Madonna reveals tension with daughter Lourdes after ‘healing’ relationship

Madonna has hinted at a prior rift in her relationship with her eldest daughter Lourdes Leon, in an interview about her upcoming album.

The Queen of Pop, 67, is mid-promotion for her new album Confessions II, which she has released an accompanying short film for.

In a new, wide-ranging interview about her album inspirations, Madonna hinted that she has had a tense relationship with her 29-year-old daughter, who is listed as a co-writer on one of the tracks.

Speaking to Interview magazine, Madonna said Lourdes approached her about writing the song together ‘as a way to heal our relationship’.

She continued: ‘It was a really important moment, and it solidified the idea that now is the time to make this record.’

The mother-of-six went on to speak about how the album was inspired by the deaths of her brother Christopher Ciccone and her stepmother Joan, adding that she used it as a way to get things ‘off her chest’.

‘All these symbolic things happened,’ she said. ‘My stepmother died, my brother was ill, my brother died, my daughter approached me… You know what I mean?

‘It’s hard for me to write a song about nothing. I have to tell a story. So I wrote about a lot of family trauma, and then we started making dance music.’

Lourdes also featured in Madonna’s music video for her track Danceteria, which also included Sabrina Carpenter and Benedict Cumberbatch, of all people.

The pair have touched on their issues in past interviews, with Lourdes describing her mother as a ‘control freak’ in another chat with Interview magazine.

‘We don’t get any handouts in my family. Obviously, I grew up with extreme privilege. There’s no denying that,’ she said in a conversation with actor Debi Mazar in 2021.

‘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”.

‘Also, I feel like if your parents pay for things, then it gives them leverage over you. 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.’

The Holiday hitmaker welcomed Lourdes with her ex-partner, fitness instructor Carlos Leon, in 1996. She went on to give birth to and adopt five more children, including Rocco Ritchie who she shares with director Guy Ritchie.

Metro contacted Lourdes Leon’s representative for comment.