Madonna sings about the effect fame had on her daughter Lourdes “Lola” Leon in her new album Confessions II.
The mother and daughter join forces for duet The Test on the queen of pop’s 15th studio album, in which they sing about their dynamic and how living in the spotlight has affected their relationship.
Madonna, 67, sings: “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 or how it hurt.
“I wish I knew the pain I’ve caused. My butterfly was always being watched.”
The lyrics “little star” are seemingly a reference to the title of the song dedicated to her daughter on Madonna’s 1998’s album Ray Of Light.
In the second verse of The Test, Leon responds singing: “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, and what I attract.
“I trace the line of what you have sewn, keep my own design, make it a landscape, make it alive.”
Leon’s father is fitness trainer Carlos Leon, while Madonna had son Rocco Ritchie, 25, with film director ex-husband Guy Ritchie.
She is also mother to David Banda and Mercy James, both 20, who were adopted from Malawi, as were her twin girls Stella and Estere, 13.
Confessions II, conceived as a follow up to her Grammy-winning 2005 album Confessions On A Dancefloor, has been hailed by critics as Madonna’s “most vital album in over two decades”.
As well as the duet with Leon, it features collaborations with Sabrina Carpenter, Feid, Martin Garrix and Stromae.
Madonna marked the release with a secret launch party in Greenwich on Thursday night, as part of her partnership with LGBT+ dating app Grindr, which launched in April and has included merchandise, including hats and T-shirts.
