Madonna Drops Serious Hints About New Album

Madonna is working on new music, and that’s always something to get excited about. Wednesday evening, the pop music icon posted a photo of herself on Instagram working in the studio with singer Natalia Kills and Interscope Records executive Martin Kierszenbaum. The caption reads, “Working the midnight shift with Natalia Kills. 2 girls on a couch… don’t it taste like Holy Water? #artforfreedom #rebelheart #revolutionoflove.”

Okay, so I’m not 100 percent sure what Madge is talking about, but we have seen some of those hashtags on her Instagram before. Could “Rebel Heart” be the name of a new single? Is “Revolution of Love” her new album title? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

A few weeks ago, Madonna reported that she was working on new material with Swedish DJ Avicii (of “Wake Me Up” fame), but not many people are familiar with Natalia Kills. After a failed stint as a rapper, the now 27-year-old British artist (real name: Natalia Noemi Keery-Fisher…not nearly as cool) decided to try her hand at pop music. Unfortunately, Kills’ debut album, Perfectionist, drew a lot of comparisons to Lady Gaga — not exactly a good thing for a new artist trying to make her mark. (In her defense, Kills did work on Perfectionist with Kierszenbaum and Akon, who also contributed to Gaga’s debut album, The Fame.)

Fortunately, Kills showed significant growth on her second album, 2013’s Trouble. Working closely with producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, fun., Taylor Swift), she was able to find her own unique sound. In fact, Trouble’s second single, the deceptively depressing “Saturday Night,” was one of my favorite pop songs of last year.

I think Kills’ trademark brooding, haunting lyrics could be a really cool contrast to Madonna’s breathy, increasingly lightweight voice (hey, it’s true!). Sure, Madonna’s last album, MDNA, was kind of a disappointment, but “Gang Bang,” the project’s weirdest and darkest track, was definitely a highlight!

Madonna’s manager, Guy Oseary, told Billboard back in January that the star was “eager to get started” on her new album, and things certainly seem to be progressing quickly. Stay tuned for more Madonna news in the coming weeks.