Guest Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) From FKA Twigs to Addison Rae , many of today's hottest pop stars are taking inspiration from Madonna's swirling 1998 masterpiece. What is it that has made the album such a touchstone? "It's the perfect blend of pop sensibility and electronic innovation: it manages to deliver both, which is rare," Welsh electronic musician and producer Kelly Lee Owens tells the BBC. Owens, who cites Ray of Light as a major influence on her 2024 album Dreamstate, believes Madonna's masterpiece feels like "something that was fated to be made" in that "it was created at exactly the right time and place and has now become timeless". British singer-songwriter Mae Muller also drew from Ray of Light while working on her new EP My Island, which was released earlier this month. Muller says the album's euphoric title track helped to put her in "a magic place of nostalgic melancholy" that made her "want to dance", which is her "favourite place" musically. This year alone, music critics have detected Ray of Light's sonic legacy in acclaimed albums by British avant-pop alchemist FKA Twigs (Eusexua), Portuguese-born Danish R&B musician Erika de Casier (Lifetime) and US TikTok creator-turned-pop singer Addison Rae (Addison) . The album's aqueous-sounding spin on 1990s electronica – beautifully fluid and flecked with techno and trip-hop – is disarmingly contemporary once more. In March, former Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall (now known as JADE) released a suitably dramatic cover of Frozen, Ray of Light's chart-topping lead single. She said she was drawn to Madonna's haunting ballad because "it feels like a mix of genres" and "isn't your typical pop song". In a way, this cuts to the crux of Ray of Light's enduring appeal: because the album was such a cultural disruptor when it came out, it retains a rare cachet more than 27 years later. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250730-why-madonnas-ray-of-light-is-2025s-hottest-album Edited February 20 by elsamars Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I'm so happy BBC acknowledges the excistance of Addison Rae Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco 21,318 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 It makes sense Ray of Light is having renaissance. Electronica is making ground for its once a decade peak at the same time a love for that era of late 90s into 00s EDM is creating an EDM resurgence. The gays know how to party 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackaroo 2,504 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 (edited) i don’t mean to sh*t on her renaissance but i’m just watching her 2012 superbowl halftime, those guests she had on: LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., and CeeLo Green either gone MAGA or disappeared Edited February 21 by Jackaroo 3 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killa 18,608 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 3 hours ago, Jackaroo said: i don’t mean to sh*t on her renaissance but i’m just watching her 2012 superbowl halftime, those guests she had on: LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., and CeeLo Green either gone MAGA or disappeared Ceelo Trump supporter????????? wat Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackaroo 2,504 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 3 minutes ago, Killa said: Ceelo Trump supporter????????? wat yea apparently he performed for u know who… https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUoVU2qksHl/?igsh=bnRqNDdtNmt2MTBi and he was accused of SA and made some sort of rape comment over the years. Madonna does have a real specific taste with her collaborators 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killa 18,608 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 3 minutes ago, Jackaroo said: yea apparently he performed for u know who… https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUoVU2qksHl/?igsh=bnRqNDdtNmt2MTBi and he was accused of SA and made some sort of rape comment over the years. Madonna does have a real specific taste with her collaborators So dissapointing... Its kinda difficult everyone Is so crooked jesus Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderson123 41,790 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 4 hours ago, Jackaroo said: i don’t mean to sh*t on her renaissance but i’m just watching her 2012 superbowl halftime, those guests she had on: LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., and CeeLo Green either gone MAGA or disappeared Yep. It’d have been a much stronger show if it was solo and switch Give Me All Your Luvin’ for anything else, Hung Up and Ray of Light would’ve been sick. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addison Rae 17,867 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 (edited) 8 hours ago, elsamars said: I'm so happy BBC acknowledges the excistance of Addison Rae they knew to mention her to get clicks for this madinosaur article anyways rae of light kinda did that Edited February 21 by Addison Rae sitting on his lap sipping diet pepsi 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FfFfFfFF 57,736 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 (edited) The ROL-inspired songs on EUSEXUA and Addison are pure gold. I am glad it is acknowledged. Edited February 21 by FfFfFfFF Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LateToCult 41,587 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Addison Rae literally the only relevant name in this entire article. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas 30,292 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Damn y'all hate Madonna so much! It's been 15 years, time to move on! Madonna and Gaga did! 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGAte 673 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 I will die on the hill that parts of Abracadabra remind me of Ray of Light. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagzus 20,221 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 I mean… call me when that hottest album proclamation translates to sled and streams because it sure as hell ain’t nnn Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneaky Oliver 22,828 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 I don’t think “Addison” is directly inspired by ROL, I really don’t hear it, but Eusexua on the other hand has very clear inspiration but I think people don’t make that connection immediately because Twigs is not white or blonde I’d love if Addison takes inspiration from ROL or Music for her next record 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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