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Madonna has shared a tribute to William Orbit after the producer passed away.
The Queen of Pop honored the man behind Ray of Light on social media Saturday, Aug. 8, following his death at 69.
“I had an epiphany when I met you and started working with you,” Madonna said in her tribute on Instagram. “I realized that music did not have to fit into categories or genres. So we created our own.”
Her upload featured footage from her speech at the 1999 Grammy Awards, where Orbit joined her while they received the prize for best pop vocal album. Ray of Light reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
Madonna went on to say, “You pressed a magic button inside of me and I fell into a galaxy of unrealized dreams. Your music gave me a magic carpet to fly on and I visited many places. Sad and Joyful.”
Orbit passed away at his residence on July 23, although news of his death did not emerge until Friday, Aug. 7. No cause was disclosed.
Before creating Madonna’s 1998 record Ray of Light with her, Orbit produced remixes of tracks such as “Justify My Love” and “Erotica.” His recognizable blend of techno, trip hop and downtempo music shaped the sound heard across the project.
“I sang in ways I’d never sung before,” Madonna explained in the message. “I used words without caring if they made sense or not. In many ways you were my Ray of Light — as was my daughter Lola who was born around this time.”
She also wrote, “I was starting a new chapter, I was choosing another road to walk down — and you were right by my side with your crooked teeth and your genius, way of hearing music. The studio was often church like and I would sit in silence, waiting for your ideas to explode out of your keyboard or your guitar and then I would run with them…”
Their creative partnership continued regularly throughout the next 10 years. Orbit earned production credits for “Beautiful Stranger,” “American Pie” and multiple tracks featured on Madonna’s 2000 release Music and her 2012 album MDNA.
“I miss those days. Only you could inspire me to write a song like Drowned World or Swim. You were so otherworldly. So singular,” Madonna shared. “The years passed and I moved on to make music with other people, but I have never forgotten you or the magical time we spent together. Goodbye Billy Bubbles. I was so lucky to have known you and fallen down the rabbit hole with you.”
See Madonna’s full tribute to Orbit on Instagram below.
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Cameron Winter has remained mysterious as rumours continue that he contributed vocals to two songs from Phoebe Bridgers’ forthcoming album Lost Weekend.
The Geese frontman is believed to sing backing vocals on Kill Me and share a duet with Phoebe on I Can't Wait.
Whoever recorded the parts has been listed in the credits under the name Son-John Johnson.
When Rolling Stone asked Cameron whether he was the mystery singer, he joked: “I will need to speak with my attorney.”
The 24 year old indie musician has a highly distinctive voice, although everyone involved appears determined to maintain the mystery.
Phoebe’s album campaign has already included plenty of unexpected developments.
She recently revealed the Lost Weekend tracklist after the details reportedly appeared online ahead of schedule.
Before that, she was required to stop using her record label’s name because of a “disagreement involving the trademark.”
Sharing the confirmed list of songs on Instagram, she wrote: “Since someone already shared it online, here is the official version!
“Only 16 more days to wait!!!!!”
Lost Weekend is scheduled for release through Dead Oceans on August 14.
The Garden Song singer established the independent label Saddest Factory Records in 2020 as an imprint of Dead Oceans.
Six years later, however, she was forced to retire the name and begin issuing her artists’ releases through Dead Oceans. The Saddest Factory Records logo remains in use and features a delicate drawing of a skeleton hand holding an ordinary hand.
A message shared through the label’s Instagram account in June explained: “Following a trademark disagreement connected to our label name, every future SFR project will now be released through Dead Oceans. Our symbol will appear beside the Dead Oceans logo to show our continued participation. Follow @DeadOceans for announcements and information about the artists in our community.”
In keeping with the label’s title, its roster features emotionally expressive musicians including Charlie Hickey, Claud, Katie Gavin, Muna and Sloppy Jane.
The name itself is a humorous take on the word “satisfactory,” a term that regularly appears in recording agreements.
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