Madonna and her daughter, Lola Leon, are opening up about the emotional experience of collaborating on Confessions II song “The Test.”
During an interview Thursday (July 2) with Bob the Drag Queen on “iHeartRadio and TikTok LIVE Premiere With Madonna,” the mother-daughter duo discussed the making of the song, which was written by Madonna and Leon, produced by Stuart Price, with additional production from Arca.
Bob the Drag Queen kicked off the conversation by asking whose idea it was to create “The Test,” which marks the Queen of Pop’s first official musical team-up with her 29-year-old eldest daughter.
“It was my idea,” Leon responded, explaining that “there’s a lot of things that are unspoken” in a mother-daughter relationship.
“There’s a lot of love that’s unspoken, but also a lot of tension and emotions that kind of are difficult to put into words, because it can be so emotional,” she said. “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. That’s really brought us together.”
Madonna described the songwriting process as “a very magical moment,” adding that they both “had to be vulnerable.”
“The Test” finds Madonna reflecting on the ways her global fame affected Leon, who inspired Ray of Light and was 9 years old when the Confessions on a Dance Floor era began in 2005.
“You didn’t ask for all the flashing lights,” Madonna sings on the track. “I didn’t think of how it could disturb/ Or how it hurt/ I wish I knew the pain I’ve caused/ My butterfly was always being watched.”
Leon also revealed that, before entering the studio to record “The Test,” she had a dream about her maternal grandmother.
“It was kind of unclear what she said, but I just felt her presence,” she said. “It left me wondering what kind of person I would be if she was alive, and what kind of person you would be if she was alive, and what our relationship would be like. Those questions will always be unanswered, but I think it was a really beautiful way to honor her and heal each other through her eyes, kind of as a spirit.”
Asked whether she had to work up the courage to ask her mother to collaborate, Leon said she wasn’t nervous.
“Not really,” she responded. “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.”
Leon (who has recorded as Lolahol) released her debut single, “Lock & Key,” in 2022, along with her GO EP that same year. The model, dancer and singer was born to Madonna and dancer and fitness trainer Carlos Leon in 1996. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2018, where she studied dance.
Confessions II, Madonna’s 15th studio album, features 16 tracks, including collaborations with Sabrina Carpenter, Feid, Martin Garrix, and Stromae.
Ahead of the album’s Friday (July 3) release, Madonna partnered with iHeartRadio and TikTok for an exclusive preview event. The “iHeartRadio and TikTok LIVE Premiere With Madonna” streamed Thursday, giving fans around the world a first listen to the album one day before its official release. Viewers could tune in via @tiktok, @madonna and @iheartradio, while more than 200 iHeartRadio stations across the U.S. also broadcast the event.
