Madonna Felt Like 'An Outsider' When She Moved To England

Madonna’s face is splashed on the colorful cover of The Advocate’s latest issue, and in the magazine, the Superbowl singer talks about her creative endeavors and how she relates to them.

Madonna said when she decided to direct W.E., it was because she felt a connection to Wallis Simpson, stemming from her move to England.

“Like Wallis Simpson, I felt like an outsider,” she told the mag. “I thought, life is so different here, and I’m used to being a New Yorker, and I have to learn how to drive on the other side of the road. Suddenly, I found myself living out in an English country house and trying to find my way in this world, so I decided to really take it on and do research and find out about English history and learn about the royal family.”

And thus, her movie was born. Madonna’s career as a director isn’t slowing down her music career, though. Because of course, Madonna has her highly anticipated album MDNA coming out soon.

The singer remains an influence to a variety of current pop stars, most notably, Lady Gaga. Madonna says she can appreciate Gaga’s connection to her fans. “It seems natural, and I can see why she has a young gay following,” Madonna said. “I can see that they connect to her kind of not fitting into the conventional norm. I mean, she’s not Britney Spears. She’s not built like a brick s—house. She seems to have had a challenging upbringing, and so I can see where she would also have that kind of connection, a symbiotic relationship with gay men.”

The queen of pop also talked about motherhood: “I’m a strict mother. My daughter doesn’t know why I won’t allow her to get everything pierced or a tattoo or dye her hair blond on the tips and pink at the roots.”