When faced with family feuds, some families sweep it under the rug. Others go to therapy. Madonna’s family, however, work it out on the remix—and now, daughter Lourdes Leon has opened up on the recording process of her collaboration with the pop icon.
The 29-year-old singer recently featured on Madonna’s album last July, Confessions II, where they collaborated on the track “The Test”. The song explores the pair’s relationship, where Madonna sings about putting eldest daughter Leon “on a pedestal”, and Leon responding: “I know they tried to put us to the test / I’m not the same when I’m hanging on your coattail.”
In an interview with iHeartRadio broadcast yesterday (September 24), Leon told host Bob The Drag Queen that the song was “my idea”, explaining: “There’s a lot of love that is unspoken, but also a lot of tension and emotions that are difficult to put into words. 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.”
Madonna, who shares Leon with her ex Carlos, professed that it was a “very emotional” writing process. “There were moments in the writing process when we were in the studio I felt like crying, where I felt like hugging her,” she went on to say, with Lourdes admitting: “I cried!”
The “Vogue” hitmaker continued to say that the pair “don’t always agree on things”, but share a love for creativity. “Art has always connected us,” she said. “It was a very magical moment, and we both had to be vulnerable.”
She added that the collaboration was a “no-brainer” for the pair to record.
We reviewed Madonna’s latest effort when it dropped, giving it a B- rating.
Writer Sam Rosenberg said of the record: “Confessions II doesn’t necessarily break any new ground, but it doesn’t need to, especially when its creator already did a good chunk of the digging over twenty years ago. In sticking to a simple formula, Madonna brings her longtime passion for dance music front and center, confronting the anxieties around intimacy that dictate our cultural moment with a galvanizing reminder that partying, movement, and community can provide a temporary yet crucial antidote to those problems.”
Since the release of Confessions II, Madonna teamed up with Charli XCX for a remix of “Danceteria”. Following on from Madonna’s reminiscing on her early days dancing at the legendary New York nightclub, Charli recounts her own experiences performing at raves aged “sweet 15 in a weird outfit”.
In the song, Charli also looks back on performing with A.G. Cook and the late pop legend SOPHIE in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Madonna has been announced as the 2026 VMAs opener for the first time in 23 years.
The Queen of Pop also leads the VMA nominations with 11 nods in categories such as Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year—which, hopefully, will add to Madge’s pre-existing collection of nineteen VMA trophies.
The ceremony will be hosted by Snoop Dogg, and will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27 at 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT on CBS, simulcast on MTV, and stream on Paramount+ (Premium). The 2026 VMAs will also be available globally on September 28 via Paramount+ and MTV.