Madonna's infamous voice and style of singing, beautiful and immediately recognizable face, and trendy but often controversial clothing has been the model for many girls and women for the last twenty five years, and there are few to none who have not either heard some of her music or at the least heard of the pop superstar. She has sold millions of records and concert tickets, and made more money by far than many other popular singers of her genre.

At this time, she has released 10 studio albums, 11 compilation albums, 4 soundtracks, and 2 live albums. Additionally, she has starred or co-starred in several movies, made at least a cameo appearance in many more, released dozens of popular music videos, and, perhaps, stirred up enough controversy to last many lifetimes. From her racy and often explicit songs and music videos, some of which were banned even from MTV, to current the adoption scandals with her African son, Madonna's name does not often stay out of the gossip pages. She has three children, two biological (a daughter and a son) and one adopted son, from her many relationships and marriages, and lives in her two stately English homes. She is a champion of women's rights and freedoms and is known as a supporter of the bisexual community as well.

Madonna has been one of the most famous women in the world since her debut more than two decades ago in 1983. She has just begun her eighth world tour, and this world tour promises to be at least as popular as the previous seven if not more so, with concerts planned in the United States, Great Britain, Europe, and South America. The Guinness Book of World Records has classified Madonna "the world's most successful female recording artist of all time," and she will undoubtedly continue to sell her music for many years to come, and has already sold more than $400 million worth of music as of spring/summer 2008.