Radio 1 Madonna controversy

The Radio 1 Madonna controversy was a series of events that occurred as a result of BBC Radio 1's decision not to playlist American singer Madonna's single "Living for Love" in February 2015. Despite receiving moderate airplay from commercial radio in the United Kingdom, the single was not added to Radio 1's playlist, leading to accusations of ageism. The controversy stemmed from an article that appeared in the Daily Mail, which quoted an unnamed Radio 1 insider describing Madonna as "old" and "irrelevant". In response, the singer's fans posted numerous requests for the song on BBC's social media accounts, and several artists criticized Radio 1's music policy, prompting the station to release a statement defending their decision not to play the track.

The controversy received significant media coverage in the United Kingdom and internationally, sparking a wider discussion about ageism in the music industry. "Living for Love" was subsequently added to BBC Radio 2's C-list, before being promoted to the B-list. The station caters to audiences who are aged 35 and higher. Commercially, the single peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart, for the week ending 28 February 2015.

Madonna has received considerable airplay on BBC Radio 1 since the beginning of her career and made her first appearance on the station on 22 December 1986, when she was interviewed by Simon Bates during the promotion of the film Shanghai Surprise. The singer gave subsequent interviews to Jakki Brambles, Bates, Simon Mayo, Sara Cox, Jo Whiley, and Chris Moyles in 1990, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2001, and 2006, respectively. The station also broadcast the Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990 and The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993. On 10 May 2008, Madonna headlined Radio 1's Big Weekend at Mote Park, in Maidstone to promote the release of her album Hard Candy. The first single from the album, "4 Minutes" (2008), was added to the station's A-list.

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