When “Bitch I’m Madonna” was first released in the summer of 2015, it was met with mixed reactions. Often, that was the case with SOPHIE productions, immediately “understood” or written off as overprocessed “drivel.” Considering Madonna’s knack for always tapping into who the most sought after producers of the moment are (from Nile Rogers to Stuart Price), it wasn’t uncharacteristic that SOPHIE should make it onto the Rebel Heart album. Yet it was a surprising early signal of a major instantaneous elevation on SOPHIE’s part into the mainstream public eye (on an eerie side note, AVICII, another producer who stylized his mononym in all caps and died too young, also worked on Rebel Heart).
Still, taking into account that Madonna brought vogueing to the Midwest, it was only a natural progression that she should do the same with PC Music, known first and foremost for its SoundCloud. The “DIY” vibe translated well for M. Giving Madonna another Billboard Hot 100 entry, SOPHIE’s frenetic, jarring and downright abrasive production contributions were to account for both its success and polarizing nature. And what could be a better sonic characteristic for someone as polarizing as Madonna herself?
Exuding the confident attitude of Madonna’s that people only wish they could bottle and apply, “Bitch I’m Madonna” was an anthem intended for those who don’t bat an eyelash at criticism. For those who know they have paid their dues and have absolutely no regrets (to quote the “Human Nature” video). The self-assurance to be aware of when someone is being a troll and to simply shrug it off in defiance.
Detailing all the ways in which her life and night is one non-stop “go hard or go home zone,” Madonna also enlists the help of Nicki Minaj for a rap verse (as she did on 2012’s “Give Me All Your Luvin’” and “I Don’t Give A”). She also seems to presage her 2017 comments at the Women’s March with, “Put me under the flashing light/Let me blow up this house tonight.” For SOPHIE, who wrote a song called “Immaterial,” riffing on “Material Girl,” they knew better than anyone how to embody Madonna’s persona, and the arrogance of a message like “Bitch I’m Madonna.”
It’s only a shame they didn’t appear in the video, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, featuring an onslaught of celebrity cameos that, at the time, found Madonna being somehow accused of emulating Taylor Swift with “Bad Blood” (uh no, bitch she’s Madonna, celebrity cameos were her life long before Swift came along–just ask Kevin Costner).
They surely would have fit right in with the escalating bombast of the party scenes galore. And yet, at that time SOPHIE was not ready to appear in front of the camera as their true self, instead using Madonna as a mouthpiece to declare the inner confidence they could not yet express outwardly to full effect. With Madonna’s intro lines to the song, “You’re gonna love this/You can’t touch this/’Cause I’m a bad bitch,” it is now almost impossible to not think of SOPHIE saying them. For they really were 100% that bitch.
