Madonna debuted “The Test” with her daughter, whose birth greatly inspired the pop icon’s work on her 1998 album “Ray of Light.”

Madonna, daughter Lourdes Leon address ‘coattail’ criticism and scrutiny on new, emotionally raw song

Madonna debuted "The Test" with her daughter, whose birth greatly inspired the pop icon's work on her 1998 album "Ray of Light."

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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July 3, 2026 8:45 a.m. ET

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Lourdes Leon and Madonna in 2025. Credit:

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

- Madonna and daughter Lourdes Leon address "coattail" criticism on the pop icon's new album.

- *Confessions II* track "The Test" sees them push back against public scrutiny of their dynamic.

- "I know they tried to put us to the test," the mother-daughter pair sings, after Leon greatly inspired her mom's 1998 album *Ray of Light*.

Madonna's little star is making a big statement on the pop icon's new album, *Confessions II*.

After her birth largely served as thematic inspiration for her mother's 1998 album *Ray of Light *(particularly the song "Little Star"), Lourdes Leon joined Madonna for a powerful new duet as part of the *Confessions on a Dance Floor* sequel's rollout.

On *Confessions II *track "The Test," Madonna, 67, and Leon, 29, trade verses about the ups and downs of navigating their relationship under public pressure, which has, at times, included accusations of Leon riding on a "coattail," as she explicitly references on the tune.

"I know they tried to put us to the test. I'm not the same when I'm hanging on your coattail," the lyrics read. "Sometimes I wish I could multiply but I know you are all I need."

The song also sees Leon sing about her mother's influence on her, just as Madonna sang about how Leon's birth impacted her worldview on *Ray of Light* tracks like "Nothing Really Matters" and the aforementioned "Little Star."

"A hand tenderly reaching to me. You are my reason to be. What I want, or look like, what I wear, all the clothes on my back and what I attract," Leon sings in the song. "I trace the line of what you have sewn. Keep my own design, make it a landscape, make it alive."

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Madonna also joins in at various points throughout the song, with the chorus offering a sobering look at the mother-daughter pair's outlook on life: "I know they tried to put us to the test. I’m not so different, time is knocking on my doorstep. You show me your razor-sharp laser vision. Real brave, will make you feel kind of different."

The move marks the second collaboration between Madonna and Leon for the *Confessions II* era, with the first being the latter's supporting role in her mother's *Confessions II — The Film*, a short film featuring six songs from the album as well as accompanying visuals.

Leon, born in 1996 to Madonna and Carlos Leon, has long worked with her mother on various projects, including previously appearing in visuals for her mother's *Madame X* tour and singing on a prior duet, "Superstar," for Madonna's 2012 album *MDNA*.

Madonna and daughter Lourdes Leon in 2022.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Madonna's daughter also paid tribute to her mother by recording a 2023 recreation of the pop icon's 1998 music video for "Frozen," which appeared on the popular album *Ray of Light*.

The album also includes songs drawing inspiration from Leon's birth, including "Nothing Really Matters" and "Little Star."

Madonna honored her family on stage at the Celebration Tour in 2023, when she brought her children out on stage to accompany her at various performances.

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"As a mother, you can really get caught up in the needs of your children and the seemingly endless giving," she said of her family online. "But when the chips were down, my children really showed up for me. I saw a side to them I had never seen before. It made all the difference."

*Confessions II *is out now. Watch the new album's accompanying short film starring both Madonna and Leon above.**

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