Madonna is the Italian honorific ma donna ("my lady") — historically used as a title for the Virgin Mary. **Madonna Louise Ciccone (born 1958)** — the **best-selling female recording artist of all time** with over 300 million records sold. **First woman inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame**. **Highest-grossing female touring act in music history** as of 2023. **Like a Virgin* (1984), *Material Girl*, *Vogue* (1990), *Like a Prayer* (1989) — defined MTV-era pop and the visual presentation of female sexuality in mainstream music.
Featured in countless biographies and Andrew Morton's *Madonna* (2001).
Madonna reduces to five — the number of best-selling female artist.