Many artists now viewed as self-evidently revolutionary were once seen as merely provocative. The Beatles once sparked parental panics and religious boycotts; now, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both have "Sir" before their name. Jim Morrison made Nietzchean inquiries into sex, death and the nature of prayer; today, The Doors sound comfortable and comforting. Half a century later, get a load of Sophie, a gender-norm-shattering Scottish producer with a bold expression who refused limitations—in music and in society. The artist’s uncategorizable, maximalist tracks resemble avant-garde electronica meets IMAX-scaled sound design.

<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }</style><div class='embed-container'><iframe src='https://www.youtube.com/embed//es9-P1SOeHU' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

Immerse yourself in tracks like "Bipp," the alluringly fun club banger; "Ponyboy," an experimental track full of sexual inuendos; or "It's Okay to Cry," a song full of comforting vulnerability, and you'll find an artist on the bleeding edge of culture. Still, Sophie was perceptive enough to know the artist was one of many more to come.

"There's a huge amount of work to be done socially and culturally in the gap between where we are now and, I imagine, where we could be," Sophie, who was transgender and preferred not to be referenced with gendered or non-binary pronouns, told Arte Tracks in 2018. "The places that our imaginations can take us are so far away from what we're presented with a lot of the time. So, I can't get too excited about anything happening now. I'm really excited about what should be happening in the future."

Sophie tragically died on Jan. 30 after slipping and falling from the three-story balcony of an apartment where the artist stayed in Athens, Greece, while trying to take a picture of the full moon. Sophie was only 34. "She will always be here with us," the artist's label Transgressive said in a statement, calling the artist's desire for the lunar shot "true to her spirituality." 

Sophie's girlfriend, Evita Manji, told Daily Mail she spoke to Sophie after the fall. "I managed to tell her I love her and to keep fighting," she said. "She's an immaterial girl now; she can be anything she wants... and she is in everything around us," Manji said in a later online tribute.

Sophie Xeon was born in Glasgow in 1986 and grew up absorbing rave tapes from the artist's father and experimenting with synthesis. In the early 2000s, the precocious musician relocated to Berlin and formed Motherland, a dance-pop collective. Motherland's Matthew Lutz-Kinoy used the artist's music at exhibitions in Europe and the New Museum in Manhattan and boosted Sophie's signal.

A decade later, Sophie began DJing and releasing music. In the early 2010s, the artist rose as part of the forward-thinking PC Music Collective production team, which operated parallel to and against the mainstream’s current.

The artist's career began in earnest with the effervescent single "Lemonade / Hard,'" keeping her identity a secret in the beginning. (She revealed her face for the first time in a music video in 2017). "I think about physics and materials [while creating]," Sophie explained to Billboard in 2014, revealing a scientific-like approach to creating music. "'Lemonade' is made out of bubbling, fizzing, popping, and 'Hard' is made from metal and latex—they are sort of sculptures in this way. I synthesize all sounds except for vocals using raw waveforms and different synthesis methods as opposed to using samples. This means considering the physical properties of materials and how those inform the acoustic properties.

"For instance—why does a bubble have an ascending pitch when popped and why does metal clang when struck, and what is this clanging sound in terms of pitch and timbre over time? How do I synthesize this?" the artist asked. "Perhaps after learning about these things, it might be possible to create entirely new materials through synthesis."

"Lemonade / Hard" ended up in a 2015 McDonald's ad and seamlessly worked in that context. Sophie had no compunction about licensing the artist's music in commerce. In the same interview, Sophie frankly called the artist's genre "advertising"—which might seem like anathema to those committed to operating in a counterculture at odds with capitalism.

"Pop should be about finding new forms for feelings and communicating them in ways which talk about the world around us right now," the artist told The New York Times in 2015. "There’s no need to view something commercial as necessarily bad. I believe you don’t need to compromise one percent on what you want to present and need to communicate to people en masse."

Almost immediately after the McDonald's ad, Sophie became part of the mainstream landscape, releasing the artist’s debut album Product in 2015. That year, the artist co-wrote and produced Madonna's infamous single "Bitch, I'm Madonna." Sophie followed that up with writing and production work for artists as divergent as the dance-popper Charli XCX (2016's Vroom Vroom) and Odd Future MC Vince Staples ("Yeah Right" and "Samo" from 2017's Big Fish Theory). Sophie also remixed Rihanna's "Nothing Is Promised," a track from Mike Will Made It's debut 2017 album Ransom 2.

"It’s impossible to summarize the journey I went on with Sophie. Even the most insignificant things felt enormous,” XCX expressed on Twitter. “All I can [say] is that I will miss her terribly—her smile, her laugh, her dancing in the studio, her gentle inquisitive voice, her cutting personality, her ability to command a room without even trying, her incredible vision and mind."

<blockquote class=“twitter-tweet”><p lang=“und” dir=“ltr”><a href=“https://t.co/cfyBmy1clO”>pic.twitter.com/cfyBmy1clO</a></p>&mdash; Charli (@charli_xcx) <a href=“https://twitter.com/charli_xcx/status/1356643095903752193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>February 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=“https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=“utf-8”></script>

Staples also took to social media to remember the artist. "Sophie was different," he said in a Twitter tribute. "You ain't never seen somebody in the studio smoking a cigarette in a leather bubble jacket, just making beats, not saying one word. And don't let the verse be deep or heartfelt, 'cause she stopping the computer and walking outside until you get bacc [sic] on some gangsta shit."

In 2018, Sophie released the artist’s second and final studio album, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides. The album is fascinating, a tidal wave of disparate styles—glitch, techno, dream pop, ambient house, EDM, and more—coupled with a transgender and transhumanist visual aesthetic. The album was met with acclaim, earning Sophie a GRAMMY nomination for Best Dance Electronic/ Album in 2018. "This is the kind of music that, in 20 years, we may look back on as a pivotal point in changing the trajectory of the pop music sound," Exclaim! wrote in a glowing 2018 review. 

Sophie left us far too soon, but for anyone wondering if the future of music will resemble this singular artist, here's a thought: Given how the Internet age has bled all genres and stylistic eras into one morass, like in Soundcloud rap—and how traditional ideas of gender are being deconstructed and reexamined daily in mainstream culture—this makes it not just conceivable but likely.

There may have only been one Sophie, but if you’re looking for a bellwether of what a pop musician might look and sound like in the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th centuries, look no further.

LaShawn Daniels, GRAMMY-Winning Songwriter & Producer, Dies At 41

Editor's note: This article was updated to include the latest information about Kendrick Lamar's 2024 album release 'GNX,' and up-to-date GRAMMY wins and nominations with additional reporting by Nina Frazier.

When the world crowns you the king of a genre as competitive as rap, your presence — and lack thereof — is palpable. After a five-year hiatus, Kendrick Lamar declaratively stomped back on stage with his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, to explain why the crown no longer fits him.

Two years later, Lamar circles back to celebrate the west on 2024's GNX, a 12-track release that revels in the root of his love for hip-hop and California culture, from the lowriders to the rappers that laid claim to the golden state.

“My baby boo, you either heal n—s or you kill n—s/ Both is true, it take some tough skin just to deal with you” Lamar raps on "gloria" featuring SZA, a track that opines on his relationship with the genre.

The Compton-born rapper (who was born Kendrick Lamar Duckworth) wasn't always championed as King Kendrick. In hip-hop, artists have to earn that moniker, and Lamar's enthroning occurred in 2013 when he delivered a now-infamous verse on Big Sean's "Control."

"I'm Makaveli's offspring, I'm the King of New York, King of the Coast; one hand I juggle 'em both," Lamar raps before name-dropping some of the top rappers of the time, from Drake to J.Cole.

Whether you've been a fan of Lamar since before his crown-snatching verse or you find yourself in need of a crash course on the 37-year-old rapper's illustrious career, GRAMMY.com answers nine questions that will paint the picture of Lamar's more than decade-long reign.

Who Discovered Kendrick Lamar?

Due to the breakthrough success of his Aftermath Entertainment debut (good kid, m.A.A.d city), most people attribute Kendrick Lamar's discovery to fellow Compton legend Dr. Dre. But seven years before Dre's label came calling, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith saw potential in a 16-year-old rapper by the name of K.Dot.

Lamar's first mixtape in 2004 was enough for Tiffith's Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) to offer the aspiring rapper a deal with the label in 2005. However, Lamar would later learn that Tiffith's impact on his life dates back to multiple encounters between his father and the TDE founder, which Lamar raps about in his 2017 track "DUCKWORTH."

How Many Albums Has Kendrick Lamar Released?

Kendrick Lamar has released six studio albums: Section.80 (2011), Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City (2012), To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) DAMN. (2017),Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), and GNX (2024). Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN. received both Rap Album Of The Year and Album Of The Year GRAMMY nominations. 

What Is Kendrick Lamar's Most Popular Song?

Across the board, it's "HUMBLE." The 2017 track is Lamar's only solo No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (he also reached No. 1 status with Taylor Swift on their remix of her 1989 hit "Bad Blood"), and as of press time, "HUMBLE." is also his most-streamed song on Spotify and YouTube.

How Many GRAMMYs Has Kendrick Lamar Won?

As of November 2024, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 57 GRAMMY nominations overall, solidifying his place as one of the most nominated artists in GRAMMY history and the second-most nominated rapper of all time, behind Jay-Z. Five of Lamar's 17 GRAMMY wins are tied to DAMN., which also earned Lamar the status of becoming the first rapper ever to win a Pulitzer Prize.

His most recent wins include three awards at the 2023 GRAMMYs, which included two for his album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and Best Rap Performance for "The Hillbillies" with Baby Keem. 

Does Kendrick Lamar Have Any Famous Relatives?

He has two: Rapper Baby Keem and former Los Angeles Lakers star Nick Young are both cousins of his.

Lamar appeared on three tracks — "family ties," "range brothers" and "vent" — from Keem's debut album, The Melodic Blue. Keem then returned the favor for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, featuring on "Savior (Interlude)" and "Savior" as well as receiving production and writing credits on "N95" and "Die Hard."

Read More: Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Baby Keem On Inspiring Rap's Next Generation, Why "Producer Artists" Are The Best & The Likelihood Of A Kendrick Lamar Collab Album

Why Did Kendrick Lamar Wear A Crown Of Thorns?

Lamar can be seen sporting a crown of thorns on the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers album cover. He has sported the look for multiple performances since the project's release.

Dave Free described the striking headgear as, "a godly representation of hood philosophies told from a digestible youthful lens."

Holy symbolism and the blurred line between kings and gods are themes Lamar revisits often on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. He uses lines like "Kendrick made you think about it, but he is not your savior" and songs like "Mirror" to reject the unforeseen, God-like expectations that came with his King of Hip-Hop status.

According to Vogue, the Tiffany & Co. designed crown features 8,000 cobblestone micro pave diamonds and took over 1,300 hours of work by four craftsmen to construct.

Why Did Kendrick Lamar Leave TDE?

After five albums, four mixtapes, one compilation project, an EP, and a GRAMMY-nominated Black Panther: The Album, Kendrick Lamar and Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) confirmed that Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers was the Compton rapper's last project under the iconic West Coast label. 

According to Lamar, his departure was about growth as opposed to any internal troubles. "May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life's calling," Lamar wrote on his website in August 2021. "There's beauty in completion."

TDE president Punch expressed a similar sentiment in an interview with Mic. "We watched him grow from a teenager up into an established grown man, a businessman, and one of the greatest artists of all time," he said. "So it's time to move on and try new things and venture out."

Before Lamar's official exit from TDE, he launched a new venture called pgLang — a multi-disciplinary service company for creators, co-founded with longtime collaborator Dave Free — in 2020. The young company has already collaborated with Cash App, Converse and Louis Vuitton.

Has Kendrick Lamar Ever Performed at The Super Bowl?

Yes, Kendrick Lamar performed in the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles in 2022, alongside fellow rap legends Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem, as well as R&B icon Mary J. Blige. Anderson .Paak and 50 Cent also made special appearances during the star-studded performance. As if performing at the Super Bowl in your home city wasn't enough, the Compton rapper also got to watch his home team, the Los Angeles Rams, hoist the Lombardi trophy at the end of the night.

Three years after his first Super Bowl halftime performance, Lamar will return to headline the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on Feb. 9, 2025 — just one week after the 2025 GRAMMYs — at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. 

Is Kendrick Lamar On Tour?

Yes. Kendrick Lamar is currently scheduled to hit the road with SZA on the Grand National Tour beginning in May 2025. Lamar concluded The Big Steppers Tour in 2022, where he was joined by pgLang artists Baby Keem and Tanna Leone. The tour included a four-show homecoming at L.A.'s Crypto.com Arena in September 2022, followed by performances in Europe,Australia, and New Zealand through late 2022. 

Currently, there are no upcoming tour dates scheduled, but fans should check back for updates following the release of GNX.

Having professed his love for the Rolling Stones with numerous documentaries and concert films, Martin Scorsese switches his attention to their one-time fiercest rivals as the producer of Beatles '64.

Out. Nov. 29, the Disney+ original centers on the year when the Beatles replicated their UK success on the other side of the Atlantic, with their iconic performance in front of 73 million "The Ed Sullivan Show" viewers the undisputed catalyst.

Of course, Beatles '64  is far from the first doc on the Fab Four to boast such an Oscar-winning pedigree. Both Peter Jackson and Ron Howard have essentially bowed down and declared “We're not worthy” with screen displays of fandom in recent years. In fact, since the group dramatically went their separate ways in 1970, countless documentarians — some who lived through it, others who had to learn it — have tried to place the success of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star in a wider context while finding new and interesting ways to tell their remarkable story.

So which are the documentary equivalents of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road (or whichever entry in the Liverpudlian' unrivaled back catalog is your ultimate)? From behind-the-scenes snapshots and musical deep dives, to intimate character portraits and star-studded retrospectives, here's a look at 10 documentaries any Beatles obsessive should have on their must-watch list. 

'Let It Be' (1970)

Eschewing the usual pop documentary conventions, the Oscar and GRAMMY-winnning Let It Be simply points the camera at the Beatles during the recording of their same-named final studio effort and lets the action naturally unfold. There are occasional glimpses of the tensions you'd expect from a band about to distintegrate; a fraught discussion about the guitar line on "Two of Us," for example, in which Harrison has to reassure McCartney that he's not being annoying (the guitarist's brief mid-sessions departure, however, is entirely omitted), and the moment which director Michael Lindsay-Hogg pithily described as Lennon dying of boredom. 

But the mood in the camp improved tenfold when the sessions moved from the decidedly frosty Twickenham Studios to the more inviting Apple HQ. Those studios became the site of an iconic rooftop concert in which the band delivered a triumphant, if resolutely windy, live farewell. Released just seven months before their official split, this was the Beatles at their rawest. 

Read more: 5 Lesser Known Facts About The Beatles' 'Let It Be' Era: Watch The Restored 1970 Film

'The Compleat Beatles' (1982)

What this two-hour ABC documentary lacks in correct grammar, it makes up for in fascinating behind-the-scenes footage and insightful commentaries from talking heads who experienced Beatlemania first-hand. Fellow Scouser Gerry Marsden, loyal Merseybeat journalist Bill Harry, and Cavern Club DJ Bob Wooler all have great stories to tell in the Malcolm McDowell-narrated special. But it's their first manager Allan Williams who steals the show with refreshingly unfiltered reminisces about their early Hamburg years. 

Viewers will also come away with a new-found respect for Harrison’s encouraging mother, an appreciation for the Beatles’ studio craft (producer George Martin comments how their abundance of creativity often left him exhausted), and a greater understanding of the sheer chaos that awaited the Fab Four faced whenever they took to the stage. And after seeing the trippy visuals created by director Patrick Montgomery, you'll never listen to "Tomorrow Never Knows" in quite the same way again.

'It Was Twenty Years Ago Today' (1987)

Named after the famous opening line from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, this 105-minute documentary explores how the historic concept album helped to usher in the second Summer of Love. First screened on ITV in the UK and then PBS on the other side of the Atlanic, It Was Twenty Years Ago Today invites some of the counterculture movement's most prominent names (including LSD advocate Timothy Leary, Yippie activist Abbie Hoffman, and poet Allan Ginsberg) to provide evidence. Ginsberg even puts his own unique spin on each of its 13 songs.

In contrast, McCartney and Harrison remain humble about their apparent ability to unify their generation — although both admit subscribing to the theory that "All You Need Is Love." A live performance of said track at the Monterey Pop Festival it was specially penned for only adds to the life-affirming vibes of this engaging alternative history lesson.  

'Imagine John Lennon' (1988)

Narrated from beyond the grave by the late Beatle, this all-encompassing doc was commissioned by his widower Yoko Ono, explaining why it delves into Lennon the man just as much as Lennon the musician. Candid interviews with his first wife Cynthia and his first-born Julian suggests the former wasn't always the ideal family guy. But unlike Albert Goldman’s hit-job biography which also emerged in late 1988, every facet of Lennon's complex personality is explored. Little-seen footage of an encounter with an inquisitive drifter, for example, proves he had a remarkable spirit of generosity.

Other Fab Four obsessives, meanwhile, will be most interested in holy grail moments such as an early rehearsal of "Imagine" and acoustic demo of then-unreleased "Real Love." The surviving Beatles, who didn't contribute to the film but gave their blessing, appeared to be just as wowed with what director Robert Solt constructed from over 100 hours of archive material. "A good lad he was," McCartney remarked about his ex-bandmate after one particularly emotional screening. 

"The Beatles Anthology" (1995)

First conceived in the 1970s as a feature film which would conclude with all four Beatles reunited on stage, this documentary project was revived in the mid-1990s as a TV series where all three surviving members reflected on their remarkable career. Interviewed by pianist Jools Holland over the course of three months, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr — then all in their fifties — provide a more subjective outlook on their remarkably impactful decade together, but their differing perspectives make for fascinating viewing.  Lennon, who was arguably the project's keenest voice, still gets his say in archival form.

Elsewhere, Martin, road manager Neil Aspinall, and press agent Derek Taylor help paint a more definitive picture. Of course, it was the two previously unfinished songs, "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love," that helped kickstart a new wave of Beatlemania which perfectly aligned with the movement known as Cool Britannia.  

'The Beatles Revolution' (2000)

Coinciding with the release of the Beatles' chart-topping #1s compilation, this turn-of-the-century ABC doc highlighted how the Fab Four's impact extended far beyond sales figures and Billboard positions. Anoushka Shankar argues that their Indian sojourn helped to popularize Middle Eastern mysticism. Bill Clinton claims their iconic appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" helped the nation recover from the assassination of JFK. Director and screenwriter Milos Forman even credits them with bringing down the fall of communism! 

Whether you agree with such bold statements or not, this two-hour televisual love letter — hosted by "The View's" Meredith Vieira — provides a fascinating insight into the Liverpudlians' cultural stranglehold. And it would take the hardest of hearts to not be moved by Mike Myers' recollections of crying at A Hard Day's Night, "Because I liked these guys so much and I wanted to go have fun with them."

'George Harrison: Living in the Material World' (2011)

Before producing the latest Beatles' doc, Scorsese dipped his toes into Merseyside waters for this engaging biopic of the band's unsung hero. Named after his 1973 solo album, Living in the Material World celebrates Harrison's contributions to the Beatles' lore — whether penning standards such as "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" or steering their magical mystery tour to India.

The filmmaker is equally interested in the guitarist's life outside the quartet, from pioneering the all-star benefit gig with The Concert for Bangladesh to his pivotal role in producing films such as Withnail & I and The Life of Brian. Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Lynne are just a few of the iconic talking heads who queue up to sing Harrison's praises, but it’s the interviews with his wife Olivia and son Dhani Harrison that lend Living in the Material World its heartfelt emotional core. 

'Eight Days A Week: The Touring Years' (2016)

Ron Howard's labor of love only spans from the Beatles' early Cavern Club beginnings to their deafening final live show at Shea Stadium. But the Fab Four crammed more touring into those four years than most of their peers would in four lifetimes. Indeed, the Best Music Film GRAMMY winner, which also raked in an impressive $12.3 million at the global box office, documents the Liverpudlians at their busiest and indeed their most public.

Alongside all the footage of their airport-hotel-stage repeat ad nauseam existence, Eight Days a Week also reflects on all the controversies they caused along the way, from their ill-fated trip to the Philippines to Lennon's claims they were "bigger than Jesus."

It certainly explains why the quartet decided to get off the treadmill at the peak of their powers. But thanks to electrifying live performances of "She Loves You," "Twist and Shout," and "Please Please Me," it also explains why they became such a phenomenon in the first place. 

"Get Back" (2021)

Adopting the restoration techniques of his wartime doc They Shall Not Grow Old and the mammoth running times of his Tolkien epics, Peter Jackson gave the Beatles' Let It Be sessions a new lease of life with this eight-hour treasure trove of archival footage. Unlike Lindsay-Hogg's 1970 effort, Get Back shows the origins and the aftermath of Harrison's short-lived exit from the group.

However, the tone of the three-part series — which has the support of all surviving Beatles and Beatles' widows — is more joyous and jovial. McCartney magically conjures up the title track on a whim, while Starr casually offers Ono some chewing gum, contradicting the accepted narrative that Lennon's other half was the bane of the band's later years. The five–time Emmy winner, which also presents the rooftop farewell in all its 42-minute glory, is that rare companion piece which proves to be just as vital as the original.

Read more: There's Not Much Left To Reveal About The Beatles' End. Let's Use The 'Get Back' Doc As A Manual For Moving Forward. 

"McCartney 3,2,1" (2021)

"Dear Prudence" was written about Mia Farrow’s younger sister. "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was recorded in front of the creator of the Moog. The piccolo trumpet on "Penny Lane" was inspired by a televised performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. These are just a few of the fascinating nuggets of information disclosed in Apple TV+'s joyously nerdy deep dive into McCartney's back catalog. 

In conversation with longtime fan Rick Rubin, the bassist makes for hugely engaging company across six half-hour episodes which shine new light on countless songs that have become part of the popcultural fabric. It's not just all talk, either. When the producer strips back  "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," exposing its bassline in all its surprisingly sludgy glory, even McCartney is taken aback at the sound that emanates. But perhaps the biggest surprise is the pitch-perfect impression that Macca delivers while recollecting a memorable backstage encounter with Little Richard.

"I made it through the wilderness, somehow I made it through!" With that girlish admission, Madonna opened her sophomore album, 1984's Like a Virgin — and officially took her throne.

Madonna's monumental sophomore album arrived just 16 months after the mononymous starlet's debut. Its self-titled precursor had earned the singer a Top 10 hit in "Holiday" and a handful of minor radio singles, and established her as a talent to watch as the singer/songwriter sounds of the 1970s gave way to '80s pop. But it wasn't until she released Like a Virgin that Madonna became the pop star whose name was on everyone's lips. 

Featuring modern classics like the title track and "Material Girl" as well as fan favorites like "Over and Over" and "Shoo-Bee-Doo" — and a melodramatic cover of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" — Like a Virgin solidified the superstar prowess she'd hinted with Madonna. With a provocative cover to boot, the album set the stage for the boundary-pushing, chart-topping career that made her the undisputed Queen of Pop. 

"Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist's magic moment," biographer Randy Taraborrelli wrote in 2002's Madonna: An Intimate Biography. "For Madonna, Like a Virgin was just such a defining moment."

As Like a Virgin turns 40, revisit the album's impact on both Madonna's career and pop music as a whole.

It Made Madonna A Global Superstar

The success of Madonna's debut had been a slow burn, with the album steadily climbing from its Billboard 200 debut at No. 190 to an eventual peak at No. 8 over the course of more than a year. It became a standard bearer for the decade's dance-pop sound thanks to sparkly bops like "Lucky Star" and "Borderline," but its performance on both the charts and the larger cultural zeitgeist was ultimately small change compared to the cultural behemoth its predecessor would soon become. 

Two months after its release, Like a Virgin became the pop star's first album to top the Billboard 200, replacing Bruce Springsteen's Born In the U.S.A. and eventually spending three consecutive weeks at No. 1. The studio set aso kicked off a hot streak of three chart-toppers for Madonna on the tally including 1986's True Blue and 1989's Like a Prayer. 

The newly minted superstar's popularity at the time also launched the phenomenon known as the "Madonna wannabe." Fans all across the country began emulating her style, taking inspiration from her pop persona, and evangelizing for the Queen of Pop by wearing her merch.

In his 1985 story that helped coin the term, Time journalist John Skow seemed simultaneously aghast and fascinated by the trend, writing, "Twelve-year-old girls, headphones blocking out the voices of reason, are running around wearing T-shirts labeled VIRGIN, which would not have been necessary 30 years ago. The shirt offers no guarantees, moreover; they merely advertise Madonna's first, or virgin, rock tour, now thundering across the continent, and her bouncy, love-it-when-you-do-it song 'Like a Virgin.'

And the "wannabes" weren't just wearing shirts promoting Madonna's tour, either. According to Skow, teenagers and young women across the country were "saving up their babysitting money to buy cross-shaped earrings and fluorescent rubber bracelets like Madonna's, white lace tights that they will cut off at the ankles and black tube skirts."

Read More: Songbook: How Madonna Became The Queen Of Pop & Reinvention, From Her 'Boy Toy' Era To The Celebration Tour

It Gave Us Some Of Her Most Quintessential Hits

With her debut, Madonna had already scored her first No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, thanks to the sugary escapism of "Holiday." But Like a Virgin featured a pair of shimmering singles that would eventually become timeless centerpieces of her catalog.

First came the title track, which was officially released as the album's lead single on Halloween 1984. With its erotic lyrics and flirtatious, danceable rhythm, the song set the tone for the album to come and earned Madonna her first No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. 

Then there was "Material Girl" and its gleeful Mary Lambert-directed music video, an homage to Marilyn Monroe's timeless performance in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. By the time the song peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, its title had started to double as one of Madonna's many nicknames — even if, as she bemoaned in the decades that followed, calling her the "Material Girl" entirely sidestepped the track's ironic, feminist message. 

The LP's rollout also included three additional singles: the new wave-leaning "Angel," "Into the Groove" (featured in Madonna's first major movie, 1985's Desperately Seeking Susan, and later added to the album as a bonus cut) and the lovesick "Dress You Up," all of which added to her chart successes. Though "Into the Groove" wasn't released commercially in the U.S., the other two singles each peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100; meanwhile, both "Angel" and "Into the Groove" added to the seven-time GRAMMY winner's quickly proliferating collection of No. 1s on the Dance Club Songs chart.

It Helped Her Fight For Control Over Her Career

Since her earliest days dancing through New York City's downtown scene, Madonna had uncompromising confidence and a clear creative vision. After the success of her self-titled debut in 1983 had established her as a star to watch, when it came to crafting her follow-up, she wanted even more autonomy. However, the singer's request to produce her sophomore album herself was quickly shot down by her label at the time, Sire Records. 

She started speaking out publicly in the press against what she called the label's "hierarchy of old men," famously telling Rolling Stone, "It's a chauvinistic environment to be working in because I'm treated like this sexy little girl. I always have to prove them wrong. This is what happens when you're a girl — it wouldn't happen to Prince or Michael Jackson. I had to do everything on my own and convince people that I was worth a record deal. After that, I had the same problem trying to convince them I had more to offer than a one-off girl singer. I have to win this fight."

Eventually, the label offered a compromise: Madonna could choose to work with whichever executive producer she wanted, no questions asked. Taking the victory, the singer selected Nile Rodgers, who had just come off producing one of her favorite albums, David Bowie's 1983 smash Let's Dance. 

Reportedly, the dynamic between the singer and the Chic co-founder wasn't always smooth as they created the album together. But Like a Virgin certainly set the precedent for Madonna's unwavering insistence on controlling her sound, her image and her message to the world — and she's been credited as a producer on every one of her albums since. 

It Birthed The First Iconic MTV Video Music Awards Performance

Six weeks before sending "Like a Virgin" to radio, Madonna opened the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards with a scandalous, high-concept performance of the song. 

The singer emerged atop a 17-foot-tall wedding cake, dressed in a racy wedding dress and bustier similar to her outfit from the album artwork. (Adding an extra touch of provocation, Madonna accessorized the look with her now-famous "BOY TOY" belt, which she also wore for the cover art shoot.)

The moment became instantly iconic, with Madonna throwing back her veil as she sang, "Like a virgin/ Touched for the very first time/ Like a virgin/ When your heart beats next to mine." 

Madonna's performance also included one of the earliest televised wardrobe malfunctions. As the pop star climbed down the wedding cake's multiple levels, one of her high heels accidentally slipped off. To cover up the gaffe, the singer crash-landed on the floor, inadvertently flashing the camera with a shot of her underwear as she writhed around on the ground. 

"I thought, 'Well, I'll just pretend I meant to do this,'" the icon recalled three decades later in a 2014 Billboard retrospective about the performance. "And, as I reached for the shoe, the dress went up. And the underpants were showing."

While many industry insiders decried Madonna's performance at the time and even went as far as to declare her career would be over due to its scandalous nature, Les Garland, MTV's executive vice president of programming at the time, had a more accurate reading of the moment: "She stole the show."

It Pushed The Envelope For Female Artistry — And Paid Major Dividends

Sex appeal had been a key component of male pop stardom since the days of Elvis Presley swinging and thrusting his hips on "The Ed Sullivan Show." However, it arguably wasn't until Madonna's Like a Virgin that a female pop singer channeled her own sexuality so unabashedly into her music. After all, the lyrical content of the title track alone was enough to leave the older generation clutching their pearls (even if some of those parents were likely the same fans who had been shrieking along to Elvis and the Beatles in their youth). 

And yet, Madonna seemed to not only welcome controversy, but openly court it, refusing to cover up, tone it down or censor herself. Of course, the singer would continue to push boundaries even further as her career evolved — within a decade, she would release 1992's Erotica and its scandalous coffee table companion Sex — but Like a Virgin served as a deliberate turning point in the pop star embracing her sexuality and daring the masses to object. 

Breaking societal barriers paid off: the album quickly became the first by a female artist to sell more than five million copies in the U.S. It was certified diamond by the RIAA in May 1998, and with a reported 22 million copies sold worldwide as of press time, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Nearly four decades after its release, the album was deemed worthy of preservation in 2023 by the Library of Congress into the National Recording Registry based on its "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage."

Read More: 10 Artists Who Have Stood Up For Women In Music: Taylor Swift, Lizzo & More

It Paved The Way For Future Generations Of Pop Stars

Without Madonna's pioneering influence on Like a Virgin, it's hard to imagine life for the pop stars who followed in her footsteps. 

Would Britney Spears have writhed around with an albino python at the 2001 MTV VMAs if it wasn't for Madonna's scandalous performance of "Like a Virgin" nearly three decades before? As the star said herself, she certainly learned from Madonna's tutelage over the years.

"I was in awe of the ways Madonna would not compromise her vision," the Princess of Pop  wrote in her 2023 memoir about working with Her Madgesty on "Me Against The Music," their 2003 duet from Spears' Into the Zone. "It was an important lesson for me, one that would take a long time for me to absorb: she demanded power, and so she got power." 

Spears wasn't the only pop star inspired by Madonna's fearless nature and bold self-belief, either. The Spice Girls have credited the superstar as "a big influence" on their career and the "girl power!" message they spread across the globe more than a decade after Madge ascended to her throne with Like a Virgin. 

More recently, Madonna's influence can be clearly traced to everything from Lady Gaga's avant garde style to Taylor Swift's penchant for creating musical eras, or Christina Aguilera's unapologetic embrace of her sexuality in her own Stripped era and Tate McRae baring all in her "it's ok, i'm ok" music video from earlier this summer.

"One element of Madonna's career that really takes center stage is how many times she's reinvented herself," Taylor Swift said nearly a decade ago when Madonna was named the top touring artist at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards."It's easier to stay in one look, one comfort zone, one musical style. It's inspiring to see someone whose only predictable quality is being unpredictable."

Thankfully, we'll never know what the music industry would look like without the Queen of Pop — and Like a Virgin inaugurated a legacy that has endured for four decades and counting.

Sharing an album with the world is an artist’s way of immortalizing a fragment of their life. Though virality can propel music to the mainstream, releasing an album is a profound accomplishment that can have a deep and laying impact. Albums are more than an encapsulation of a musician’s lived and learned experiences: they’re a way to cherish them forever.

The Recording Academy is proud to present the 2025 GRAMMYs nominees for Album Of The Year, honoring both artistic and technical skill of the highest degree in music. The Category is notably dominated by women this season, while several entries see established artists tapping into new genres and sonic arenas. 

Check out the nominees below and read the full 2025 GRAMMYs nominations list ahead of Music's Biggest Night on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. 

André 3000 — 'New Blue Sun'

André 3000 might be best known for his role in Outkast, but recently, the Atlanta rapper has been busy carving out a new reputation as André the flutist.

In the years following Outkast’s split in 2007, André 3000 has been spotted wandering everywhere from LAX to Japan with his flute in tow. Now, the opening track of his first-ever solo album amusingly calls out his genre switch: "I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time."

To record improvisations that eventually birthed New Blue Sun, the flutist worked with producer Carlos Niño, keyboardist Surya Botofasina, and guitarist Nate Mercereau to craft a surreal, textured soundscape. Throughout, André 3000 plays the contrabass flute, Maya flute, wood and bamboo flutes, and more wind instruments — harmoniously uniting to create the artist’s first release in over 17 years.

Composed of eight tracks with bizarre, lengthy titles, the lyricless New Blue Sun is labeled as new-age and experimental jazz. It’s fairly shocking that André 3000 is not a trained musician, given the project’s brilliance; led primarily by rhythm, and using his instincts developed from rapping, the expert flutist embeds New Blue Sun with an organic authenticity. The album feels limitlessly atmospheric, dipping into an ambience that teeters between peaceful and precarious.

With Big Boi in the ‘90s, André 3000 undoubtedly helped shape hip-hop, pushing the genre forward with creative integrations of funk, jazz, rock, and gospel. In 2024, he continues to break rules as he champions alternative jazz — all with his flute by his side.

When Beyoncé’s first country song came out in 2016, people questioned if the icon belonged on the country radio — despite the indisputable impact of Black artists on the genre. Eight years later, the genre-bending diva is still drowning out the noise by switching on her very own radio station: COWBOY CARTER’s KNTRY Radio Texas, that is.

The fantasy station is one of the many visionary elements of COWBOY CARTER, an album that honors the cultural contributions of Black artists to American country music. The eighth studio project is Act II of her album trilogy; while the first installment RENAISSANCE (2022) focused on futuristic escapism, COWBOY CARTER looks to the past. It pays vibrant tribute to the Black community’s roots in country music, offering a glorious reimagination of Americana.

Not just championing but also reinventing Southern subgenres, COWBOY CARTER is yet another example of Beyoncé’s revolutionary versatility. From horseshoe steps to boot stomps to Beyoncé’s fingernails as percussion, the album unites bluegrass, zydeco, folk, R&B, and more to craft a majestic testament to Beyoncé’s boundless artistry.

Boasting 27 tracks and five years in the making, the Texas-born legend’s album includes features from Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, and Brittney Spencer, embracing country legends as well as making space for up-and-coming Black artists on the scene.

While Beyoncé has yet to take home GRAMMY Gold for Album Of The Year, she remains the artist with the most GRAMMY wins of all time. After all, this isn’t her first rodeo.

"Oh, I leave quite an impression," Sabrina Carpenter croons on Short n’ Sweet, with a nonchalance that’s virtually intoxicating. While the 25-year-old indeed stands at just five feet tall, it’s evident the actress-turned-songstress has enough talent to fill a stadium.

Glowing with lighthearted, honest-to-goodness genius, Short n’ Sweet is the cherry on top of Carpenter’s already extensive discography. Her sixth studio album spawned a trinity of 2024 hits: "Espresso," "Please Please Please" and "Taste." With this remarkable trio, Carpenter became the first artist since the Beatles to chart their first three top five US hits in the same week. Short n’ Sweet's success was boosted by her Coachella debut earlier in the year, and furthered during her first arena tour.

On her delightful summer hit "Espresso," Carpenter explicitly mentions that her "twisted humor" is what makes her lovable, which might remind older fans of her 2022 single "Nonsense." The pop track went viral for its raunchy, often silly outros that Carpenter lovingly tailored to each city she toured in — and on Short n’ Sweet, she taps into her risqué wit much more fully, rocketing her album to another level of memorable.

Undoubtedly, it’s Carpenter’s bright confidence that makes space for her playful pen game on Short n’ Sweet. With her signature plucky yet composed soprano, she balances her soulful ardor with her deadpan humor expertly, allowing her to explore the nuances of romance in new and clever ways — all while maintaining her infectious charisma that earned her her first GRAMMY nominations this year.

Charli xcx knows how to throw a party, and on June 7, 2024, she turned the world into her own nightclub. BRAT, her sixth studio album, gloriously splattered the globe a garish green, with hits like "360," "Apple," and "Von Dutch" soundtracking the summer.

Ten years after scoring her first GRAMMY nominations for "Fancy" with Iggy Azalea, the British queen of "brat summer" continues to crank out bangers about chandelier swinging and driving in the fast lane. Working with producers A.G. Cook, EASYFUN, Cirkut, her fiancé George Daniel, and other longtime collaborators, Charli conjured her own genre: a chic, club-ready pop blend of electroclash and hyperpop.

Though the self-proclaimed 365 party girl sings about dancing until dawn and sipping one too many aperol spritzes, BRAT is also Charli’s most vulnerable album, her long nails gingerly peeling back the sticky layers of fame and womanhood. BRAT makes blunt confessions about jealousy, questioning motherhood, grief, and intergenerational trauma. Brilliantly, she’s dauntless and exposed all at once — and still bumpin’ that at the club.

Her popular co-headlining SWEAT Tour with GRAMMY-nominated collaborator Troye Sivan vroom-vroomed BRAT to arenas across the U.S. Charli xcx might have had her shades on while performing, but make no mistake: she has nothing to hide.

When people think of contemporary jazz, rollercoaster might not be the first word that comes to mind — but Jacob Collier is nothing if not ambitious. As the climax of his four-album project dating back to 2018, Djesse Vol. 4 triumphs as an odyssey through genre.

What makes Collier such a prolific musician is his refusal to distill abundance. He sees the beauty in anything and everything, and Djesse Vol. 4 brings his perspective to life. The project not only centers but celebrates the human voice; in fact, about 150,000 voices feature on Djesse Vol. 4 — many from his own concert audiences that he transformed into improvised choirs. 

Collier has won multiple GRAMMY Awards for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals, and Djesse Vol. 4 continues to showcase his mastery of sound via genre diversity. The nominated album is modern and sprawling, from the serenity of his audience-choirs to howling of heavy metal. Djesse Vol. 4 is thought-provoking, engrossing, and oftentimes surprising; who else would have aespa and Chris Martin on the same track?

Collier is the first British artist to win a GRAMMY for each of his first four albums, and Djesse Vol. 4 already boasts a GRAMMY-nominated track on it (2022’s "Never Gonna Be Alone," featuring Lizzy McAlpine and John Mayer, which was later announced as the album’s first single). Collier was previously nominated for Album Of The Year for Djesse Vol. 3 and also received a nod at the 2023 GRAMMYs in the same Category for Coldplay’s nominated Music of the Spheres.

Djesse Vol. 4 has redefined Collier’s perspective on life, and in a way, Collier’s album is more than a reflection: it’s an open invitation.

Billie Eilish had a fear of water as a child, yet to capture the album cover for HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, she spent six brutal hours on-and-off submerged underwater with a weight on her shoulders. "A lot of my artwork is painful physically in a lot of ways, and I love it," the 22-year-old told Rolling Stone. "Oh, my God, I live for it."

Eilish delves beneath the surface in more ways than one on HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. As rippling, immersive alt-pop, the album swims through similar topics covered in her first two studio albums, including coping with fame, body image, and post-breakup grief. Yet Eilish is no longer the proudly self-proclaimed "bad guy"; instead she doesn’t tether herself to a persona.

In this way, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT holds dear a newfound, striking level of maturity. Eilish is incontestably true to herself, and lyrically, the album feels especially unbridled and attentive. With its title a paradoxical demand, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT powerfully represents the impossible struggle between intensity and tenderness — both in love and in life.

Though the album cascades as an emotional torrent, it’s as cohesive as it is potent. It’s (unsurprisingly) produced by her brother and day-one collaborator, FINNEAS, whose minimalistic but nevertheless hard-hitting soundscape gives bedroom pop a makeover. Eilish’s third Album Of The Year nomination shows that, once again, she isn’t treading water; she’s plunging straight into the deep end.

In the prismatic world of pop, Chappell Roan knows how to rotate through every color in the rainbow. A kaleidoscope of wistful yet intense romance, Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess churns with the unabashed authenticity that only true superstars can craft — and on a debut album, nonetheless.

Although Roan’s career began 10 years ago on YouTube, the Missouri-born singer skyrocketed to fame in the last year following spectacular festival performances and an opening slot on Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour. Her 2020 single "Pink Pony Club" pushed the singer toward a massive 2024 breakthrough, the song an open proclamation of queer joy (amid understanding her evolving relationship with religion).

Inspired by drag queens, Roan’s aesthetic is breathtakingly campy and sparkly — much like her striking debut album. Championing female and queer freedom, The Rise And Fall gushes with yearning in a way that’s both carefree and confessional. From the hungry, heart-shattering "Casual" to the kinky pleasure of "Red Wine Supernova," each track showcases Roan’s sharp dynamism.

The Rise And Fall bursts with radiant '80s-inspired and 2000s synthpop from GRAMMY-winning producer Dan Nigro, all of which only highlights her dynamism. Beyond her vocal flips and cutting lyricism meant for laughing and/or crying, what’s special about Roan’s album is its defiance. Chappell Roan is the definition of unapologetic, and The Rise And Fall is all the evidence anyone needs.

Before it was even released, The Tortured Poets Department had already made GRAMMY history: during her acceptance speech for the 2024 GRAMMY Award for Best Pop Vocal Album, Taylor Swift surprised audiences by announcing the album’s upcoming release. And just one year later, Swift is making history yet again with her seventh Album Of The Year nomination.

Serving as a creative "lifeline" for Swift during the Eras Tour, working on The Tortured Poets Department reminded the star of how integral songwriting is to her wellbeing. Consequently, the 16-track album (plus an additional 15 tracks in an expanded version of the labrum) unveiled some of her most diaristic songwriting yet. Swift's meandering lyrics stand out as particularly candid, dramatic, and whimsical — though it’s far from the first time the prolific songwriter has used or referenced poetry in her work.

For a return to her folksy synthpop sound, Swift turned to her close friends Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, who most recently helped produce her GRAMMY-winning album Midnights among other projects. Showcasing Swift’s collaborative brilliance, The Tortured Poets Department also features Post Malone on the hauntingly atmospheric opener "Fortnight" and a stirring "Florida!!!" verse from Florence + the Machine.

As the Eras Tour comes to a close (unless, of course, she has another surprise up her sleeve) on Dec. 8 in Vancouver, The Tortured Poets Department’s nomination is one of the many recent reminders of Swift’s staggering legacy. Swift is the first and only person to have won Album Of The Year four times, and The Tortured Poets Department could score her a legendary fifth win — further solidifying her as a breaker of records and rules.