How Madonna Went from Being an Aspiring Dancer To an $800 Million Fortune

In 1978, Madonna moved to New York City as an aspiring dancer, from Detroit, Michigan where she was born and raised. The move was actually to pursue a career in modern dance.

Creator: Gregg DeGuire | Copyright: 2013 Gregg DeGuire

But Fate had ordained a different future and a few years after moving to the Big Apple, she signed with Sire Records as a singer and the rest, is history. Today, Madonna is a global superstar and is known as the Queen of Pop. All hail Madonna, the Queen of Pop.

PUTTING IN THE HOURS

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Prior to joining Sire in 1982, Madonna performed as a vocalist, drummer and guitarist in two rock bands- Emmy and Breakfast Club. After moving, Madonna put in hard work, and her success never came on a silver platter. Her debut single ‘Everybody’ attracted Sire Records president, Seymour Stein’s attention and the 1983 debut album,  introduced Madonna to the world as a fashionable, energetic, and raw talent. Audiences identified with her persona and Madonna was number eight on the Billboard 200. The album was among the top ten across the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Sweden and France, and sold ten million copies. Suddenly, Madonna’s music sold like hot cakes, not because of her singing talent, but fans were enchanted by her dance moves, her sense of fashion, her attitude and entire persona, so very iconic for that era. Due to her enterprising and hardworking nature, Madonna soon released her second album in November 1984 which became an instant global hit, out-selling her debut album, becoming number one on the charts. In 1984, she also performed at the pioneer MTV Video Music Awards, an iconic performance that is remembered by fans, to this day. It was evidently her time to shine and shine brightly she did. Everything that she touched turned to gold. She became an enigma and her style soon became the most popular fashion trends of the 1980’s, as girls emulated dressing like the hottest pop stars.

BUILDING ON HER SUCCESS

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After she was firmly established as a force in the music industry, Madonna produced musical hit after hit, all embellished with signature moves that are remembered even today. She ventured into film becoming much more popular with roles in movies such as Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996). Madonna has turned 60 this year but her popularity hasn’t aged. How did all this work out for her? Madonna burst onto the music scenario at just the right time. Her dance moves coupled with her innate beauty enabled her to dominate the new music scene, video cable channels, and MTV. She has never shied away from challenges and commands her stage. Madonna wrote her songs, singing catchy tunes and invested heavily on taping videos. As she sensed an opportunity to rise to global stardom, she took it by the horns. As she grew with the industry, she became a savvy entrepreneur and was among the earliest singers to invest in business ventures to supplement income from her music career. Recently, she launched her Truth or Dare perfume line, a venture which raked in $60 million. Today, Madonna is worth $800 million, and before long,  she is expected to join the select billionaire list.