Madonna is opening up about the emotional experience of writing and recording her first-ever collaboration with daughter Lourdes “Lola” Leon, the deeply personal track The Test from her album Confessions II.
Speaking alongside Leon in a conversation with Bob the Drag Queen that aired on iHeartRadio Liveon Thursday, September 24, Madonna, 68, described the songwriting process as an emotionally vulnerable one for both of them.
Leon, 29, explained that the idea to collaborate came from her own desire to work through unspoken parts of their relationship through art.
“It was my idea. I think that between a mother and a daughter in a relationship, there’s a lot of things that are unspoken,” she said.
“There’s a lot of love that is unspoken, but also a lot of tension and emotions that are difficult to put into words. A way that I thought would be easier for us to speak about these things would be maybe through art, which is always something that my mom and I have connected over.”
Madonna responded by describing just how affecting the writing process became for her personally.
“It was a very emotional [process]. I cried,” she said.
“Because, as she says… we don’t always agree on things, but we love creativity, and art has always connected us. It was a very magical moment, and we both had to be vulnerable.”
Leon also touched on how intimidating it initially felt to approach her famous mother with the idea, admitting some hesitation before doing so.
“Maybe this is gonna sound stupid, but she’s a very intimidating person, and I have found that I’m not intimidated by many people as a result of her being my mom,” she said.
Madonna has previously described the period surrounding the song’s creation as an especially difficult one personally, citing her brother’s serious illness and the death of her stepmother, with whom she’d had a strained relationship throughout her childhood.
The Test marks Leon’s first official musical collaboration with her mother, following years of Leon building her own independent music career under the name LOLAHOL.
Confessions II, released July 3, features 16 tracks and additional collaborations with artists including Feid, Stromae, Martin Garrix and Sabrina Carpenter.
2026-09-25 03:48:00
