Starting today, Madonna fans can go on iTunes and other streaming services to get a preview of her new album that had previously been leaked online. Six of the songs from her 13th album, Rebel Heart , will be made available for downloading. However, in a statement reported by the Associated Press , the music icon said she had hoped to wait until another holiday to release one of the singles.
“I was hoping to release my new single ‘Living For Love’ on Valentine’s Day with the rest of the album coming in the spring. I would prefer my fans to hear completed versions of some of the songs instead of the incomplete tracks that are circulating. Please consider these six songs as an early Christmas gift.”
She also urged her fans not to listen to the leaked music because they are incomplete demos that were done a long time ago. The leaks occurred on November 27, Thanksgiving Day, and included brief snippets of the music that were leaked on Twitter and some video clips that were released on YouTube, but those clips were quickly taken down.
Along with the love song, the other released songs include an anti-drug tune called “Devil’s Play,” a dance track called “Illuminati,” and a duet she made with Nicki Minaj called “B****, I’m Madonna.” As Time reported, more tracks from the album are scheduled to be released on February 9.
When the leak was revealed, Madonna was incensed and called it “artistic rape,” as reported by the Inquisitr . She said the leaked tracks had been stolen, and described them as not being ready to be presented to the world. Her manager, Guy Oseary, tweeted and asked fans to find out who was responsible for leaking the demos and to let him know.
Madonna tweeted her fans on Saturday about the music release, and revealed the cover art for the album when she did.
X-mas is coming early! Pre order my album and download 6 tracks! Happy Holidays! ?? #rebelheart pic.twitter.com/YBiJccfQQ4
— Madonna (@Madonna) December 20, 2014
According to USA Today , the album is set for release on March 10, and some of the producers include Madonna, Kayne West, Diplo, DJ Dahl, and Blood Diamonds. It is being released by Interscope Records, which is a division of Universal Music Group. Fans can purchase the entire album, or they can download songs a la carte.
Madonna has been hard at work the past few months promoting the album on social media by posting music lyrics and pictures from the studio sessions.
[Image via Interscope Records]
