Madonna has said it was a “very healing experience” to record her first song with her eldest daughter, Lourdes Leon.

The US pop star also revealed that one of her new songs is dedicated to her late brother Christopher as she reflected on the creative process behind her upcoming record.

Speaking to presenter Graham Norton for an “exclusive” new BBC programme, the veteran pop star recounted the origins of her wildly successful career and discussed the inspiration behind her new album.

Madonna said, “I’ve been very open and – I wouldn’t say confessional – but talking about my feelings, my desires, my fears for decades.”

She described all of her songs as “very specific” and inspired by her life as she reflected on stand-out tracks from her upcoming record, Confessions II.

“I was affected deeply by the death of my brother Christopher,” she said, referring to his death in 2024 aged 63 after battling with cancer.

“I came to the studio and I spoke to my brother who was in a lot of pain on the phone. He was not in a good place, and I knew that it was close to the end,” she recalled, adding, “Then I went upstairs and wrote a song – so it was all connected to what was happening in my life.”

The popstar continued, “It’s cathartic. It’s like a kind of therapy, to let go of somebody that you love.”

“The best way to do it is to write about it… It’s like an exorcism,” Madonna said, describing what it feels like to write about a life experience. 

She described the track as “beautiful”, and said she will play it to her father when she sees him next, but added that she does not want to “push him over the edge.”

Madonna also spoke about how she has collaborated with her daughter for her new record, marking their first duet, and said, “She doesn’t want to be perceived as my daughter taking advantage of her privilege.”

Leon performs under the stage name Lolahol and has intentionally distanced herself from her mother’s fame to forge her own music career over which Madonna says, “She’s been very stand-offish and working at her own pace – and I respect that deeply.”