Madonna, known simply as Madonna, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She spent her early years in Bay City and in 1977 moved to New York City to pursue a career in contemporary dance. After participating in two musical groups, Breakfast Club and Emmy, in 1982 she signed with Sire Records and released her debut album Madonna the following year.

Many of her songs have reached number one on the music charts in various countries around the world.

Her career was boosted by her roles in several films for which she has received mixed reviews. Her most praised starring role is that of Eva Perón in the 1996 film Evita, for which she even won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical; however, she has received negative criticism for other roles.

Madonna has sold more than 300 million musical productions, setting the world record for “the most successful female solo artist and the best-selling female musical artist of all time,” included in the Guinness Book of Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female solo artist of the 20th century and the second-highest-selling female artist in the United States (behind Barbra Streisand) with 64 million certified albums. In the United Kingdom, she is the best-selling female solo artist of singles in history, with 17.6 million.

In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful female solo artist in music history, in addition to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. In general, several biographers, writers, journalists, and other media consider her to be the most influential and successful woman in music history.

Furthermore, she is recognized as a source of inspiration by various artists and for her great legacy to pop culture.