Madonna definitely knows how to light up a dance floor, but back in the 1970s, she accidentally lit up her New York City apartment building with an accidental fire.
The confession was made during an interview with Bilt founder and CEO Ankur Jain on May 25.
Madonna’s accidental blaze happened in the late ’70s in a New York City apartment building she lived in “illegally,” she said.
Here’s what happened.
Madonna Says She Accidentally Set Fire to Her NYC Apartment in the 1970s
GettyThe “Material Girl” singer shared with Jain that she lived “illegally” in a New York City apartment building as she recalled several housing situations she was in during her late teens.
She said she squatted in a few places—because she broke up with her boyfriend at the time who wouldn’t let her sing in his band—until she ended up in the Music Building, where several other musicians and bands lived as they worked on their music careers.
While living “illegally” in an apartment building, Madonna accidentally started an electrical fire with a space heater, she revealed.
“There was no heat in the dead of winter. Everybody knows how cold New York winters are. I was sleeping on the floor with a sleeping bag, and I surrounded myself with some space heaters,” Madonna began.
She added that she was asleep when the fire started, but then woke up.
“I was surrounded by flames,” the Grammy winner said.
Madonna Partners With Bilt to Offer Free Rent to NYC Musicians
GettyMadonna’s conversation with Jain comes amid a new partnership with Bilt, a company that lets renters to earn points and cash back on rent and mortgage payments.
As part of this partnership, Madonna is accomplishing a few things.
First, the “Papa Don’t Preach” songstress is covering a month of studio rent for musicians living in the aforementioned Music Building, according to a press release. She’s also offering Bilt members the opportunity to win up to $2,500 in rent.
“Artists arrive every day to New York, with a dream and more often than not with little else,” Madonna said in a statement, according to Billboard. “As much as I struggled when I showed up here with nothing, I look back very fondly on this time in my life. The creativity, diversity and community of artists all supporting each other while having the freedom to experiment is something I would.”
Bilt has also released a limited-edition vinyl of Madonna’s upcoming 15th studio album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II.”
Madonna’s ‘Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II’ Drops July 3
GettyMadonna’s 15th studio album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II”—a sequel to her 2005 album “Confessions on a Dance Floor”—is set to release on July 3.
It’s her first album in seven years.
The dance album draws inspiration from Madonna’s early New York City days. Here’s what she said in a statement when she announced she was releasing the upcoming album:
“From being a struggling artist in New York City to signing a record deal to release just three singles, it seemed at the time my world would never be the same again and in fact that couldn’t have been truer. Since the beginning, Warner Records has been a real partner with me. I am happy to be reunited and look forward to the future, making music, doing the unexpected while perhaps provoking a few needed conversations.”
