Confessions II

Background

After finishing promotion of Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madonna did not speak with Stuart Price for about 15 years. In 2023, she hired him as musical director for the Celebration Tour. Following the tour, she worked on a biographical film that was scrapped by Universal Pictures, then began developing a Netflix television series. To distract herself from waiting, she decided to make a dance album, feeling that "the world is in a very dark place and people need to dance."

She reached out to Price, and they resumed collaboration. In September 2024, Madonna announced on Instagram that she was working on new music with Price; the following February she confirmed it was a follow-up to Confessions on a Dance Floor. In September 2025, she announced a reunion with Warner Records and revealed the album was slated for 2026. A twentieth anniversary edition of Confessions on a Dance Floor was released in November 2025.

Background and development

After the Celebration Tour, Madonna planned a biographical film that was canceled by Universal Pictures due to budget issues, and a Netflix television series that stalled while she searched for a showrunner. To occupy herself, she decided to make a dance album, believing the world is in a dark place and people need to dance. She contacted Stuart Price, with whom she had not spoken for about 15 years after promoting Confessions on a Dance Floor. Their work on the tour reminded them of their alignment sonically, intellectually, and emotionally.

In September 2024, Madonna announced new music with Price on Instagram, and in February 2025 confirmed it was a sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor, teasing a 2025 release. In September 2025, she announced a reunion with Warner Records and revealed two song titles, "Fragile" and "Forgive Yourself," on a podcast. A twentieth anniversary edition of the original album was released in November 2025.

Writing and recording

Madonna moved to London and worked with Price in his Maida Vale studio. They aimed to make the new album as good as or better than the re-released Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna described the creative process as medicine for her soul, allowing full artistic freedom. The album was inspired by the 2024 deaths of her brother Christopher Ciccone and stepmother Joan Ciccone; she began by writing about family trauma.

The song "Fragile" was written after a phone call with Christopher, which she called cathartic. Her daughter Lourdes Leon co-wrote "The Test," their first collaboration, which Madonna called a healing moment. She contacted Sabrina Carpenter via Instagram for the collaboration "Bring Your Love." Dutch DJ Martin Garrix contributed to "Bizarre," and Belgian musician Stromae provided vocals on "My Sins Are My Savior."

The album took about a year and a half to record; eight additional songs, including "What Will Save Me" with Price and Arca, were left off but may be released later.

Composition

Confessions II blends EDM, house, dance-pop, synth-pop, and disco, with some downtempo songs. Critics described it as Madonna's most full-on dance record, drawing from dance music history and exploring sub-genres like acid house, French house, and 2-step garage. The downtempo tracks reference Mo' Wax label sounds with breakbeats and misty atmospherics. Madonna and Price were inspired by Detroit techno and Chicago house.

The album is a non-stop mix in the style of a DJ mix, with mixing done against streaming expectations. Madonna said the songs are confessional but curated for how much they make her move. Themes include consciousness and freedom, with the dance floor as a ritualistic space for letting go of anxiety. Critics noted a reset-and-rebirth drive, comparing it to Ray of Light, and highlighted catharsis, release, and the club as church.

The album features spoken word interludes with spiritual incantations about music's healing power. The opening tracks form a suite of house beats before moving into a melancholic worldview.