Madonna first billionaire pop star

US: Singer-songwriter Madonna has become the first billionaire female pop star. A successful world tour and a string of business deals last year pushed her net worth past 650 million pounds ($1 billion), reports thesun.co.uk. The 54-year-old joins an elite club of super-rich celebrities, including director Steven Spielberg and chat show host Oprah Winfrey.

Last year was the most successful of her career, as she raked in an extra 200 million pounds.

Two million people watched her MDNA tour, which was the most successful of any artist in 2012. She also has a perfume range, clothing line and health drink.

Born Madonna Louise Ciccone on August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance and performed in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy. Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry.

She attained immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Critics have praised her diverse musical productions which have also been known to induce controversy.

Madonna released her self-titled debut album in 1983, and followed it with a series of successful albums, including the Grammy Award winners Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005).

Many of her songs peaked atop record charts, including “Like a Virgin”, “Into the Groove”, “Papa Don't Preach”, “Like a Prayer”, “Vogue”, “Frozen”, “Music”, “Hung Up”, and “4 Minutes”.

Madonna received generally positive reviews for her role in Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), though her later film appearances received mixed commentary.

She received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Evita (1996), but has received harsh feedback for other performances. She has been recognized as an acclaimed businesswoman, involving herself in fashion design, writing children's books, and film directing and producing.

In 1992, she founded entertainment company Maverick as a joint venture with Time Warner, which also included the label Maverick Records.

In 2007, she signed a US $120 million record, touring and merchandising 360° deal with Live Nation, resulting in her leaving Warner Bros. Records, her label since 1982.

- DECCAN HERALD