Madonna candidly recalled accidentally starting a fire with a space heater while she was “illegally” living in a New York City building in the late 70s ahead of her career.
“I was living illegally in a building in the Garment District,” the “Material Girl” songstress told Bild founder and CEO Uncle Jain in an interview published Wednesday.
“There was no heating in the middle of winter. We all know how cold it is in New York winters. I was sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag and I had several heaters around me.”
Madonna, 67, explained: “There was an electrical fire, but I was asleep and when I woke up I was engulfed in flames.”
The Grammy winner, who was about 19 years old at the time, recalled that she was squatting in another building after breaking up with her boyfriend because he wouldn’t let her be a singer in his band.
“I didn’t have a place to live, so I took refuge in this building on Eighth Avenue called the Music Building,” she added of the midtown Manhattan building, which was founded in 1979.
“I was living illegally in a building in the Garment District,” the hitmaker said. built
Madonna continued, “The music building was full of people working hard to make a career in music. There were probably two or three bands in each room, and they were time-sharing the room with people,” Madonna said, explaining that she slept with a pillow next to the bass drum.
She recalled giving a demo tape to DJ Mark Cummins when she lived in the building for about a year before landing a record deal at the Lower East Side’s Danceteria Club.
In collaboration with the “Vogue” singer, Bild, a live-in membership company and hospitality platform, is covering one month’s rent for musicians living in the Music Building, offering members nationwide the chance to win up to $2,500 in rent.
Additionally, the company has released an exclusive limited edition vinyl copy of Madonna’s upcoming album, Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II.
The album is scheduled for release on July 3rd, and Bild will also be hosting members-only album release parties in the Big Apple, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Madonna’s long-awaited album is a follow-up to her iconic 2005 disco album and will feature songs about her early career, including the song “Danceteria.”
The “Popular” singer signed her first record deal with Sire Records in 1982 and released her first single “Everybody” in the same year.
In 1984, Madonna rose to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 music chart with her first No. 1 single, “Like a Virgin.”
She won her first Grammy Award in 1992 for Best Music Video for the “Blond Ambition World Tour Live” concert film.
