David Farnor | On 16, Jul 2019

Madonna has offered a behind-the-scenes look of how her recent album came together in documentary short “World of Madame X,” which is available now on Amazon Prime Video.

Madonna is joined in the 23-minute documentary, set in Lisbon, Portugal, by collaborators that were part of, and inspired, Madame X. She tells the story of how she was given the nickname when she was 19 and newly arrived in New York City as she took dance classes at the Martha Graham School – and how the album was born while living in Lisbon for the past several years.
 
A longtime fan of Fado (a form of Portuguese singing done in social environments) and Morna (widely considered the national music of Cape Verde), Madonna formed a bond with Dino d’Santiago, a Portuguese singer of Cape Verdean descent, who invited her to join local musicians to living-room sessions, where singers and instrumentalists gather in someone’s home to play music.

“What struck me most was this organic, authentic feeling of people being there because they just love music,” she recalls. “Money had nothing to do with it. Fame had nothing to do with it. Instagram followers had nothing to do with it. It was really about passion, and music, and art.”
 
Madonna began filming the proceedings, as shared in the documentary, and sending clips to her longtime producer Mirwais.

“I said to him, ‘I know this is crazy, but tell me if it inspires you. Let’s chop up the guitar sounds, and synch them to modern sounding drums.’ Within a week, he had sent me back music. It was amazing and I felt super inspired.”
 
With the film now on Amazon Prime Video, can also hear two brand-new Amazon Original remixes of tracks from Madonna’s new album from Robbie Rivera and Erick Morillo on Amazon Music. Here’s a clip from the documentary:

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