Part of the holy trinity of 80’s pop alongside Michael Jackson and Prince, Madonna is arguably the most successful, influential, and iconic female artist of all time. Born Madonna Louise Ciccone in Bay City, Michigan in 1958, she first displayed her renowned ruthless ambition when she dropped out of her dance scholarship and moved to New York to chase her dream of stardom armed with just $35 to her name. After fronting the bands Breakfast Club and Emmy, she landed a solo deal with Sire, releasing her breakthrough hit, “Holiday,” and self-titled debut LP in 1983. A year later, her first US number one single, “Like A Virgin,” and album of the same name signaled her talent for creating controversy, whilst demand for Madonna tickets for her first tour in 1985 was so high that several dates had to be moved to larger venues. Following her critically-acclaimed performance in Desperately Seeking Susan and first UK chart-topper, “Into The Groove,” she cemented her superstar status with True Blue, the “Who’s That Girl” world tour, which saw her play in front of 70,000 people at Wembley Stadium, and 1989’s “Like A Prayer”. Named the Artist of The Decade by Billboard, Madonna started the 90’s in very much the same fashion, scoring number ones with signature hit “Vogue” and The Immaculate Collection, the highest-selling compilation by a solo artist of all time. In-between 1991’s Blond Ambition and 1993’s “The Girlie Show” world tours, Madonna’s career slightly derailed due to her extremely provocative Sex book, the first venture from her own Maverick entertainment company, and 1992’s Erotica. 1994’s Bedtime Stories, which spawned the seven-week chart-topper, “Take A Bow,” and her Golden Globe-winning role in Evita, helped to repair some of the damage. But it was the double whammy of 1998’s 20-million selling Ray Of Light and 2000’s Music that truly revived her fortunes, with $75 million worth of Madonna tickets sold for her subsequent 2001 “Drowned World Tour”. Following a disappointing response to 2003’s American Life, she triumphantly returned to her club roots with 2005’s Confessions On A Dancefloor and after her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and 2008’s Hard Candy, she achieved the highest-grossing female artist tour of all time with the "Sticky & Sweet" tour. In the same year that she released her directorial big-screen debut, W.E., and performed at the 2012 Super Bowl half-time show, Madonna tickets went on sale for an 88 date world tour to promote 12th studio album, MDNA.