Charli XCX has joined forces with Madonna on a fresh take of “Danceteria,” the song from Madonna’s Confessions II record. The reworked single is called “Danceteria Afterhours,” and it brings together two artists spanning nearly 50 decades of pop history.
The Track
Produced by Madonna, Andrew Watt, Cirkut, and Stuart Price, “Danceteria Afterhours” draws on Madonna’s memories of New York City’s legendary club Danceteria. The club opened in midtown Manhattan before moving to its 21st Street location in 1982. That is where Madonna handed DJ Mark Kamin her “Everybody” demo, who played the single for a packed crowd for the first time. It is also where she gave her first live performance.
In her verses, Madonna references clubmates such as:
- Fab 5 Freddy
- Basquiat
- the Rock Steady Crew
Charli XCX contributes her own memories, recalling her time as “sweet 15 in a weird outfit” and performing in London. She then skips forward to her Los Angeles days, when she spent time with A.G. Cook and Sophie, and there she found “different DJs, flavored cocaine.”
The Release Build
Madonna and Charli hosted a Club Confessions party with Saint Laurent during Paris Fashion Week before the track was released. The pair also traded a string of social media posts to promote the single. Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield praised Madonna’s calls the return to the dancefloor on Confessions II “her best album since the original Confessions 21 years ago” and “a 64-minute nonstop groove that flows like a club-DJ set, each song fading into the next, drawing from all over the history of dance music.”
MTV Video Music Awards
The singer Madonna is set to take the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Sept. 27, which would be her first time appearing at the event in 23 years. She heads the night’s field with 11 nominations, driven by the short film she produced for Confessions II. That film is competing for Video of the Year, along with several other categories, including Best Direction, Cinematography, and Choreography.
What We Make Of It
This track brings together artists across nearly 50 decades of music, with each verse carrying a sense of nostalgia and timelessness. It is built on shared memories, old friendships, and the nightspots that helped shape both careers.
Two queens of pop trade verses about old friends and old nights, with the record itself playing like a continuous dance floor. That is the whole story, and it is a good one.
Key dates:
| Event | Date |
|—|—|
| Club Confessions party with Saint Laurent | During Paris Fashion Week |
| “Danceteria Afterhours” release | Now |
| MTV Video Music Awards performance | Sunday, Sept. 27 |
The list of categories for which nominations have been announced includes Video of the Year, Best Direction, Cinematography, and Choreography.
Madonna and Charli XCX work together because they share a common tongue — the language of the dance floor.
Source material: “Madonna and Charli XCX Are Forever Club Kids on Reworked ‘Danceteria’,” Rolling Stone.
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