Italians Do It Better is an independent record label based in Portland and West Hollywood. It was started by Johnny Jewel and Mike Simonetti on July 20, 2006, to focus on Jewel's projects Glass Candy and Chromatics and later Desire, Symmetry and Mirage, in addition to other artists from prior releases. Genres from the label have been described as contributing to the synth-pop, post-punk, and Italo-disco revivals. They have released three label compilations, 'After Dark' (2007), ' After Dark 2' (2013), 'After Dark 3' (2020), and 'After Dark 4' (2022), all of which feature music from their roster. A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. Sweden won with Loreen’s ‘ Tattoo’, which remains one of my favourite songs. The UK came second to last, but I can’t remember who came last.” Madonna’s last decade, which goes from MDNA (2012) to today, through the albums Rebel Heart (2015) and Madame X (2019), has left jewels, rarities and discoveries, but hardly any hits. How will she include this last decade in her career retrospective, if at all? If we go by the numbers, Madonna should sing “ Gimme All Your Luvin’” (her last single to reach the top 10 on the US Billboard chart), “ Bitch I’m Madonna” (the only resemblance to a hit from Rebel Heart, thanks in part to its star-studded video clip) and “Faz Gostoso,” which became a hit on Spotify thanks to Anitta’s presence. But if anything is memorable about this last decade, it is that Madonna becomes human, fragile and afraid of failure, as shown in “ Love Spent,” “ Joan of Arc” or “ Wash All Over Me,” true hidden gems of this era. Executive produced by Johnny Jewel featuring 19 artists incl. Desire, Glüme, Jorja Chalmers, Sally Shapiro, JOON & more

Since 2006, listeners have been curious about the origin of our label name Italians Do It Better. Some say it’s an homage to Italo Disco, others guess it’s related to ancestry, but in fact it’s a nod to the iconic T-shirt Madonna wears in the “Papa Don’t Preach” video circa 1986. Fast forward to a world pandemic last year… To encourage creativity & lift spirits, Italians Do It Better President, Megan Louise asked every artist “If you could cover your favorite Madonna song…What would it be?” Madonna is reclaiming her legacy by her mere presence on stage. She is going on a tour that, against all odds, will bear no resemblance to the complacent self-homage of other artists her age. Madonna has not been known in the last decade for opening new musical paths, but rather for leaving a path open for other pop artists who are not willing to retire. With a social media presence that makes many uncomfortable – sometimes showing her breasts or inhaling poppers – Madonna is doing what she always did. Once, apart from causing controversy, she also sang. If, on this tour, she does both, we will be able to confirm her return. After a 40-year career, she allows herself to be nostalgic and recognize her accomplishments. How will she distill a wide catalog that includes so many personal reinventions? It was common for her past tours to follow her character of the moment: new age techno on Drowned World Tour, disco diva on Confessions Tour, ghetto colorism on Hard Candy, the sad after-party muse of MDNA. But how will she combine them all in a concert that lasts about two hours? How to retell her beginnings Your debut solo album, 2006’s ‘Fired Up’, never received a physical release in the UK – until this year. What number did it chart at in Japan? The Italians Do It Better compilation reflects a deep love and respect for the music of Madonna. Their versions range from faithful remakes to nearly blasphemous reinventions, drawing a throughline between Madonna's many eras and the ostentatious, sensual post-disco upon which Italians Do It Better has built a mini-empire. It's a rare beast, highlighting both the genius of Madonna's work through the years and the legacy she's left on the contemporary electronic music scene.

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One of the reasons why I started Italians Do It Better is because I didn't want someone telling me when a record was due, or when something needed to be written or recorded. Or when I needed to go on tour. I believe in doing things when it's ready. It’s a dangerous game because the world is moving so fast. But ultimately the only reason we're having this conversation is because I love music. And that's the path that it's led me on in my life. I never set out to be a successful musician, but musical decisions have always guided my life. For that reason, I will stay true to what I really feel… 2007-present [ edit ]

And with such a cultivated vibe, you can probably guess what Italians Do It Better sounds like: mournful and romantic noirish synth-pop versions of Madonna songs. At its best, the results are both on-the-nose and impressive, like Glüme's cover of "Material Girl," whose deflated synths and detached vocals turn the tongue-in-cheek song into a weary lullaby. Sally Shapiro's version of "Holiday," meanwhile, takes it to a rarefied, airy place without losing sight of the tics that make the original so good, while Belarusian band Dlina Volny make "Hollywood," Madge's paean to LA's underbelly, sound morose, even sinister. Executive produced by Johnny Jewel, the compilation is a passport to 20 covers from the bedrooms of 19 artists across 10 different countries. From Joon’s opening cover of “Papa Don’t Preach”which oozes such charisma, d elicate tones, and this alluring ambiance to Glüme’s “Material Girl” which showcases this sweeter, intimate rework. The album offers this intoxicating compilation filled with expressive imaginative re-works and all with this mighty soundscape. Other major releases on the label include the 2011 album Themes for an Imaginary Film from Symmetry (a collaboration between Johnny Jewel and Chromatics' Nat Walker), Chromatics' 2012 album Kill for Love, and After Dark 2 in 2013.Italians Do It Better began gaining significant international recognition in 2007 with three consecutive releases of the label compilation After Dark, Chromatics' Night Drive, and Glass Candy's B/E/A/T/B/O/X. The Celebration tour will pay tribute to Madonna’s four-decade career. Madonna had never toured without a new studio album to promote. She has never given a greatest hits concert. The tour seems to work to reinforce the artist’s musical legacy. Not only is she responsible for the highest-grossing tours in history, but, with the Blonde Ambition Tour in 1990, she invented the pop concert as we know it today: a theatrical event divided into acts, combining both songs and visual spectacle . There is perhaps no musician from the Italians Do It Better roster more suited to covering “Material Girl” than Glüme. With ironical lyrics made for someone who once sang, “It’s not so bad/It’s just a nervous breakdown,” Glüme lends her higher-pitched Nico-esque baby voice to a song that served as the anthem for a decade. Gosh, wow! Bless her soul. I loved that Mis-Teeq were at the NME Awards. We’d come from the world of garage and had crossover to the pop commercial world which meant we could play Glastonbury or turn up at the NME Awards and it would be authentic and make sense. When younger artists say: ‘I would try and learn all your raps when I was growing up’ or saw us an inspiration, it makes me realise that Mis-Teeq opened a lot of doors and showed things were possible. Growing up, we’d look to artists in America because we didn’t always have role models – particular women of colour – in our own country, so it’s important that we broke down perceptions and stereotypes. Even 22 years after releasing Mis-Teeq’s first single, I still feel there’s work to be done and more to achieve.”

Label President Megan Louise asked every artist: "If you could cover your favorite Madonna song...What would it be?" This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. You might ask yourself if you need a collection of Madonna covers, and really, it's more for the Italians Do It Better stans than the Madonna diehards. The label has created such a distinct sound world that it's a pleasure to hear it applied somewhere else, even for 20 covers in a row. It might be best summed up by the version of "La Isla Bonita." If the original sounds like something that could score a Sandals commercial, Double Mixte's cover is the work of the has-been lounge singer who's worked at the resort for decades, singing the song night after night. The melody becomes a tad mournful, the Italo disco arpeggios and industrial drums lending it a sad pallor. It's both completely ridiculous and totally convincing, like so much of Madonna's best work. That Italians Do It Better could channel this paradox so well, and even make it their own, speak volumes about the label's vision, talented roster and the enduring genius of Madonna, which is more than the lion's share of tribute albums can claim. Fast forward to a world pandemic last year… To encourage creativity & lift spirits,Italians Do It Better President, Megan Louise asked every artist “ If you could cover your favorite Madonna song…What would it be?” In Hard Candy (2008) Madonna continues to dance, albeit to R&B, and it is worth asking whether she will sing “ 4 Minutes,” which could be considered her last great hit. A strange blank space

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Fast forward to a world pandemic last year… To encourage creativity & lift spirits, Italians Do It Better President, Megan Louise asked every artist “ If you could cover your favorite Madonna song…What would it be?” All shirts are sent standard Royal Mail 2nd class (in the UK) and standard Airmail for everywhere else. Spain, Italy, Russia, Far East and South America are all sent recorded delivery. Johnny has executive produced the LP, which also includes Glume's cover of 'Material Girl', Joon's version of 'Papa Don't Preach', Desire's take of 'Angel', and Italo Disco star Sally Shapiro's rendition of 'Holiday'. Blue were the most fun. They were like our annoying brothers. We’d do kids’ tv shows and were always in and out of each other’s dressing rooms. I remember performing at Miss World with McFly and we were drinking neat tequila and I fell over and injured Dougie [Poynter, McFly member]’s eye, and they had to help me up from the floor. We were living our best lives.” WRONG. According to Mis-teeq member Su-Elise Nash, the film’s theme song was originally meant to be ‘ Outrageous’ by Britney Spears, but it was scrapped when she broke her knee on the set of the music video.