After months of rumors and hints, Madonna has finally revealed plans for the sequel to her 2005 LP Confessions on a Dance Floor, which she’s titled Confessions II. The album is set to come out July 3, and she’s shared a brief visual teaser. The leadoff single is “One Step Away.”
“People think that dance music is superficial, but they’ve got it all wrong,” Madonna says in a statement. “The dance floor is not just a place, it’s a threshold: A ritualistic space where movement replaces language.”
She also shared the “manifesto” that she established with Confessions II producer Stuart Price when work began on the album: “We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies. These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect —with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people. Sound, light, and vibration. Reshape our perceptions Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
The original Confession on a Dance Floor marked the first time that Price produced a Madonna record, though they began working together in 2001 when he remixed songs from her 2001 album Music. Confessions on a Dance Floor generated the hits “Hung Up,” “Sorry,” “Get Together,” and “Jump,” and is one of her most beloved albums.
The news of Confessions II comes at a busy time for Madonna. Word came out earlier this month that she’s going to appear in the upcoming season of Seth Rogen’s Hollywood spoof show The Studio. She was recently seen filming in Venice, Italy, alongside Julia Garner, who was supposed to portray the pop icon in a biopic that was ultimately scuttled. It appears to take place in an alternate version of reality where the film actually happened.
As of now, there’s no word on when “One Step Away” will be released. She also hasn’t spoken about tour plans. She last hit the road for the 2023/2024 Celebration Tour. The wildly successful show contained hits from her entire career, marking her 40th anniversary as a pop star, and it grossed over $225 million across 81 concerts.
Steve Cohen*
