Madonna Talks Balancing Being An Artist & Motherhood: 'The Toughest Battle'

Parenting is no easy feat, even for the greats like Madonna. The iconic singer got candid about the challenges of being a mom and having a successful career.

As you may know, the Queen of Pop has six kids — Lourdes, Rocco, David, Mercy, Stelle, and Estere — both from her previous marriages and some adopted.

The pop icon has shown how much she loves her kids, even as far as getting tattoos of their initials.  However, managing kids and having a successful career can be challenging, and the mother of six discussed it in a recent Interview. 

The “Like A Virgin” singer, without mincing words, dished all about her parenting struggles and being a successful artist in the latest Vanity Fair Italy issue. When asked what it was like handling being a mom and also being an artist, Madonna said to the news outlet, “It was the hardest thing, the toughest battle. It was perhaps the most complicated clown performance to handle.”

She continued, “Even today, I struggle to understand how to be a mother and do my job. Because however, it goes, whoever you are, having children and raising children is a work of art. And nobody gives you a manual. You have to learn from your mistakes. It is a job that takes a lot of time. And it is tiring because there’s never rest.”

The Grammy winner also expressed that she was glad that her kids found ways to discover their art themselves. Madonna disclosed, “I have never encouraged my daughter Lola to make music or my son Rocco to paint. But I've always exposed them to art, to music, and I'm happy that they've found ways to express themselves. I have respect and admiration for them and for what they do,” before adding that she’s proud of her kids. 

Further into the interview, the 64-year-old mom was asked if she thought it was easy for her kids to grow up with a mother like her. To this, the mom of six replied, “Growing up with a mother like me is a challenge.”

Despite the challenges, Madonna shared some fulfilling joys from motherhood. According to her, spending time with her kids and witnessing their growth was the main source of her happiness. Also, the “Material Girl” expressed that her most significant win was making her “children go as far as they’ve come.

Last November, the “Vogue” singer posted a rare picture of her kids and her during Thanksgiving and revealed they were what she was truly thankful for.

The images showed the songwriter’s kids, each rocking a stylish outfit. Madonna donned a black lace gothic-style corset dress paired with some silver jewelry and red hair. Lourdes donned an all-black outfit like her mom, and Rocco looked dapper in a suit.

The rest of the kids weren’t left out of the glam. David wore a blue turtleneck, Mercy sported a seasonal green dress, and the youngest, Stelle and Estere, twinned in black and glittery skirts and dresses.

The emotional interview comes shortly after the “Frozen” singer announced her big celebration tour. The legendary singer posted the tour details on Instagram with her name in the middle and “Four Decades” written on it. At first, she teased the big news to her fans when she cleared all the posts on her Instagram. This act brought speculations from fans that there was something big coming. 

The tour would be the biggest tour of Madonna’s career, and she would be performing her most famous songs. From the pop legend’s publication, the show will cover the entirety of North America, as well as a part of Europe. 

Additionally, the dates for the events are already confirmed, and fans would see an epic performance from the singer in France, in the UK at the famous O2 Arena, in Spain, in Belgium, in Italy, in Sweden, in Danemark, in Portugal, and in The Netherlands.