Madonna announces new album, a sequel two decades later, 'Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II'

NEW YORK (AP) — As Madonna sang in her 2005 hit, "Hung Up," time goes by so slowly. But it continues to move. On Wednesday, the pop superstar announced she'll release a new album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II," on July 3 via Warner Records — 21 years after the original. It's exciting for a number of reasons: The album is a sequel to her 2005 release, "Confessions on a Dance Floor," and her first full-length in seven years, since 2019's "Madame X." The Associated Press characterized the latter album as a misstep, however, the original "Confessions" has been widely regarded as a return to the top of her pop powers. The critically acclaimed release, which produced such hits as "Hung Up," "Sorry," "Get Together" and "Jump," was dance-pop disco for a new era of clubgoers. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and won a Grammy for best electronic/dance album in 2006. Madonna has previously teased a second "Confessions" work. In December 2024, she shared an Instagram video of herself in the studio with the original album's producer, Stuart Price. In the official press announcement, Madonna shared a manifesto that she and Price had for the album. "We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies. These are things that we've been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It's a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art.It's about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people," she wrote. "Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions, pulling us into a trancelike state. The repetition of the bass, we don't just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time."