Talking Madonna with Erik and Abdi: Episode 16 'CONFESSIONS II' (2026) Part I

"One of the most controversial things I've done is stick around."

It's been seven years since the Queen of Pop released 'Madame X,' the longest time between studio albums in her 40+ year career, and a lot's happened since then. A worldwide pandemic, of course, but for Madonna herself, a sudden and life-threatening experience in June 2023 when she contracted a severe bacterial infection that developed into sepsis and acute septic shock. She was hospitalized in the ICU, placed on a ventilator, and spent four days in a medically induced coma. And no one even knew until it was over. All just as she was about to embark on a world tour in support of her landmark 50 #1s on Billboard and the release of 'Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones,' the now best-selling album celebrating those 50 dance hits. A handful of shows were postponed but the tour, originally set to begin July 15, kicked off on October 14. But struggle wasn't finished with Madonna. Her eldest brother, Anthony, had died in February 2023 then in 2024 her stepmother Joan, who had raised Madonna since she was eight years old and her younger brother Christopher, art director on The Blonde Ambition tour and more, died within 10 days of each other in the fall.

That means it's also been six years since the last episode of Talking Madonna with Erik and Abdi, a series where celebrated author and producer Abdi Nazemian and I broke down all 14 of her studio albums and even curated our own 'greatest hits' album where we each chose one song from each album (with a few cheats) to create the perfect Madonna record. Now it's time to talk 'Confessions II.'

Please enjoy this new conversation between Abdi and myself, where we talk about the build up to the album and its first seven songs: "I Feel So Free," "Good For the Soul," "One Step Away," "Bring Your Love," "Danceteria," and "Everything." This episode runs 1h4m. Keep and eye out for part two soon.

Confessions II by the numbers

• Released on July 3, 2026
• Peaked at #1 on Billboard 200 album chart
• Length: 63:52
• First week sales: 134,000 (currently at approximately 500K)