Madonna is undoubtedly one of the most popular artists of the 21st century, so it’s fair to say she’s heard her fair share of music over the years. However, the iconic musician has now shared her opinion on the state of modern music, noting that she believes it all “sounds the same”.

Speaking to Vogue Italia recently, Madonna let slip that she’s currently preparing to release her first new record in three years by the end of the year, but it’s her comments in regards to modern music that has a lot of her fans talking.

Having recently moved to Lisbon, where her twelve-year-old son David Banda hopes to follow his dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, Madonna also opened up in regards to how the change of scenery has left her feeling inspired when it comes to her music.

“It’s also such a nice antidote to what’s going on in the music business now where everything’s so formulaic, and every song has 20 guest artists on it, and everyone sounds the same,” she explained. “Something’s gotta give.”

Expanding on her point, Madonna noted how the cultural shift has opened up her eyes in regards to not only new musical sounds, but the attitudes that her new Portuguese neighbours have towards the very concept of music.

“In Alfama, you’ll hear people singing and playing fado music everywhere,” she explained. “There are these weekly sessions called living room sessions which pop up in people’s beautiful homes that are 500 years old, and you walk up the marble steps which are lined with candles into the living room which is also dimly lit with candles.”

“And there’s this rolling, very intimate performance happening where people play, they sing, they recite poetry.”

“It’s like a salon; something which doesn’t really exist in many places anymore – people elsewhere say, ‘Call my manager, this is how much I charge,’” she explained. “I’m pretty sure in Lisbon people would do these shows and not get paid, they just do them for the love of what they do, and for me, this is glorious and inspiring.”

While there isn’t too much information about Madonna’s new record, there’s a fair chance to say that it might be a bit of a stylistic departure from 2015’s Rebel Heart, which itself featured influences from the likes of reggae and house music. Only time will tell if the Material Girl will indeed manage to reinvent herself once again.

Check out Madonna’s ‘Express Yourself’: