Madonna Says Her Children 'Will Never Forget' Putting Their 'Blood, Sweat and Tears' Into Training for Singer's World Tour
Madonna not only passed her incredible talent down to her six children, but she shared her driven work ethic, too!
In a new interview published Wednesday, April 24, the Queen of Pop reflected on how dedicated her four youngest children — David Banda, 18, Mercy James, also 18, and 11-year-old twins Stella and Estere Ciccone — were when it came to perfecting the special roles they had in their mom's world tour.
"I think what my children learned the most in this year of rehearsing and performing is that if you want to follow your dreams, you have to work hard for them," Madonna expressed to a news publication. "And if all of them choose something different later in life, they will never forget this year of blood, sweat, and tears."
As for why she decided to include her four adopted kids in her show, Madonna explained: "Because the Celebration Tour is a retrospective of my life, I thought it made perfect sense to include all of my children still living with me in the show; they all dance and play musical instruments, and have been doing so for years."
"David has played guitar since he was a child. Mercy has played piano since she was 8 and she’s been classically trained most of her life. Eventually, when I adopted the twins, they started to play piano and dance as well," she continued, admitting there's "always an endless parade of dancing and [performing arts] teachers coming and going in our house."
During the show, Mercy joins her mom on piano for a moving performance of the pop icon's 1993 song "Bad Girl."
"I saw a strange, poetic juxtaposition of hedonism and exploration emerging into the light of Mercy, sitting stoically at her grand piano playing Chopin as she beckoned me towards her, making me think about the choices I have made in my life," Madonna said of how she chose where to include the teenager.
"Singing ‘Bad Girl’ was kind of my confession to her, and I felt we had an unspoken understanding of what was happening," she added.
For David's part in the show, he and Madonna sing her 2003 hit "Mother and Father" as a duet.
"'Mother and Father’ is one of my favorite moments in the show because it gave me a chance to not only honor my mother and her memory but also to honor David’s mother and her memory," she said of her son, whom Madonna adopted from Malawi in 2006. "He has always wanted to sing and play guitar. He loves being on stage — this is nothing new. Much of the show is about motherhood, family, and the importance of that in my artistic life."
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Madonna didn't forget to include her adorable twins, Stella and Estere, as they show off their impressive dance moves while the mom-of-six sings her song "Don't Tell Me," originally released in 2000.
The trio's performance occurs during a part of the concert that honors the art of vogueing and ballroom dancing.
"While Estere was learning how to DJ, she became interested in ballroom competitions. Just by luck, one of my choreographer’s assistants, Ivy Mugler, has her own ballroom house called House of Mugler," Madonna shared.
The "Material Girl" singer added: "She started taking Estere aside during rehearsals to another room — and within a couple of weeks she was doing death drops and spins and surprising us with her ability. So, of course we had to turn that section of the show into Estere’s Ball."
Madonna is also a mom to her eldest daughter, Lourdes "Lola" Leon, 27, and her son Rocco Ritchie, 23. Her older children have previously worked witht heir mom on tour, but are off focusing on their own ventures.
"I have always been blessed with children who are interested in music, dance and art. Starting from the top with Lola, who was not only an incredible ballet dancer and a rhythmic gymnast, she also switches to musical theater and contemporary dance," she gushed of Lourdes, while Rocco is fulfilling his dreams as an accomplished artist.
W Magazine interviewed Madonna.