the diva
What evidence supports the reputations of Madonna and Maria Callas as divas? How might these reputations be compared and contrasted? Please support your answer by referring to their performances, as provided in the module materials.
BothMadonna and Maria Callas have been labelled with the term ‘diva’. However, Madonna’s early life did not match this title. As the third of six children, Madonna scarcely stood out but perhaps this fuelled her drive to be noticed. Tragically, she lost her mother to breast cancer at the tender age of five, which may have prompted her to seek the attention that she did not receive from a mother figure in her career. Following her mother’s death, Madonna’s father married his housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, and together, they gave her a very strict catholic upbringing. This must also have pushed her to disentangle herself from rules, regulations and accepted conventions, prompting the emergence of her ‘diva’ persona.
In terms of talent, Madonna developed her flair for dancing by attending the university of Michigan on a dance scholarship for two years but she soon abandoned this pursuit and moved to New York to begin her career. Ironically, her success lay more in reinventing herself every decade, while her diva status was propelled by the growing American pop culture, music industry and controversy that surrounded these and her. Madonna influenced public perception of her by incorporating sexual appeal in her music videos, which attracted criticism and disapproval.
Madonna’s video for ‘Like a Prayer’ attracted public scrutiny as images of her performing in a field of burning crosses and being intimate with a black saint were deemed irreverent by critics, parents and religious organisations. It also impacted on her career as it resulted in Pepsi’s cancellation of her $5 million contract. Far from harming her career, this was one way in which Madonna manipulated the media in order to market herself as a ‘brand’ of diva,
BothMadonna and Maria Callas have been labelled with the term ‘diva’. However, Madonna’s early life did not match this title. As the third of six children, Madonna scarcely stood out but perhaps this fuelled her drive to be noticed. Tragically, she lost her mother to breast cancer at the tender age of five, which may have prompted her to seek the attention that she did not receive from a mother figure in her career. Following her mother’s death, Madonna’s father married his housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, and together, they gave her a very strict catholic upbringing. This must also have pushed her to disentangle herself from rules, regulations and accepted conventions, prompting the emergence of her ‘diva’ persona.
In terms of talent, Madonna developed her flair for dancing by attending the university of Michigan on a dance scholarship for two years but she soon abandoned this pursuit and moved to New York to begin her career. Ironically, her success lay more in reinventing herself every decade, while her diva status was propelled by the growing American pop culture, music industry and controversy that surrounded these and her. Madonna influenced public perception of her by incorporating sexual appeal in her music videos, which attracted criticism and disapproval.
Madonna’s video for ‘Like a Prayer’ attracted public scrutiny as images of her performing in a field of burning crosses and being intimate with a black saint were deemed irreverent by critics, parents and religious organisations. It also impacted on her career as it resulted in Pepsi’s cancellation of her $5 million contract. Far from harming her career, this was one way in which Madonna manipulated the media in order to market herself as a ‘brand’ of diva,