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Madonna
Singer Madonna arrives at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art December 8, 1999 for the Costume Institute Gala. Reuters

Madonna celebrates her 53rd birthday today, to mark this we celebrate her career that has span decades.

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur who first struck fame with the release of her debut album "Madonna "in 1983.

She followed it with a series of albums by which she found immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV.

Throughout her career, many of her songs have hit number one on the record charts, including "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes". Critics have praised Madonna for her diverse musical productions.

Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita (1996).

Madonna's other ventures include being a fashion designer, children's book author, film director and producer. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, and in 2007, she signed an unprecedented US $120 million contract with Live Nation.