most singers would do anything to collaborate with Maddona, Lourdes has been cautious about working with her.
During a June interview with Graham Norton for BBC Radio 1, Madonna revealed that Lourdes had previously been hesitant to collaborate with her because she didn't want people to think she was using her mother's fame or industry connections.
“She’s been very reticent to work with me. She doesn’t want to be perceived as my daughter taking advantage of her privilege,” Madonna said. The singer added that she was “so happy” when Lourdes ultimately approached her with the idea.
© Madonna/InstagramFor Lourdes, however, asking her mother to make music together wasn't quite as intimidating as one might expect.
When Bob the Drag Queen asked whether she had to build up the courage to approach Madonna, Lourdes admitted that while her mother can be intimidating, being raised by her gave her an advantage.
“Maybe this is gonna sound stupid, but she’s a very intimidating person, and I have found that I’m not intimidated by many people as a result of her being my mom,” she said.
She described asking Madonna to collaborate as an “easy” decision. Madonna agreed. “Kind of a no-brainer,” she said.
