"The Test" is featured on Madonna's new album 'Confessions II'
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NEED TO KNOW
- Madonna and daughter Lourdes Leon collaborated on “The Test,” which appears on Madonna’s new album Confessions II
- Leon approached Madonna with the idea, seeing the song as a way to heal their relationship and share perspectives
- Madonna previously revealed Leon had been hesitant to work with her to avoid perceptions of using her mother’s fame
Madonna and daughter Lourdes “Lola” Leon put their writing skills to "The Test" on the pop icon's new album.
On Madonna's newly released 15th studio album Confession II, the music icon joined forces with her firstborn for a track called "The Test." On the song, Madonna and Lola get candid about their mother-daughter dynamic — and how living the spotlight affected it.
"Little star / I tried to put you on a pedestal / You didn't ask for all the flashing lights / I didn't think of how it could disturb," Madonna, 67, sings in the first verse. "Or how it hurt / I wish I knew / The pain I've caused / My butterfly / Was always being watched."
In the chorus, the mother-daughter duo sing about being put "to the test" and Lola breaking free from her mom's shadow of fame.
By the second verse, Lola shares her perspective and appreciation for her mom.
"A hand tenderly reaching to me / You are my reason to be / Or what I want, or look like / What I wear, all the clothes on my back," she sings. "And what I attract / I trace the line of what you have sewn / Keep my own design / Make it a landscape / Make it alive."
The duet also represents a full-circle moment for the mother-daughter duo. The first lyrics Madonna sings are "Little Star," which is also the title of a song dedicated to Lola; the track appeared on 1998's Ray of Light, which was recorded after she welcomed her first child. (Madonna is also mom to Rocco Ritchie, 25, David Banda and Mercy James, both 20, and twin girls Stella and Estere, 13.)
In a recent cover story interview for Interview magazine, Madonna revealed that Lola — whom Madonna shares with fitness trainer Carlos Leon — approached her with the idea of writing a song together, and it turned out to be a deeply meaningful experience.
"She approached me about writing a song together as a way to heal our relationship," Madonna told the outlet of her daughter, who has released music on her own over the years.
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Then, during an interview with Graham Norton for BBC Radio 1 on June 26, Madonna spoke candidly about Lola's reluctance to be seen as "taking advantage" of her mom's place in the industry.
"She's been very reticent to work with me. She doesn't want to be perceived as my daughter taking advantage of her privilege," Madonna said, adding that she was "so happy" when Lola approached her.
"She had been, through her adolescence, struggling with those feelings for a long time," Madonna continued. "She came to me, she said, 'Let's write a song together, I think it will be a healing experience.' And you say what you want to say, and I'll say exactly what I want to say."
On Thursday, July 2, Lola made an appearance at Madonna's iHeartRadio and TikTok Live album release party in London, where the Queen of Pop offered a behind-the-scenes look at her creative process for the new album.
Confessions II is out now.
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