Madonna paying tribute to Aretha Franklin and the 2018 VMAs | Photo: Youtube/Clevver News
Madonna has courted backlash over her tribute to Aretha Franklin, which many have seen as self-indulgent and focusing more on herself than on the legendary soul singer.
Madonna was speaking at the MTV Video Music Awards in honor of Franklin, who died last week aged 76.
The Queen of Pop spoke passionately about how the Queen of Soul influenced her life and music.
‘Aretha Louise Franklin changed the course of my life,’ Madonna said.
The star talked about when she auditioned for two French record producers in her early 20s, back when she was starting out in the music business.
She said she sang Franklin’s iconic track (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. This, according to Madonna, was enough to win over the producers, who helped launch her career.
‘None of this would have happened, could have happened, without our lady of soul,’ Madonna said.
‘She led me to where I am today. And I know she influenced so many people in this house tonight. In this room tonight.
‘And I want to thank you, Aretha, for empowering all of us. Long live the queen!’
‘An Aretha tribute about Madonna’
Many Twitter users found the singer’s tribute to her peer to be decidedly self-absorbed, focusing on her own past achievements rather than those of Franklin.
‘Madonna gave herself a tribute featuring Aretha’ wrote one Twitter user, and ‘An Aretha tribute about Madonna’ said another.
Madonna made Aretha Franklin’s death about herself and her own musical journey, and honestly, this is some of the whitest shit I have ever seen. #VMAs
— Evette Dionne 🤷🏾♀️ (@freeblackgirl) August 21, 2018
MTV: We’d like you to give a tribute to Aretha Franklin
Madonna: Great, so this is how I got my career started…
MTV: No, no, a tribute to Aretha
Madonna: So I said “bitch, I’m Madonna”
MTV: This isn’t about you madge
Madonna: Look at my African jewelry #VMAs
— lgreene91 (@lgreene91) August 21, 2018
Me: It’s weird that #Madonna is doing a tribute to Aretha Franklin, but what’s the worst that could happen?
Madonna: pic.twitter.com/DvfueYKgCu
— Brittany Stephanis (@bmstephanis) August 21, 2018
This is not the first time Madonna has received backlash from the online community over her tributes to musical icons.
The singer irked many with her performance at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in honor of Prince who had died the month before.
RIP Aretha Franklin
There has been an outpouring of tributes from the music world since it was announced that Franklin had passed away on 16 August.
Her music was gave a powerful voice to both the civil rights and women’s rights movements. She famously sang at the inauguration of Barak Obama in February 2009.
Franklin is also an icon to many LGBTI people. Many in the black LGBTI community found her boldness an inspiration – many considered Franklin to be ‘like a grandmother‘.
She was also a long-time supporter of HIV/AIDS charities. Her very last performance was for Elton John’s AIDS gala in New York in November 2017.
Franklin is survived by her four children.
