Madonna showed up unannounced at The Abbey in West Hollywood on Saturday night and debuted new music from her forthcoming album Confessions on a Dance Floor II, out July 3. She surprised her LGBTQ+ fans by appearing with Rae and playing new music.
According to NME, the invite-only event was called Club Confessions Los Angeles. Producer Stuart Price, who worked on the original 2005 album and is helping Madonna reconnect with her older sound, played music throughout the night. Addison Rae appeared alongside Madonna, hyping the crowd during the new single “I Feel So Free” while wearing a Catwoman-style eye mask. The song had quietly premiered on the LGBTQ+ radio station Pride Radio earlier in the week.
The Abbey is one of the most iconic LGBTQ+ spaces in the country, and Madonna has always been clear that her connection to queer communities runs deeper than performance. Part of her appearance included Madonna hyping up the crowd by saying, “Mutha is here,” and calling out to the audience, “Gay for the gays! Whoo!” according to NME. Launching the album campaign there, rather than through conventional media, with intentional remarks directed toward members of the LGBTQ+ community, reinforced that connection.
It follows her surprise appearance at Coachella two weeks earlier, where she and Addison Rae previewed their collaboration “Bring Your Love” during Sabrina Carpenter’s headline set, another unannounced moment that is helping Madonna build momentum and excitement for the album.
Confessions II will be her first album since Madame X in 2019. Based on what surfaced Saturday night, the direction is clear: this is a dancefloor record made for the people who loved the original matter.
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